UCLA, Oaks Christian Display Wares

Julie and Bernie Ware are dealing with a tough predicament.

On Saturday, their youngest son, Aaron, a freshman at Westlake Village Oaks Christian High, will be making his varsity football debut. Their other son, Matt, a freshman at UCLA, will be making his debut for the Bruins around the same time in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Which game will they attend?

“We’re going to do our best to go to most of Aaron’s games, but if there’s a conflict because of UCLA, UCLA is going to have the upper hand,� Julie said. “We were Bruins before we were Lions.

“Bernie and I have waited all our lives for this moment to see Matthew suited up in a UCLA uniform, and I want to be there.�

Aaron understands..

“I’d rather go see Matt too,� he said.

This family bleeds UCLA blue and gold so thoroughly that Aaron already knows what his college choice will be in 2005.

“I’m going to UCLA,� he said.

Bruin Coach Bob Toledo won’t need to worry about recruiting another tailback four years from now if Aaron is as good as some people--his brother among them--think.

“He’s a man-child,� Matt said.

Aaron, only 14, is already 5 feet 11, 170 pounds. He also runs 40 yards in 4.43 seconds and possesses Keyshawn Johnson-like confidence.

He describes himself as “a mixture of a power running back and someone who puts a shake on people.�

“I’m going to get around the corner and fly,� he said. “I’m going to use my speed for everything.�

Most high school coaches feel fortunate if they get the opportunity to work with one All-American in their lifetime. Bill Redell could be working with his second.

In 1986, he was the coach when sophomore running back Russell White led Encino Crespi to the Southern Section Big Five Conference championship.

Redell took over the new Oaks Christian program last season, directing the team through a junior varsity schedule.

This fall will be the Lions’ first as a varsity program, and Aaron’s arrival has everyone excited.

“I would say from a speed standpoint, he has the same as Russell,� Redell said. “Barring injury, he’ll be a big-time player. He’s real fluid, has great vision and is very coachable.

“These guys just don’t come around too often.�

Aaron was expected to follow his brother to Los Angeles Loyola, where Matt starred at quarterback and safety for a team that advanced to the Southern Section Division I championship game last season. Even Aaron thought it was inevitable he’d become a Cub.

“All I thought was, ‘Loyola, Loyola, Loyola,�’ Aaron said. “It was the greatest place on earth.�

But he changed his mind.

“I found I didn’t have my own identity,� he said. “I was always going to be ‘Matt’s little brother.�’

The challenge of creating a tradition at Oaks Christian won him over.

Aaron played flag football last year and he has a lot to learn about holding the ball after being hit, but he is undaunted by the high expectations.

“The nervousness is setting in, but half of it is excitement,� he said. “It’s a fun time, another step in life going up against the big boys, where it really counts. My mind-set is I have to be on a level above everyone else and keep going from there. My brother has taught me well, pushed me like no other.�

Matt prepared Aaron for football, but his grandmother, Iola, has taught him lessons about life that will guide him forever. She picked cotton for 14 years in Arkansas. Then she moved to Culver City and raised four children.

She took care of Matt and Aaron during their early years, teaching them the difference between right and wrong.

“Oh my goodness, I’d do anything when she was on me,� Aaron said. “She chased me around the house with a switch. That’s how I got my agility. She taught me everything about having character and staying true to yourself. She doesn’t hold back anything.�

The Ware brothers don’t need someone looking over them when they speak to adults. They handle themselves with impressive maturity and intelligence.

“My parents have instilled a lot of trust in us,� Aaron said. “We stay authentic and stay the person we’re growing up to be. Even if no one is looking, I want to be myself.�

The brothers haven’t had a fight in more than a year, but that doesn’t mean there’s no rivalry.

“He’s a person I look up to and want to be like,� Aaron said, “but one day, I’m going to smoke him [in a race].�

Countered Matt: “He has to talk because he knows I’ll always have enough to beat my little brother.�

This weekend, Matt will start at cornerback for UCLA against Alabama on ESPN. Aaron will start at tailback and free safety for Oaks Christian against Silver Valley in Yermo, located in rural San Bernardino County.

Matt is going to be waiting by the phone in his hotel room to find out how Aaron fared, even if it’s 2 a.m. in Tuscaloosa. Aaron is going to tape the UCLA game to see how his brother performed.

And their parents are going to cherish the moment, no matter what.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at [email protected]