Man in the middle has his eye on big dance

Rick Devereux

It is pretty easy to spot Newport Harbor High defensive tackle Kaiona

Kalama-Dutro during a game.

Just wait for the pile of players to slowly peel away and one of

the last up is usually No. 30 for the Sailors.

If he was not the one that made the tackle, Kalama-Dutro surely

occupied enough offensive linemen so a linebacker could make the

stop.

His presence helped hold Charter Oak to 71 rushing yards in

Newport Harbor’s 14-7 win. Because he was constantly fighting off

blockers to make a tackle, Kalama-Dutro has been named the Daily

Pilot Athlete of the Week.

Kalama-Dutro is no giant. He stands 6-foot and weighs 220 pounds.

He regularly faces offensive linemen three or four inches taller and

sometimes more than 50 pounds heavier. Not to mention he often gets

double-teamed.

“It’s mostly in your mind,” he said about being outweighed by most

of his opponents. “It’s all about your defensive responsibilities.

You’ve got to know where you are going and you’ve got to know what to

do.”

There is a lot on Kalama-Dutro’s mind besides football.

His grandfather, Patrick, died in August of 2002.

Kalama-Dutro has dedicated this season to his honor. The reason he

is dedicating this season instead of his sophomore or junior seasons

is because Kalama-Dutro did not have a sophomore or junior football

season to play. This is the first healthy campaign for him.

He re-injured a broken ankle before the 2002 season and strained

his Achilles’ tendon last year.

“For the last few years he has been banged up and couldn’t

contribute because of injuries,” Coach Jeff Brinkley said. “He has

really elevated his game this year. [The Charter Oak game] was the

most intense I’ve seen him all year.”

Fans in the stands may not always be able to see the impact

Kalama-Dutro has during a football game because most of what he does

is shrouded by the traffic jam along the offensive line, but he does

not play for the fans.

“The people in the stands don’t see [what I do], but my brothers

on the field and the coaches see it,” he said. “That’s all that’s

important.”

The Sailors’ defense has been a major reason why Newport Harbor is

playing in the semifinals against Mayfair at 7:30 p.m. Friday at

Cerritos College. And the Tars’ run defense is a major reason why

Newport is undefeated. Opponents have averaged 69 rushing yards

through 12 games.

“We all play as one unit,” Kalama-Dutro said about the defense’s

strength. “The whole defense has played really well.”

One might think just being healthy and on the field would be

enough satisfaction, but Kalama-Dutro wants more.

“One of my major goals before the season started was to win CIF

[Southern Section Division VI championship],” he said. “I went to the

title game last year between Los Altos and Orange Lutheran. I made up

my mind right then that I was going to play in a title game.”

But having such a far-sighted goal does not mean he has overlooks

Mayfair.

“You’ve got to take the season week-by-week and game-by-game,” he

said. “You don’t have time to think about getting to the title game.

You have to think about the next game you play.”

The way Kalama-Dutro plays has helped take Newport one victory

away from a divisional title.

“He’s as good an athlete as they come,” Brinkley said. “He makes

plays inside and can move well and make plays out in the field.”