Two OCC players’ injuries revealed

Bryce Alderton

Orange Coast College’s football team lost its star defensive tackle

and quarterback to injuries, most likely for the rest of the season,

Coach Mike Taylor said Thursday.

Sophomore tackle Jesse Mahelona, an all-state selection as a

freshman, has a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The

6-foot-2, 294-pound Mahelona played during the first half in Coast’s

24-9 loss to Fullerton Saturday, but sat out the final two quarters.

Mahelona, who had 19 tackles and three sacks in two games, had a

bone scan earlier in the week, revealing the injury.

The sophomore has received recruiting offers from Oklahoma,

Arizona State, Washington and Oregon among other schools. Taylor

suspects Mahelona suffered the injury in Coast’s first game of the

season Sept. 6. Mahelona continued to play in that game and made 12

tackles.

He didn’t play against Los Angeles Southwest a week later, but

came back against Saddleback in Week 3.

“He was cleared to play every week,” Taylor said. “The training

staff monitored him closely. They were pushing and probing trying to

figure things out. He is a tough kid that bit the bullet and ended up

on the training table halfway through the first quarter [against

Fullerton].”

Taylor said healing is taking place in the foot and Mahelona could

be ready to play in six weeks -- when OCC (2-2) and Golden West face

each other in the final regular season game Nov. 15. But Taylor wants

to take every precaution.

“It wouldn’t be fair for him to come back and re-injure it,”

Taylor said. “We will have him walk in a pool for cardiovascular

exercise, to keep him in shape so he can go on and play at a big

school.”

Freshman quarterback Beau Budde tore the anterior cruciate

ligament in his right knee against Fullerton and will join Mahelona

on the sidelines. Surgery could come as early as next week, Taylor

said.

Budde completed 29 of 59 passes (.492) for one touchdown and three

interceptions in four games.

Sophomore Kelika Higa, who has shared time with Budde, will start

Saturday’s game against visiting Santa Ana (4-0).