san diego state

Feature Friday: Jake Fely

/ Hunter O. Hewitt / 1 Comment

Aztec linebacker Jake Fely makes a big tackle in the win over Boise State (Ernie Anderson/SDSU Media Relations)

The fifth in a series of Feature Friday video interviews

Jake Fely is a 5-foot-10, 210-pound sophomore linebacker from Oceanside, Calif. Although many consider him undersized, Fely has been one of the Aztecs’ best defenders as he consistently makes plays all over the field.

I sat down with Fely to learn more about him both on and off the football field. Here is the video interview:

Special thanks to Sean Scarborough for filming and producing the video content

Did you miss the last Feature Friday interview with safety Nat Berhe? See it here!

Warrior Wednesday: Equipment Staff

/ Hunter O. Hewitt / Leave a comment

Some of the SDSU equipment staff following the big win over Boise State. From left to right: Sonny Sanfilippo, Mark Kellogg (student manager), Angie Garza, Rich Hodgkinson, and Lindsay Degnan (student manager)

Helmets, shoulder pads, jerseys, cleats, gloves – all of these, amongst others, are necessary equipment for a college football team.

With a team of over 100 players, purchasing, fitting, distributing and laundering all of this equipment is no easy task. Add that to overseeing over a dozen other sports, and you’ve got yourself a thoroughly demanding job, one that can not be done by just one person.

Luckily for Angie Garza, director of athletic equipment services at San Diego State, she has help, and lots of it.

Garza, who worked as a student equipment manager when she attended SDSU from 2001-2004, was the assistant director of equipment services at SDSU from 2004-2009. She then accepted a job to become the head equipment manager at the University of San Diego, but was hired again by SDSU in 2012 when the head position opened up.

Garza’s staff includes Ben Harman (assistant director), Dennis Brown and Sonny Sanfilippo (equipment attendants), and nine student managers. Rich Hodgkinson, a current student at SDSU, is the head student manager.

Sanfilippo, also a graduate of SDSU and former student manager, is pleased to see former Aztecs on the equipment staff. With the everyday stresses an equipment staff member faces, it would be difficult to stay motivated if they worked for a school that they did not attend.

“We take a lot of pride in working for our former school,” Sanfilippo said. “It would have been tough to leave here after being a student manager knowing that someone is running the show who didn’t go here. I feel that the program is in good hands now.”

For their commitment to assisting all of the athletic teams and providing them with everything needed to compete at the highest level possible, the SDSU equipment staff members are this week’s Wednesday Warriors.

 

Be sure to check out the official Facebook page of the SDSU football locker room for exclusive photos and information directly from the equipment staff!

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by Hunter Hewitt

GO AZTECS

Aztec Stat of the Week: Kickoff Return Records

/ Hunter O. Hewitt / 1 Comment

In San Diego State’s 21-19 win over Boise State, wide receiver Colin Lockett returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown (Ernie Anderson/SDSU Media Relations)

In San Diego State’s monumental victory over conference-foe Boise State on Saturday, Aztec wide receiver Colin Lockett set the tone from the start when he returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.

It was Lockett’s second kickoff return touchdown of the season, and third of his career. No other Aztec player has ever returned more than one kickoff for a touchdown.

On top of holding the records for kickoff return touchdowns, Lockett is now chasing two other kickoff return records: career yardage and single-season yardage.

In the game, Lockett had 141 yards on three returns, and moved to third all-time in school history for most career kickoff return yards. He also moved to third all-time for most kickoff return yards in a season.

Most Kickoff Return Yards, Career

Following Saturday’s game, Lockett has 1,385 kickoff return yards in his career, the third-highest total in Aztec history.

He sits behind Darnay Scott and Monty Gilbreath, two former Aztec wide receivers who also served as returners on kickoffs.

In second place is Scott, who played at SDSU from 1991-1993. In just three seasons, he recorded 1,397 return yards on 64 returns. Arguably one of the best wide receivers in school history, he also ranks second in career receiving yards with 3,139 yards and seventh in career receptions with 178.

Following his time at SDSU, Scott was selected in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and had an impressive professional career. In eight seasons, he tallied 408 receptions for 6,193 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Gilbreath, who played at SDSU from 1986-1989, holds the school record for most kickoff return yards. In his four seasons with the Aztecs, he had 1,505 yards on 74 returns.

Gilbreath wasn’t just a kickoff return specialist, however, as he also ranks fifth in school history in career receptions (187) and tenth in career receiving yards (2,241). He also returned punts, and ranks second in school history with 835 punt return yards.

Assuming a bowl game is imminent, Lockett needs 121 kickoff return yards in the final three games to surpass Gilbreath. He would need to average just over 40 yards per game to break the record, a very reachable number considering he is averaging over 70 yards per game this season.

Most Kickoff Return Yards, Season

Not only is Lockett nearing the record for most career kickoff return yards, but he is also close to breaking the single-season record. Through 10 games, Lockett now has 707 yards on 27 returns this season, which currently ranks him third all-time at SDSU.

Gilbreath, the career yards leader, also holds the record for most kickoff return yards in a season, as he notched 880 yards on 40 returns in 1987.

Patrick Rowe, a wide receiver at SDSU from 1987-1991, ranks second with his mark of 799 yards in 1988. Like Scott and Gilbreath, Rowe is also amongst the school leaders in career receiving yards and career receptions. He ranks eighth and sixth all-time, respectively, with 155 receptions for 2,678 yards.

Lockett needs 174 kickoff return yards in the final three games to break Gilbreath’s single-season record.

Former Aztec wide receiver Darnay Scott, who played in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, is amongst the school leaders in kickoff return yardage (Associated Press)

 

Did you miss last week’s “Stat of the Week” post about tight end records? Check it out here!

LINKS:
Hunter Hewitt: WordPress – http://hunterhewitt.wordpress.com
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Hunter Hewitt: Twitter – http://twitter.com/hunterhewitt89
Hunter Hewitt: Facebook – http://facebook.com/hunterhewittSDSU
Hunter Hewitt: About.me – http://about.me/hunterhewitt
Hunter Hewitt: BrandYourself – http://hunterhewitt.brandyourself.com/
Hunter Hewitt: GoAztecs.com Player Profile – http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/hewitt_hunter00.html

by Hunter Hewitt

GO AZTECS