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Jaguar Football Players Make College Intentions Known

Apr 08, 2016 10:53AM ● By Greg James

By Greg James | [email protected]

West Jordan - College football coaches have added West Jordan High School as a definite stop to shop for talent. The Jaguars’ first-year head coach Mike Meifu has helped several players find opportunities to continue playing football after their high school careers have ended.

“For a lot of these kids it is a dream come true. An opportunity to play at the next level is what some kids work for. It can also help them to be able to afford to pay for college. It is a big deal,” Meifu said.

BYU snagged the biggest Jaguar recruit, senior Atunaisa Mahe, a 6-foot, 285-pound defensive lineman. Mahe committed to the Cougars during his junior season but made it official this spring.

He had 38 tackles, five for loss and three sacks during his senior season. In addition to football, Mahe played rugby and is an impressive power lifter for the Jaguars. He received an honorable mention at football all-state.

“He [Mahe] is a stud of a kid. He is extremely hardworking and humble. He plays the game the right way and is very strong. He really learned his position,” Meifu said.

Tight end Hunter Christensen signed his letter of intent to play at Dixie State. Christensen, a 6-foot-3, 203-pound wide receiver and tight end was voted the team’s most valuable player and first team all-region 3. He has a 4.0 grade point average.

“He [Christensen] stepped in for us when we had an injury at tight end. He has good size and speed and creates mismatches for the other teams. I think he will do well down at Dixie. He will be an asset for any school,” Meifu said.

Second team all-state offensive lineman Tryce Leuluai has signed to play at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound offensive lineman as been clocked at 5.02 seconds in the 40-yard dash. 

“Tryce has high standards in the classroom. He was our team captain and has a great work ethic and high character. Scotty [Clayburn] was one of our team leaders; both are great young men,” Meifu said.

Clayburn stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 330 pounds. He signed for Minot State in North Dakota. He was named second team all-region and also played rugby for the Jaguars.

“I am sure we will have more kids picked up as we go into summer. These kids are all West Jordan kids. People do not always think that kids can get scholarships if they play at West Jordan, but they can if they work hard and prepare themselves. These are all high-character kids,” Meifu said.

Meifu has had experience recruiting for college programs. He was an assistant coach at Snow College and Southern Virginia University before returning to his alma matter, West Jordan, as its head coach.

“I think there is a benefit to have me here. I know what colleges are looking for and what schemes they run. I can see how a player’s skill will translate into college programs,” Meifu said.

The Jaguar coaches help the players gather and distribute films, but Meifu said their abilities, test scores and overall grades can have a huge impact. Many colleges do not offer full scholarships to athletes. Academic scholarships afford many players the opportunity to play at the collegiate level.