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MISSION VIEJO, Calif. — Servite High is all about faith and discipline. It’s faith and discipline that are widely promoted by the school's teachers and coaches, and the student-athletes that adhere to these two precepts thrive because of it.
The coaching staff dons white shirts and black ties as do all players not participating due to injuries during games. Their warm-up drills include highly synchronized marine-like movements that are also done at the conclusion of each game.
The Catholic faith and its ideals are readily promoted to the student-athletes, and they thrive because of it. Servite is often on the top of the extremely competitive Trinity League in Orange County and is currently ranked No. 1 in the division.
It’s a program that suits BYU commits Butch Pau’u and Jherremya Leuta-Douyere perfectly.
Leuta-Douyere, as a devout Catholic, holds strong to the ideals of his faith, which include rigorous discipline and clean living. While Pau’u, a devout Mormon, doesn’t hold the same particular beliefs espoused by Catholicism, he holds the same ideals.
Both players committed to BYU back in early July and will sort of flip places there with their respective religious beliefs. If Leuta-Douyere simply follows what Pau’u has been able to do at Servite, then he’ll do just fine.
Pau’u is the leader of the extremely competitive Servite defense. During its 20-0 opening-game win against Oceanside, he accounted for 15 tackles and a key fumble recovery early in the game.
He’s clearly a Division I talent and the leader of a school that regularly pumps out talent to the top college programs in the country. According to Pau’u, there are "only" five to six players on this year’s varsity team with Division I offers, while most years they field at least 10 such players.
Pau’u has a very friendly and engaging personality. He’s someone looked up to by all his teammates as he does a very good job speaking for them and representing them and the program.
Leuta-Douyere, meanwhile, has a very humble and quiet personality that works in direct contrast to what he presents on the field of play. During the game against Oceanside, he played at both defensive end and offensive guard positions, accounting for his share of pancake blocks to go along with his two sacks and five tackles.
He was recruited by BYU to play at outside linebacker, particularly the Will OLB position, but if he keeps growing, he could very well find himself at defensive end. On offense, he’s played at fullback primarily until this season, where some injuries up front prompted coaches to move him there.
Considering their faith and talents on the football field, both players fit well with a BYU program that mirrors what they’re used to at Servite.
Email: bgurney@desnews.com Twitter: @BrandonCGurney
