Four-time Super Bowl champion talks to OC All-Stars about overcoming adversity

Arwin Rahmatpanah looked forward to two things on Friday night, eating a lot of meat and listening to someone who played with a lot of heart in the NFL, despite the player having a heart defect.

While most of the recent high school graduates at the Orange County All-Star Classic football banquet at Costa Mesa Country Club did not know guest speaker Jesse Sapolu’s story, Rahmatpanah heard it before. Sapolu, an offensive lineman, played with a torn aortic valve for most of his 15-year career with the San Francisco 49ers.

The story of how Sapolu, a Costa Mesa resident, overcame adversity and went on to win four Super Bowls never gets old for Rahmatpanah.

As Sapolu played center and guard for the 49ers, Rahmatpanah lined up at those same positions at Corona del Mar High.

During his final three years with the Sea Kings, Rahmatpanah attended Sapolu’s camps for linemen. Rahmatpanah learned a lot from Sapolu, much of it he will take with him to UC Berkeley, where he plans to be a walk-on football player.

“The fact of the matter was Jesse played in eight NFC Championships, but it was the four he lost [that] he remembered over the four he won,” Rahmatpanah said. “Overcoming those four losses and winning four shows his way of overcoming adversity, which is big for me, because overcoming adversity is huge in the big scheme of life.”

Rahmatpanah sat close to where Sapolu spoke during the banquet. His table included a couple of CdM teammates, outside linebacker Teddy Barber and defensive lineman Bryce Clabaugh.

The trio will get to play together one last time during the 58th edition of the OC All-Star Game at Orange Coast College next Friday at 7 p.m. The Sea Kings are on the South team, which includes 14 players from schools in the area.

The other members from the South are Edison defensive end Kenny Carmichael, wide receiver Shaun Colamonico and offensive lineman Garrett Weichman, Brethren Christian quarterback Joey Gutierrez, wide receivers Jason Fuga and Nathan Sagastume and outside linebacker Dante Sanchez, Newport Harbor offensive lineman Mike Jarboe and linebacker Gage Roberson, Huntington Beach defensive lineman Jonah Apelu, and Fountain Valley defensive lineman Angel Hernandez. The North has one local, Costa Mesa linebacker Roman Ayala.

The two coaches are from the area as well. Brethren Christian’s Pat McInally is in charge of the South, while Charlie TeGantvoort, a 2001 graduate of Fountain Valley, leads the North. McInally and TeGantvoort guided their respective programs to successful 2016 seasons, Brethren Christian finished 9-1 overall and Santa Ana went 13-1 and reached the CIF Southern Section Division 13 finals.

Getting to coach in the OC All-Star Game is extra special for McInally, especially after what happened to his Brethren Christian team last November and how organizers almost canceled the annual summer event.

Despite going into the regular season finale ranked No. 4 in Division 10, the section left Brethren Christian, a freelance team, out of the playoffs because the 16-team bracket did not have room for an at-large entry. Five months later, in April, the Brea Lions Club canceled the OC All-Star Game because it was unable to secure a venue, a date and a major sponsor.

In May, Costa Mesa United, a nonprofit group, saved the OC All-Star Game. The Los Angeles Chargers, who are making Costa Mesa their headquarters, teamed up with Costa Mesa United to ensure the game would continue for the 55th year in a row.

During that run, McInally played in one of the OC All-Star Games, representing Villa Park. McInally joked that he wore a leather helmet when he played in the game in 1971.

“This is truly an honor for me,” said McInally, whose South staff includes Brethren Christian defensive coordinator Keith Laszlo, offensive coordinator Jack McInally, special teams coach Dave Perkins and conditioning coach Francisco Soto, as well as CdM offensive line coach Dennis Wilbanks. “I can remember going to this game … for six to eight straight years when I was a kid. It was a tremendous honor when I got in [as a player].”

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Twitter: @ByDCP