Mahelona is turning heads

Former Orange Coast College All-State defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona

has turned a stellar two-year career with the Pirates into headline

performances with the University of Tennessee and finds his name on

nearly every preseason All-American list headed into the 2005 season.

Perhaps the most well-known of the All-American teams is that

released by Playboy magazine, of which Mahelona is one of 11

defensive players chosen to the 49th edition.

Chosen to be a team captain this season, Mahelona was recently

named to the preseason All-American team of Rivals.com, ESPN and the

Blue Ribbon Yearbook to go along with the 2005 preseason

All-Southeastern Conference first team. The Volunteers are ranked No.

3 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and are the favorite

among many media outlets to defend their SEC Eastern Division title.

His first-season performances in the orange at Neyland Stadium in

Knoxville, Tenn., opened the eyes of many across the country, as he

tallied 18 1/2 tackles for a loss to lead the SEC. He totaled 42

tackles overall to be named an All-American by The Sporting News and

was a All-SEC selection by the Associated Press.

Mahelona was the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of

November 6 with five tackles for loss in a 17-13 loss to Notre Dame,

the only player of a losing team to earn the honor all season.

His impact in just one season has impressed local media members

enough to include him on the “Best of the Last 20 Years” list for

Tennessee football by Jimmy Hyans of the Halls Shopper News. Familiar

names on that list include Jamal Lewis, Leonard Little, former

Outland Trophy winner John Henderson and defending NFL Most Valuable

Player Peyton Manning.

Currently ranked No. 27 among 2005 seniors by

collegefootballnews.com, Mahelona was named to both the Outland

Trophy and Nagurski watch lists, given to the top interior lineman

and best defensive player, respectively. He was the 16th selection of

the latest mock draft by the NFL Draft scout service and was put on

the cover of the Athlon Sports Southeastern preview.

Rounding out the potential awards was inclusion on the Ronnie Lott

Award watch list, given to the defensive player that makes the

greatest impact both on and off the field. Tennessee opens the 2005

season Sept. 3 at home against the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Locals in X Games

* EXTREME SPORTS: Costa Mesa residents Omar Hassan and Sandro

Dias, along with Newport Beach resident Jeff Ward, are scheduled to

compete in X Games 11 through Sunday in Los Angeles.

Ward will be competing in the supermoto race Sunday at the Home

Depot Center in Carson, while Dias is slated for the skateboard vert

best-trick finals Saturday. Hassan will vie for a spot in Sunday’s

skateboard big-air finals in the selection session Saturday.