It's good to be at the top of the heap
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERO/Acorn Newspapers BUSTING THE BOOKS- Moorpark resident Brandon Sofley, a sophmore at Moorpark Junior College was just named to the JC Grid Wire Academic All American Team. He also plays offensive line for the school.

It seems that Moorpark Junior College offensive lineman Brandon Sofley is hitting more than opposing defenses.

He's also been hitting the books.

In addition to helping the Raiders go 9-3 to earn a share of the Western State Conference's Pacific Division title, Sofley was named to the Junior College GridWire Academic All American Team in December. The sophomore has earned a cumulative GPA of 3.77 while attending Moorpark JC.

During the fall semester this year Sofley took what he called "a light load" of classes: English, macroeconomics, geology, geology lab and health. Oh yeah, and that football class too. With such a busy schedule Sofley may have been the last person to learn he'd won the prestigious award.

"My friend Conrad Meadows texted me on my cellphone offering me congratulations," Sofley said. "I'm like, 'Congrats for what? What are you talking about?'

"It was nice to be recognized for all the hard work. In college, your parents can't keep as good of an eye on you as they could in high school. There were many nights when I could've gone out with my friends and had a good time, but I decided to study instead. It's nice to know it was worth it."

Sofley said he owed it to his friends and family to make the grade in the classroom as well as on the field.

"Some of my friends over the years have studied very hard and still haven't passed a test or a class," Sofley said. "It would be unfair to them for me to cut corners and not make the most out of my natural ability."

While the lineman is happy that his academic achievements have been recognized, he doesn't mind that his football position sometimes gets overlooked.

"If you're talking to someone that really knows the game, they're going to know if you're doing a good job creating holes for running backs and protecting your quarterback," Sofley said. "We don't get the write-ups and stats that other players may get, but we still get respect."

Moorpark High head coach Tim Lins was excited to see his former player honored.

"He's an intelligent person and was always disciplined, so it doesn't surprise me that he was named to the team," Lins said.

"He wasn't blessed with much natural ability and speed on the football field, but he was always one of our hardest workers. I'll always remember him being very aggressive. He did a great job of finishing his blocks. He wasn't content with going downfield and just hitting someone. He was always looking for more."

Sofley said he learned a lot during his playing days at Moorpark High.

"My freshman year I was 6 foot 2 and weighed around 220 pounds, so I didn't really have a choice to play anywhere else but on the line," Sofley said with a laugh. "I had never really played football before, but I started hanging out with the other offensive linemen and started getting their mentality."

One of Sofley's biggest thrills came when he received the Owl statue at the end of his junior year from teammate and offensive lineman Ian Hayward. The statue is an award representing knowledge given to a junior from the Musketeers' best senior lineman.

"Ian was mean on the field, but off the field he was really nice," Sofley said. "I just always wanted to be like him and when he called my name at the banquet I was shocked."

The following year Sofley passed along the statue and a John Wooden book of quotes to George Halamandaris. The MHS offensive line kept up its winning ways in 2007 when senior Casey Blum was named the Marmonte League's Lineman of the Year.

The Raider offensive tackle credited John Kidder, the offensive coordinator at MHS and former UCLA standout, for his success on the football field.

"I didn't start my freshman year, and my sophomore year I was probably the fifth best lineman," Sofley said. "It's through his (Kidder's) coaching style that I improved on the varsity team. He didn't like to yell, he would just calmly tell you what you were doing wrong and how you had to fix it. He's been a big role model in my life."

Although Sofley's time at Moorpark JC is winding down, the sophomore says he plans on lining up on the gridiron somewhere next fall.

"The dream of playing football is still there," Sofley said. "I'm probably going to walk on somewhere, but I'm not giving up until the first game of the season occurs and I'm not on the team. And even then, I'm not sure if I'll quit."

If football doesn't pan out for Sofley, many other possibilities appeal to him. He might choose to become a firefighter, which seems like an ideal fit, since for a long time he's done a pretty good job of protecting others.