Spring Insider: Closer look at Ruben Ortega

It is an interesting story how Ruben Ortega became a running back for Western.

Here is how Coach Toby Howell tells the story of the process.

“Freshman year, he was a big kid," Howell says. "We tried to make him a guard. He comes up to me - he’s worked there for a few days - he says, ‘Hey Coach, do you think I could try running back.’

“ ‘Oh yeah. Try whatever you want.’

“It’s a good thing I told him yes. … I was not smart enough to realize, this guy was a running back.”

Are such requests typically honored?

Howell: “Oh yeah. Try whatever you want, and we’ll see. … Then we might say, ‘Hey, it’s not working out, let’s put you back.’

“But all of sudden we were like, ‘Hey, this is where the guys belongs.’ ”

Why did it work?

“This guy’s a train, man. He’s a runaway train out there," Howell says. "He’s big strong and fast. That’s the kind of guy you want carrying that ball.”

Ortega ran for 1,410 yards as a sophomore.

Ortega was not pleased when coaches directed him to the offensive line.

Ortega: “I was like, ‘Uh, I’ve never played guard before.’ ”

Howell: “He did it with a good attitude. He did what we asked him to do. He’s walking out to practice, ‘Do you think I could try running back?’

Was Ortega hesitant to ask?

“A little bit," he said. "But in order to get what you want, you have to go for it right? So I gave it a chance.”

Contact the writer: jkay@ocregister.com