Steve Reyes / Special to the Home News
Del Sol senior nose tackle Waylon Ukpong watches from the sidelines Oct. 24 during Del Sol’s 28-27 victory against Basic. Ukpong reported to training camp 55 pounds lighter, currently weighing 365 pounds.
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008 | 1:54 p.m.
Del Sol's Waylan Ukpong (99) jogs onto the field during the Dragons' game against Basic on Oct. 24.
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As nose tackle for the Del Sol football team, Waylon Ukpong doesn't mind throwing his weight around — there's just less to throw around this season.
After tipping the scales at 420 pounds last year, Ukpong is down to 365 pounds this season. As the weight has decreased, his playing time has increased.
"I wanted to take my game to the next level," Ukpong said. "It took a lot of hard work and I had to stay dedicated but it was important to me that I get better this year. I want to play in college so I'm hoping I can keep dropping weight and work my way there."
Through a combination of dieting, weight-lifting and hard work at summer practices, Ukpong shed weight while increasing his speed, mobility and endurance.
The improvements did not go unnoticed by Del Sol coach Preston Goroff who has used Ukpong to anchor a line that has allowed only 97 rushing yards per game in the Dragons' last five games.
"He gives offensive lines fits because he's tough to block and he can really clog up lanes if they want to run on us," Goroff said.
While Ukpong's family had been telling him he needed to lose weight for years for health reasons, he said it was his love of football that finally convinced him to put a true effort behind it.
After a summer of conditioning and dieting, he returned to school this fall 55 pounds lighter, picking up compliments from teammates and classmates.
"Football is the golden carrot for a lot of kids," Goroff said. "It can help them keep their grades up, get into better shape or just stay out of trouble. It would have been easier for Waylon to just say, 'Screw it,' and not put in the work but he took the initiative, lost the weight and he's getting better game by game."
The Dragons have reached the last two Sunrise Regional championship games and Ukpong is proud to be part of the program in its quest for another meaningful postseason run.
"I don't think teams can really run on us," Ukpong said. "We force them to pass and put on a lot of pressure. I think we have the best defensive line in the state when we play our best."
Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or [email protected].
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