Independent Player of the Week - Los Angeles Times
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Independent Player of the Week

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Ever since he could run with a football, Seth Prelesnik said he

always dreamed of wearing an Edison Charger uniform.

Now a well-mannered young man of 17, Prelesnik has worn that

uniform proudly, and the Charger program itself is proud of the job the

junior has done from his linebacker position.

‘He’s the heart and soul of our defense,’ Edison Coach Dave White

said of Prelesnik, one of four team captains for the Chargers and the

Independent’s Player of the Week. ‘If you don’t block Seth out, he’ll be

in on every tackle.’

Which practically was the case in last week’s 34-7 victory over

Arcadia.

The 5-foot-11, 205 junior, who is one of the few players in Edison

history to start at linebacker as a sophomore, roamed Huntington Beach

High’s Sheue Field from sideline to sideline last Friday night, tackling

just about anything in sight.

When the final gun went off, Prelesnik had dashed off with a

17-tackle night, which included 10 solo efforts.

Actually, that dominating performance wasn’t Prelesnik’s best of

the season. That would have to be a 19-tackle effort in a Sept. 17

victory at Capistrano Valley.

Prelesnik has been playing football since age six and conducts

himself off the field much the same way as he does on it - with

confidence and sincerity.

He has started every game since the first game of that 1998

season, a streak he is most proud of.

In addition, he’s the lone All-Sunset League returnee for the

Chargers.

‘I pride myself on being consistent each week,’ said Prelesnik,

whose father, Roger, has been a mathematics teacher at Edison since the

school opened in 1969. ‘I also know that I’m an extremely hard worker,

and I take pride in my work ethic.

‘I’ve been waiting my whole life to put on an Edison jersey, and

I’ve been going to Edison games my whole life. I can count the games I’ve

missed on one hand, and now I’m out there playing for the Chargers.’

Prelesnik’s play is one key reason the Chargers are 5-0 and

allowing just 10 points per game. What’s more, he’s living out his

childhood dream, but his goals don’t stop there.

‘I really want us to win a Sunset League title,’ he added. ‘And,

of course, beat Fountain Valley.’

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