Leaving his mark

Mike Sciacca

In his four years at Laguna Beach High, Jake Wheeler has done just

about everything.

From being involved in school activities to after school sports,

the 17-year-old has certainly made a name for himself.

He starred on the football field for the Breakers, then lent his

talents to benefit the school’s basketball, track and field and

baseball teams.

Seems every where he played, Wheeler left his mark.

“Jake played one game for us during summer ball last year,” Laguna

Beach baseball coach Tom Faris recalled. “Our team only had two hits

in that game, and Jake had both of them. He hadn’t played baseball in

a while, but that game said a lot about his talent.”

Wheeler eventually joined the baseball team, thanks to the

encouragement he got from Faris, and the coaxing by teammate Alex

Wilson, to play.

It was Wheeler’s first year playing baseball since his Laguna

Beach Little League days.

“From there, he just took off,” Faris said. “Here’s a kid who, on

his first day of practice, was asking me to show him how to bunt. He

ended up getting a lot of drag bunt hits during the season and went

on to lead our team in overall hitting.

“That shows you the athleticism he possesses.”

Wheeler, the school’s Associated Student Body president, first put

athleticism on display last fall on the football field. He went on to

play the role of sixth- or seventh-man on the varsity basketball team

in the winter before taking a swing at baseball.

Wheeler also dabbled in track and field, running, for just one

year, the 100 and 200 meters.

He played varsity football for three years and varsity basketball

for two.

In football, he ended his senior year by being named All-Pacific

Coast League for a second straight year, earned All-CIF honors and

set school records for single-season receptions and touchdowns.

He ended up second in career touchdowns and third in receiving

yardage.

Wheeler has earned seven letters in four sports.

He will play one final prep baseball game Saturday in an event

that pits the All-Pacific Coast League players against the All-South

Coast League team in an All-Star game doubleheader at Ryan Lemmon

Stadium in Irvine.

He says watching his older brother, Bill, a two-time all-league

defensive end, play Laguna football, swayed him toward giving the

sport a try.

“I loved it and it just seemed natural,” Wheeler said. “After

watching my brother play and being around Laguna football for some

time, I decided to give it a try. It just clicked with me.”

Wheeler recently was named the school’s male athlete of the year

for 2003-04.

“It’s quite an honor,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to have a lot

of fun on the teams I’ve played on. I have put a lot of time into

playing sports here. I’ve loved it all.”

Wheeler also has logged plenty of community service time, nearly

520 hours, he estimated.

In previous summers, he has gone to states in the southwestern

U.S. to work on Indian reservations. He has also traveled to Africa

to help build homes and this summer, he will be in Fiji to help build

a church.

In the fall, he’ll head to Atlanta, Ga., to attend Emory

University, where he hopes to major in political science.

Participating in recent senior activities leading up to next

week’s graduation ceremony has made Wheeler contemplate on all that

he accomplished in four years at Laguna Beach High.

“I will take a lot of great memories with me,” he said. “I’ve come

to realize just how much the community gets involved with the

students at this school. It’s a tight-knit community and everyone has

been very supportive.

“I’m pretty much leaving here happy for having been so involved

with this school. These past few days are kind of sad, because I’ve

had such a blast in high school. But the things I will remember most

are the stories and hanging out with my friends and teammates. That’s

something I can take with me to Atlanta.”