Saami Khalifian

Patrick Laverty

Saami Khalifian admits he didn’t know much about football when he

decided to play the sport for the first time as a freshman at Newport

Harbor High. But Khalifian knew exactly what he wanted to do.

“I just told everyone, I want to be the one that hits the

quarterback,” Khalifian said. “They told me to play defensive line.”

He became a defensive end and as a starter for the Sailors this

season hit the opposing quarterback plenty of times. A number of

those came in Newport Harbor’s first-round loss to Los Altos Friday

as Khalifian was a part of four Sailors sacks on his way to earning

Daily Pilot Player of the Week honors.

At 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Khalifian isn’t an overwhelming presence

on the defensive front, but he is among the faster Harbor players.

His speed allowed him to put consistent pressure on opposing

quarterbacks this season while lining up against tackles who were

often 50 to 75 pounds bigger than him.

Against Los Altos, he noticed the Conquerors’ offensive line was

telegraphing a run play or pass play and when those linemen set up on

their heels, signaling a passing play, Khalifian turned to his speed

rush.

“I’m faster going forward than they are going backward,” Khalifian

said.

The junior was a part of three sacks in the first half and two

other tackles that resulted in a loss. He teamed with senior tackle

Mark Temple for two sacks on one series that resulted in a combined

loss of 25 yards after Los Altos had reached the Newport Harbor

11-yard line. He added an 8-yard sack with the help of senior tackle

Austin Nieto late in the first half and recorded a sack in the second

half for a loss of 3 yards.

Next season, as one of seven retuning starters on defense,

Khalifian will be one of the leaders of the squad. Because of the

number of returners, his expectations are high.

“Personally I want to go all the way next year,” Khalifian said.

“I think we have the speed and agility. Now we just need to work on

our size.”

Building size is priority No. 1 for Khalifian as he gets ready for

next season, preparations which got underway with a Tuesday morning

weightlifting session. Khalifian wants to add 20 pounds, while not

losing any of his biggest asset, his speed.

“That’s going to be my biggest goal, to gain 20 pounds,” Khalifian

said. “People would get a hand on me and push me and that would run

me off course. That’s the only way they can disrupt my speed rush. I

think if I gain 20 pounds, it will be a lot harder for them to push

me off course.”

While he had much success on the field this season, the size

differential was notable against opponents like Foothill, Khalifian

said. Linemen who combine size with speed could keep Khalifian out of

the backfield. But after dominating Los Altos, Khalifian ends the

2003 season with a burst of confidence.

“This game, going into it, I thought Los Altos must be Goliaths,

so I just got myself really pumped up,” Khalifian said. “I was

shocked. Their offensive line wasn’t all that great.”

As a result, Khalifian outplayed Los Altos defensive end Brigham

Harwell, a preseason All-American who has committed to UCLA.

Khalifian’s teammates wondered whether he was up to the task in the

week leading up to the game and he proved he was.

He’s also proved that he was right on target when he declared, his

freshman year, that he wanted to be the one to hit the quarterback.

That young player has turned into a football junkie.

“Honestly, football is my life,” Khalifian said. “I eat, drink and

sleep football. When we win, that’s all I think about all weekend.

When we lose, that’s all I think about all weekend. Football probably

takes up 70% of my life.”