Steinberg: Big guys battle in Super Linemen event

Jesse Sapolu, a four-time Super Bowl champion playing center and offensive guard for the San Francisco 49ers, looked out at a field filled with extremely large high school athletes at Jim Scott Stadium with a large grin on his face.

The Costa Mesa resident hosted the second annual Super Linemen tournament, featuring 220 offensive and defensive linemen. Fourteen high schools were represented including Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor, Edison and Mater Dei. Participants came from across the country, as far as Hawaii and Louisiana.

The format consisted of a morning of training and then five-on-five competitions. Guy McIntyre, a former 49er, was a coach.

“Jesse has provided a wonderful teaching competition for positions that are usually overlooked on the camp scene,” McIntyre said.

Two “Renegade” squads, with athletes from various schools, were triumphant in the finals against Mater Dei and Troy.

Bryan Samudo, an offensive guard from CdM, contributed to the victorious squad.

“I loved it”, he said. “I have modeled my style based on Jesse”.

There are numerous camps and competitions featuring “skill positions” held virtually every weekend around the country. Quarterbacks and wide receivers have multiple opportunities to participate.

Sapolu, who has coached at Costa Mesa High and Edison and runs training for his Men In The Trenches group, has created a unique structure featuring the players who anchor football lines.

“It is not important that you get beat on a play, it is how you recover,” Sapolu told the athletes. “The most important facet is mental strength.”

He thanked the city of Costa Mesa for its stalwart support. Normally camps like this carry a hefty fee, but this event was provided with no charge.

“This is a dream come true,” said Frank Martin, a 6-foot-6, 295-pound offensive tackle for Mater Dei, who has committed to USC. “The ability to test myself against the best linemen makes me better.”

The event was memorable for many.

“This was an amazing experience,” said teammate Curtis Robinson, an outside linebacker, who committed to Stanford.

With players coming from various places there was an opportunity for new connections between athletes who play the same position.

“I am excited by meeting so many young players from such different backgrounds,” said Daniel Juarez, an offensive tackle from Centennial, bound for Cal.

Sapolu, with the help of Coaching Charities, directed by Kevin Kaplan, has created a Sapolu Youth Foundation.

“We are in the process of creating scholarships for Costa Mesa High students to help them in their college education,” Sapolu’s wife, Lisa, said. “Jesse is a great role model and it is important to give back to this city.”

There were numerous high school coaches present, and even college coaches doing some scouting. Sapolu presented the winning squads with championship trophies and the exhausted, but happy, young players left the field.

LEIGH STEINBERG is a renowned sports agent, author, advocate, speaker and humanitarian. Twitter: @steinbergsports.