Hungry like the Wolf

Mike Sciacca

At the end of Laguna Beach High’s 38-12 nonleague win Sept. 10 over

La Quinta at Guyer Field, Brad Wolf stood on the Laguna sideline, his

jersey soaked with sweat, his hands blistered.

That’s the intensity Wolf possesses, his coach will tell you.

What’s interesting is that Wolf didn’t even play a down.

No, the senior was relegated to the sideline and role of

cheerleader after having had his right leg broken during the first

half of play in the Sept. 3 season opener against Palos Verdes.

The sweat came from yelling and urging his teammates on; the

blisters, from working the crutches he used to maneuver along the

sideline.

Although doctors told him he’d be out of action for nearly the

remainder of the season -- six to eight weeks, they speculated --

Wolf, a 5-foot-5, 180-pound athlete who played nose guard and

linebacker in the opener, is intent on returning to action in four to

six weeks.

To say it was a tough break for a tough young man would be a huge

understatement, especially if you know where the 18-year-old has come

from.

“I’ve had hard times and been down, but I’ve managed to stay

upbeat overall,” said Wolf, who sported dark sunglasses and an easy

smile at Tuesday’s practice.

Upon returning from a surfing trip in Mexico during spring break

his freshman year, Wolf returned home with a facial rash. Not only

that, he suffered headaches and felt fatigued.

After doctors’ visits, blood tests and after seeing a specialist,

Wolf was diagnosed as having Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, a form of

the disease that most people are referring to when they say Lupus.

Lupus is one of many disorders of the immune system known as

autoimmune diseases and can be effectively treated with drugs, and

most people with the disease can lead active, healthy lives.

The word “systemic” means the disease can affect many parts of the

body, and symptoms may be mild or serious. Although it usually first

affects people between the ages of 15 and 45, it can occur in

childhood or later in life as well.

Research has shown that many more women than men have Lupus, and

the disease is three times more common in African American women than

in Caucasian women.

“I was kind of shocked when I heard the news,” Wolf said,

“especially since I’ve learned that it is a disease that strongly

affects African American women and adult females.

“The first few days after learning about it, I can’t lie, I felt

pretty distressed. I thought about it, and after talking with my

cousin, he told me it could have been worse. Ironically, he had

broken his leg during his senior year of high school but recovered

and went on to play at the Air Force Academy. That talk helped lift

my spirits.”

Wolf said he isn’t on medication, although he did take prednisone

during the summer leading up to his sophomore year.

He said he gained nearly 20 pounds, lost a lot of hair on the back

of his head and had mouth ulcerations.

Exposure to the sun also affects people with Lupus, and Wolf can

be seen regularly sporting dark sunglasses.

He says he was out of shape when he entered “Hell Week” his

sophomore year, yet he got through it, “out of shape and all.” He

even found his way into the starting lineup, when a player in front

of him went down to injury.

Wolf also played his junior year but became sick and missed the

second semester of school that year.

Instead of taking on a huge course load in what would have been

his senior year in 2003-04, Wolf repeated his junior year, skipped

football that same year and was granted a grievance clause by the CIF

office, which allowed him to play the 2004 season.

Wolf, who says he has a passion for football and acting in school

drama productions, returned to the gridiron in the spring.

He started the 2004 season and was a team leader as a member of

the school’s coveted “Black Watch.”

“I was loving it and so excited to be back on the playing field,”

Wolf said. “It was a dream come true to be back out there. It was a

new season with a team and coach I love. They’re all awesome,

awesome, awesome. I was so pumped up for the game.”

Late in the first half of the Palos Verdes game is when Wolf

suffered the injury to his right leg.

He said doctors have encouraged him to “listen to my body, what he

can and can’t do, and know his limits when it comes to living with

Lupus.”

He said he was listening to his body when he took the hit to his

leg.

“I just thought it was a deep tissue bruise or something, and I

played through it,” Wolf said. “I played at the start of the third

quarter, too, but when I started to hear popping, I got out of the

game. I knew something was wrong.”

A trip to the emergency room later that night confirmed it was a

broken leg.

“Brad means the world to this team,” Laguna Coach Jimmy Nolan

said. “After all the guy’s been through, you’d think maybe he’d throw

in the towel. No way. This guy hasn’t missed a minute since he broke

his leg. In fact, he was in the emergency room all night after the

[Palos Verdes] game and still showed up to films in the morning, and

apologized for being late.

“Nothing I can do or say as a coach can compare to the live,

motivational example this team has the honor to be around every day

in Brad Wolf, a true warrior. Twenty years from now, this team will

look back and remember Brad Wolf. We have all become better people

and coaches because of Brad Wolf. This guy is amazing. I have never

been around such a true champion, a winner in football and more

important, a winner in life.”

Wolf said his ability to bounce back in the face of adversity lies

in his attitude.

His desire is to play football again, perhaps try out for a school

drama production in the spring of 2005.

“The mental aspect of it all, and having a good attitude, is what

you need to get through setbacks,” Wolf said. “Your mind can heal

your body. I just tell people to never give up, don’t throw in the

towel, to look for the silver lining through the dark clouds. It

really is all those cliches.

“When it comes to football and drama, things that I love, I really

don’t feel alive when I’m not doing them. I don’t want to be at home

watching TV. I want to be part of the action.”