UPON FURTHER REVIEW: FOOTBALL FIELD IS A PLACE TO CALL HOME : RESEDA'S WAGNER HAS MUCH TO OVERCOME.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore

Reseda High won a football game Wednesday 34-10. But that victory was secondary to a much more important victory.

The Regents get to play another week, facing Banning in the City Invitational semifinals Friday.

That means Jason Wagner has a safe place to be, a certain place to be, for three hours every day this week after school.

Wagner is one of the gutsiest players in the area; a hard-nosed, two-way player who never leaves the field. And that's appropriate because, sometimes, Wagner has no place to go.

``I worry about him sometimes when he gets in his car and drives away,'' said Reseda coach Joel Schaeffer. ``I worry because I'm not sure where he's going.''

Schaeffer's concern is warranted, yet anyone who knows Wagner knows he is a survivor. He's been through quite a bit, yet he continues to prevail.

``Talk about someone who has overcome a lot of stuff,'' Schaeffer said, shaking his head. ``This kid has been (let down) his whole life.''

Still, Wagner keeps getting up.

``I'm not going to let it get me down, you can't,'' Wagner said after Reseda beat South Gate on Wednesday. ``I'm just not going to do that.''

It's a complicated story. But in a nutshell, Wagner doesn't have an official home. Most of the time he stays with his best friend in Reseda. The rest he's with his grandparents in Chatsworth or friends in Canoga Park or Pacoima.

His official home is with the family of Gerard Jones, a former teammate at Reseda who now attends Taft.

``I have friends all over the city that I stay with,'' Wagner said. ``Mostly, though, it's with Gerard. His family has done so much for me, it's just a lot of love.''

Wagner lived with his mom until two years ago. He left after fighting with the son of his mom's boyfriend, who was picking on Wagner's 11-year-old brother.

It wasn't the first time there was trouble at home. Wagner remembers moving 11 times when he was a kid. He has no memories of his biological father, just a small photo. And a lack of direction pushed Wagner in the wrong direction.

``We'd sometimes be out in the street fighting,'' Wagner said. ``It wasn't a good situation at all.''

The savior has been sports, and the people at Reseda, who Wagner considers his family. People like Schaeffer, a gruff old coach with the reputation of a taskmaster.

``But the thing is he isn't like that at all,'' Wagner said, laughing. ``I mean, we call him Sugar Bear, he's a big lovable guy. And you know, I never met my real dad, but outside of my grandfather, coach Schaeffer is the next closest thing to a dad I have.''

Or somebody like Dr. Robert Kladifko, Reseda's longtime principal who looks after his students. A few days ago, Kladifko invited all of Reseda's seniors - including Wagner - to meet with an official from Pierce College. Kladifko wouldn't let the students leave until they applied at Pierce.

``I guarded the doors,'' Kladifko said. ``I said I don't care if you're going to Harvard or Princeton - those two schools don't start until the fall. You can take a few classes at Pierce first. And you know, now those kids will get an official letter from Pierce that says they've been accepted into college.''

Wagner thinks about Dr. Kladifko and grins.

``The guy's got all these students he's responsible for, but he always seems to find me and talk to me.''

Which is fine with Wagner. He appreciates that the people of Reseda care about him so much.

``They've helped me to change my life,'' he said. ``I went to two junior highs, my grades weren't very good. But since I've been here, they've looked after me. Stayed on me. The thing is, I don't want to miss out on anything just because I am lazy.''

The constant is sports. Sometimes football needs the player, but in Wagner's case, the player needs football. After the South Gate game, he pulled together his teammates and prayed with them, thanking God for surrounding him with family.

The love for football shows in the way Wagner plays. He isn't the biggest player, but there are few as tough. Wagner is a featured running back (656 yards) and a gifted receiver (587 yards). He also plays defense.

``Football is my life, it's what I love to do,'' said Wagner, who wants to play in college, then coach. ``All the stuff I've been through, when I play football, that's where I can get my frustrations out.''

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PHOTO Reseda's Jason Wagner ``has been (let down) his whole life,'' says coach Joel Schaeffer.

Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News