Jaden Batiest  is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism Student assigned to cover Campo Verde High School for AZPreps365.com

One change created the best linebacker in the school's history and caught the National Football League's attention.

That’s all it took for Ron Wells to get noticed.

Wells, the linebackers coach at Campo Verde High, was determined to make an impact as a quarterback in 1979 at Fort Lewis College in Colorado.

Now, he's making an impact with Campo Verde, too. The Coyotes (5-5) made the playoffs and face Cactus High (7-3) on Thursday night.

It's been a long - but enjoyable - road here.

During his first two years at Fort Lewis College, he alternated at quarterback and linebacker.

During his sophomore year, the coaching system changed, moving the offense from run-heavy to a more passing offense, so the coach moved Wells to linebacker in the fall of 1981.

"I transitioned fully to a linebacker the next fall season,” Wells said. “I started competing for a starting position and won the starting position.”

When Wells was moved to linebacker, he broke school records in his junior and senior years.

He finished with 27 sacks in his career and 19 in his senior year in 1982.

"Ron always had his hand out to help every teammate on the team," said Jody Cook, former high school and college teammate.

Wells' sack record at Fort Lewis is currently No. 2 in school history. He earned first-team All-RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) and All-NAIA (National Association Intercollegiate Athletics) District VII. His play was so impressive he was named to the school’s Hall of Fame.

With these fantastic performances, it caught the eye of the NFL.

Bob Zenman, then the linebacker coach for the Denver Broncos, got a chance to visit Wells in college. During the 1982 season, the National Football League was in the midst of a strike.

"He (Zenman) come down and watched us play in person, which he ordinarily would not have had a chance to do, but they had some extra time because of the strike," Wells said.

In 1983, Zenman became the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.

"(Zenman) reached out to me and said, we will take a look at you on draft day; we will either draft you and if we can't draft you, then we will sign you as a free agent," Wells said.

And they did.

Wells played in a few preseason games for the Buffalo Bills but was eventually released before the season.

“I was very proud of the fact that I was representing a school and always wanted to give them accolades for the preparation and getting me ready to take on that challenge," Wells said.

After the Bills released Wells, he played for two USFL teams - the Denver Gold and Pittsburgh Maulers. During his playing time, he suffered multiple injuries that concluded his football career.

In 1984, Wells returned to Fort Lewis as a defensive coach and helped them win its first conference championship.

Wells, 62, moved to different states since his dad was in the oil business. His football journey started at a very young age when Wells moved to Texas, and his dad encouraged him and his brothers to play.

Wells moved to Littleton, Colo., began attending Columbine High School, and continued playing football. While there, he played quarterback and defensive back. Wells' name is also in the Columbine High School Hall of Fame.

He’s married with two children. 

"He is a loving husband and father who has always made his family his No. 1 priority," said his wife, Traci Wells.