The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Robert Scheer

A Leg Up: Prospect's Matt Heling, hauling in a pass in regular season play against Willow Glen last fall, will play for the North squad in Wednesday night's Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game.

Only the best in all-star classic

But it took hard work, dedication to get there

By Dick Sparrer

Darren Fisk didn't start out as a football player. Oh, he played football all right. And he was pretty good, too. He just wasn't totally committed.

"I remember he went out for badminton in the spring of his sophomore year so he wouldn't have to go into the weight room with us," said Los Gatos coach Butch Cattolico.

But Cattolico knows that to be an all-star caliber player, it takes dedication, commitment and a whole lot of hard work.

Darren Fisk was about to find that out.

It was somewhere during Fisk's junior season that he saw the light. He started working, and working hard.

He worked hard enough to become a starter at Los Gatos, and following his senior season he earned a place on the North squad in the 1992 Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game.

Then he worked hard enough to earn a place on the University of Colorado football team as a walk-on, and before his career was over he was starting at fullback for the Buffalos.

And he worked hard enough to catch the eye of the Atlanta Falcons, who claimed him in the recent NFL draft.

"He's one of those kids who made himself into a real football player," said Cattolico of Fisk. "He was a kid who really came on, and it was a big plus for him to play in a game like this."

It wasn't always a smooth road for Fisk. He was an all-star in the summer of 1992, but he had no place to play that fall. He played in just one game for Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in 1993, but didn't letter.

He moved on to the University of Colorado and had to sit out his transfer year in 1994. But then he played the next three seasons for the Buffaloes-- his third as the starting fullback for Colorado-- and went to a couple of bowl games with the Buffs.

But the story doesn't end there. The Atlanta Falcons saw something in the former Los Gatos fullback and linebacker, so they selected him in the recent NFL draft and will welcome him to camp this summer.

Fisk's story is not an isolated one. Most of the players who have strapped on the pads for the Wedemeyer summer classic have shared his dedication and work ethic.

"It takes much more of a time commitment to compete at the all-star level," said Myron Zaccheo, who recently stepped down as the Pioneer head coach. "But these kids have dedicated themselves and made that commitment."

Cattolico agrees.

"The athletes are so much stronger and faster now that you've got to train," he said. "And you have be dedicated and committed if you want to reach this level."

"For these kids, the off-season means training and work in the weight room," added Cattolico. "It's very time-consuming. It's difficult for them to play other sports or to be involved in some of the other things at school."

Zaccheo has seen direct results from just such a training program during his years as a head football coach at San Jose, Gunderson and, most recently, Pioneer.

The veteran coach took over a floundering Pioneer program in 1993 and immediately instituted a weight program. By the fall of 1994, his Mustangs had won a division championship.

And a member of that squad, Adam Swantko, played well enough to earn a place on the South team in the summer all-star squad, largely because of his commitment and work ethic.

"Once he committed himself [to weight training], I knew he was going to be there," said Zaccheo of Swantko, who played in the 1995 all-star game. "He just kept improving, and the weight room helped him tremendously."

"He knew what it took," added Zaccheo, "and he developed himself into a good linebacker."

Dedication. Commitment. Hard work.

Swantko had it. So did Fisk.

And so do the more than 90 all-star football players preparing the take the field for the Wedemeyer summer classic on Wednesday night.

Wedemeyer All Star Game

The 24th annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game returns to San Jose State University's Spartan Stadium on July 22, and the legendary Wedemeyer will be on hand to greet the players prior to the 7:30 p.m. kick-off.

Among those participating in the "The Best Game in Town" this year will be local stars defensive back Shaun Thompson and lineman Mike Von Reuden of Willow Glen, linebacker Rob Basuino of Pioneer, and linemen B.J. Brust and Sam Prada of Bellarmine.

The football game is sponsored each summer by the Almaden Valley Rotary Club, and proceeds go to the Rotary charity and scholarship programs.

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