16 years in, All Poly camp a chance for 'kids to excel and have fun'


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LAYTON — The All-Poly Camp started as a way to provide Utah high school football players who couldn't afford to attend expensive summer camps with an affordable and high-quality alternative.

Now it draws some of the top talent in the country and loads of college coaches.

Former Utah and Weber State football coach Ron McBride has been around the camp for most its 16 years and there’s one thing that keeps him coming back.

“It’s great just to watch the kids excel and have fun and then take advantage of the coaching,” McBride said during Saturday’s closing session of the 2015 camp at Ellison Park in Layton. “It’s a plus for everybody — for the kids, for the families, for what (All Poly Sports founder Alema Te’o) has done. This is an awesome deal.”

The 2015 edition lived up to the hype of past seasons, providing a glimpse at future talent among Utah and national football players, including Brighton High standout Simi Fehoko.

“It was awesome, getting ... to come out here with all these college coaches and great talent from the region,” Fehoko said. “It’s great to get out here and play against some of the top guys out there.”

Fehoko doesn’t need the exposure at this stage of his high school career. The 6-foot-3, four-star receiver for the Bengals has college offers from schools like Washington, BYU, Southern California and Stanford, among others. Going into his senior season, the camp provides a unique opportunity to bond with the better players from across the country — many of whom share his Polynesian heritage.

“It’s just good to come here and play against better players from this region and the whole country,” Fehoko said. “Being half-Tongan, it’s cool to come here and know the guys. It’s great to see the background and the culture.”

Alta coach Alema Te'o founded All Poly Sports and the All-Poly football camp in Layton, which wrapped up Saturday afternoon. (Todd Hougaard/KSL-TV)
Alta coach Alema Te'o founded All Poly Sports and the All-Poly football camp in Layton, which wrapped up Saturday afternoon. (Todd Hougaard/KSL-TV)

One of those players Fehoko and other Utah players might not have seen without the camp is defensive end A.J. Epenesa of Edwardsville, Illinois. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior completed his second summer at the All Poly camp Saturday. He’s already received offers from Iowa, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Florida State, Illinois and Indiana.

While many look at the future for the camp invitees, Epenesa said there are also many immediate effects for players who attend.

“It helps us get ready for the season, to get ready for a lot of good competition,” he said. “It’s also a lot of fun and it brings you back to your culture with all the Polys here. It’s a lot of fun to be around.”

Teo’ estimates as many as 40 college head coaches have visited the camp, from the Power 5 level down to Division II and junior college staffs. The camp focuses on juniors and seniors and it has helped cultivate talents like current Cleveland Browns star Paul Krueger, Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Star Lotulelei, and San Diego Chargers linebacker and former Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te’o.

But Alema Te’o said his staff doesn’t take credit for those high risers. He notes that the camp offers as many options for college-bound athletes at the lower levels as it does for those with future NFL careers.

“Those guys were great football players before we got to them, but the quality at this camp is one ... they won’t get anywhere else,” Te’o said. “The message we want to portray is attitude, academics and athletics. You’ve got to take care of school and attitude first.”

A recent change has the camp's staff members helping high-school athletes learn to navigate the perils of social media.

“That can determine whether you get a scholarship or not,” Te’o said of social media. “If it comes down to two great kids and one is a knucklehead on Facebook, (coaches) are going to take the character kid and not take the one posting stupid stuff on Facebook.”

The Polynesian Coaches Association helps sponsor the camp and it’s through the connections the individual coaches have that many of the athletes have found spots in college — at every level.

“A lot of the top players out there funnel through this camp because they want to be a part of the development of the past 16 years,” said Te’o, who stressed All Poly Sports has evolved into an organization inclusive of all races, ethnicities and cultures. “We have guys here with multiple offers and they want to be able to compete with their cousins and relatives for the first time. This is the only stage that provides that for Polynesian kids.”

Contributing: Todd Hougaard, Jeremiah Jensen

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