WATCH COMMAND

Mike Sciacca

It was the night of the big homecoming game against Corona del

Mar, when the Laguna Beach High football squad had gathered in the

team room for its weekly pregame ritual.

Pep talks and last-minute adjustments were the usual, but on this

rainy Friday evening, there was something out of the norm: an

announcement was to be made.

And it was then that Jake Wheeler heard his named called.

“It took me by total surprise, but I felt very fortunate to be

honored,” said the 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior who plays cornerback

and backup quarterback. “Now, I want to live up to the honor.”

Wheeler had been called forward by a group of four seniors --

Clayton Caron, Bryce Loidolt, Marshall Paymard and Alberto Sanchez --

who comprise a unit called “Black Watch,” welcoming him as the newest

member of the program’s version of an honor society.

Wheeler stepped forward to accept handshakes and then the prized

possession: a black bandana trimmed in gold, with the phrase “Black

Watch” etched in one corner and his name in the other.

Before kickoff, he was given a “Black Watch” decal to stick on his

helmet.

“Black Watch” is considered to be the most prestigious award that

can be bestowed on a member of the Laguna Beach football team, the

players say.

And it’s the players -- the coaching staff has no say -- who

determine which among them will uphold the “Black Watch” tradition.

Head coach Dave Holland implemented the unit when he first arrived

at Laguna Beach in 1996. He had first started the program at his

former school, Corona del Mar High, in the mid-1980s. He also used it

when he coached at Grossmont College, he said.

“It did well at Corona del Mar but really, really has taken hold

here at Laguna,” Holland said. “It’s a select group, and the players

see it as a serious organization.

“I have some thoughts each year on which players I think should be

considered for the unit, but I have no say. I have never, though,

been disappointed with the selections, and I think that Jake Wheeler

is a great choice.”

Holland said that “Black Watch” honors players who have

demonstrated exemplary physical, mental and emotional toughness. Any

varsity player is eligible to become part of the honor society,

whether he is a starter or a “star.”

“It’s about how you conduct yourself on the practice field, on

campus, in the classroom and around other students -- not just what

you do on the football field,” said Clayton Caron, a starter at

center and defensive tackle who was selected for the “Black Watch”

honor last year as a junior.

Caron has placed his black bandana on his bedroom wall, a nice

reminder when he gets up each morning, he said, of the tradition he

was selected to uphold.

“It’s based on your work ethic in all of these situations, by the

example you lead, and that’s why we selected Jake,” Caron said.

“He’s a really mature kid who has a lot of class and good

leadership qualities,” Caron said. “He’d show up on optional

weightlifting days during the summer, things like that. He didn’t

show up just to show up -- he showed up to work. It’s giving that

110% that makes the difference.”

The first “Black Watch” at Laguna Beach High was the 1996 unit.

The core group that entered the 2002 season as “Black Watch” members

-- Caron, Loidolt, Paymard and Sanchez -- vote to select “new”

members as the current season progresses.

The vote must be unanimous, and the new editions will carry over

to the 2003 season, when they, in turn, will select new members to

join “Black Watch.”

Caron, Loidolt and Paymard each had a brother earn “Black Watch”

honors.

So did Wheeler, who was in grade school when his brother, Bill,

was named to the school’s very first “Black Watch” unit in 1996.

“I used to look at his bandana in our trophy case and always

thought it would be awesome to get one for myself,” Jake Wheeler

said.

“I’m honored to be honored by a great group of guys who I admire

both as players and as friends,” he said. “They’re a great group of

guys on and off the field. I look forward to help carry on the

tradition.”