Kentucky State's Unutoa may have future in NFL
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
Big Ben Unutoa (Wai'anae '95) has been invited to play in a national Division II college football all-star game and his coach at Kentucky State predicts it will be only a short time after that that he is invited to NFL testing centers.
Unutoa, a senior at Kentucky State, was selected first-team All-Southern Conference for the second time, but at a new position. He was picked at offensive tackle this year after a midseason switch from tight end, where he made the all-conference team in 2000.
UNUTOA
He also was selected to play in the Cactus Bowl all-star game at Kingsville, Texas, on Jan. 10, along with 16 of the 22 seniors on the American Football Coaches Association Division II All-America team.
John Mirilovich, Kentucky State's offensive line coach, predicts a Sunday future for Unutoa:
"If he was at a big school, he would go in the first or second round (of the NFL draft)," Mirilovich said last night. "Because he's from a small school it might take a few more rounds."
Numerous NFL scouts have been to Frankfort, Ky., to watch Unutoa's game tapes and watch him practice, Mirilovich said. "Some have been here two or three times, like Denver. He fits their mold; they like athletic linemen over real big ones."
Mirilovich said Unutoa, who is 6 feet 5, cut his weight from 300 pounds in the spring to 275 to play tight end. "He could put it back on in a heartbeat, and not look it. He's got a great frame," Mirilovich said.
"Ben is a great athlete and a great pass protector. He has great hip flexion and he can run. He is an athlete playing tackle," Mirilovich said.
Kentucky State moved Unutoa to left tackle when the Thoroughbreds went to a passing game halfway through the season. "The scouts tell me that left tackles are some of the highest paid players in the NFL, because they protect the quarterbacks from blind-side blitzes," Mirilovich said
Although Unutoa has always wanted to play tight end, and did so on a national championship junior college team at San Francisco three years ago, Mirilovich said he accepted his new assignment without complaint. "He said, 'Sure, I'll play wherever it helps the team.' ''
Some day, he might even thank them for it.
MORE FOOTBALL
• Utah
Utah senior Lauvale Sape (Leilehua '98) was chosen second-team All-Mountain West Conference defensive lineman by coaches for the second year in a row.
"Sape was possibly the best nose guard in the conference and his 23 tackles were impressive for that position," Utah spokeswoman Liz Abel said. "He had four tackles for loss, a sack and three pass breakups."
Sophomore left offensive guard Chris Kemoeatu (Kahuku '01) received honorable mention from conference coaches.
Sape's career at Utah started slowly. He did not have high enough SAT scores to play as a true freshman in 1998 and missed all but two games of 1999 with a knee injury.
He regained his fourth season of eligibility by graduating in four years last spring, eight years after he had come to the United States from American Samoa with admittedly poor English-speaking skills.
• Reedley (Calif.) JC
Reedley defeated College of the Canyons, 35-15, Saturday at Bakersfield to win the California Community College and J.C. Grid-Wire national championships. Reedley finished 12-0.
Sophomore Patrick Lau Jr. (Honoka'a '00) played on special teams and was a reserve fullback for Reedley; he scored two touchdowns this season.
Lau and the rest of the Reedley players will receive championship rings with three stones, signifying Valley Conference, state and national championships.
Lau attended Reedley, which is 23 miles southeast of Fresno, because he had a number of 4-H scholarships requiring him to attend a college with an animal sciences curriculum.
Lau's younger brother, Brad Lau, rushed for 1,819 yards for Hawai'i Prep this year and is being targeted by at least a dozen college recruiters for football and track and field.
• Orange Coast (Calif.) JC
Freshman defensive end Jesse Mahelona (Kealakehe '01) led the team in sacks with six and was the unanimous choice of the coaches as the team's Most Valuable Player.
He was a first-team All-Mission Conference Central Division selection.
"The ceiling is the limit for him," coach Mike Taylor said. Mahelona "gray shirted" last year at the University of Hawai'i (he was a part-time student and did not play football).
Jesse's older brother, Steven Mahelona (Konawaena '00) was Orange Coast's No. 2 running back, gaining 446 yards with a 5.6 average per carry and five touchdowns until a hip pointer sat him down. He's getting a lot of interest from UTEP, Taylor said.
Freshman safety-outside linebacker Una Latu (St. Louis '00), a first-team Advertiser all-state pick in 1999, struggled with thumb and knee injuries this season.
Offensive guard Keola Loo, Orange Coast's J.C. Grid-Wire third-team All-American who was featured last week in Homegrown Report, shares an apartment with the Mahelonas and Latu in Costa Mesa. The message on their telephone recorder starts: "The Flyin' Hawaiians."
