LAFAYETTE – When Bethel Imasuen speaks, he doesn’t sound like your typical senior at Acalanes High School. Hailing from a British town some 43 miles west of London, the 17-year-old has an accent that instantly distinguishes the exchange student from his classmates.
“They do make fun (of my accent) sometimes, but it’s all fun and games,” Imasuen said with a smile. “I don’t get offended by any of it, because it’s just a joke.”
On the football field, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound bundle of energy and muscle is no joke to opposing offenses.
On Friday, he had four tackles in a 21-12 victory at rival Campolindo, which clinched at least a share of the Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division title.
Imasuen’s dominance – five sacks and 10 tackles for loss as an interior lineman – is mind-boggling considering that he only started playing football this past spring. Coaches and teammates have already tabbed him as a Division I talent.
“He’s as strong as a mack truck combined with a buffalo.” Acalanes defensive line coach Doug Ingham said.
Size and strength are nothing new for Imasuen.
As a youth, he played rugby and soccer on pitches across his home town of Reading, and developed quick feet on the basketball court.
After deciding that he wanted to “have a different experience” for his last two years of high school, Imasuen moved to the East Bay to live with his cousin, Edward.
It didn’t take Imasuen long to notice the differences between the countries.
“The roads are bigger, and people are more friendly out here,” Imasuen said. “Off the plane, I had people approach me asking me if my flight was a great experience.”
Wanting to take advantage of being an American student, the teenager with a passion for graphic design packed his schedule. While maintaining a 4.0 GPA, he volunteered with an organization that works with children with special needs.
“My parents have always told me to give back to the community,” Imasuen said.
Acalanes’ Bethel Imasuen (65) has excelled at football since joining the Acalanes team earlier this season (Anda Chu for the Bay Area News Group)
Imasuen also joined the JV basketball team, where he transitioned from point guard to center, and quickly learned that America takes hoops far more seriously than Great Britain.
It was there that basketball teammate Deonte Littlejohn begged Imasuen to join him on the Dons’ football team coming off a state title victory last December.
“He’s a really big guy, so i told him that he needs to come play football and forget about basketball,” Littlejohn said. “He pushed back at first and said he loved basketball too much.”
But after a year of prodding, Imasuen could no longer resist the allure of the gridiron, where he figured that his background as a No. 8 in rugby would help him make the transition.
His first practices in the spring proved otherwise.
“He had no idea what he was doing,” Littlejohn remembered.
Imasuen didn’t know a linebacker from center, knew nothing about how to get into his stance and even less about play calls.
But he did know how to use his agility and strength to get past the player directly in front of him.
“When he walks in and he’s 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds and can run, you probably think he’s a pretty good football player,” coach Floyd Burnsed said. “He’s unbelievable.”
By the time Imasuen traveled with a few teammates to a skills camp in Tahoe, he was already starting to figure it out.
“On every single rep during the summer, he beat everybody,” Ingham said. “We were playing kids from the South Bay to San Fran, to up in the mountains to kids from the valley. He never lost.”
Acalanes’ Bethel Imasuen (65) has started every game this season for a team that is guaranteed at least a share of the league title (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Imasuen made an immediate impact when the season started, garnering three tackles and a sack against Lowell-San Francisco.
Putting up those stats was more than enough to impress his friends across the pond.
“All my friends actually knew a lot more about football than I did,” Imasuen said. “When I told them I got a sack, they were more shocked that I actually managed to start.”
Imasuen’s inexperience still shows at times.
Both the player and Ingham recalled a play in which Imasuen beat the blocker and had a chance to hit the quarterback.
But instead, he turned around mid-play and started looking for the receiver, wanting to make a tackle downfield.
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“Just do your sole responsibility, and if your sole responsibility breaks down, then when in doubt, go attack,” was Ingham’s message to Imasuen, who also is the team’s punter.
Imasuen acknowledges that he’s a work in progress.
“Between getting reps and watching YouTube videos, I can get the general gist quickly,” Imasuen said. “Then getting continuous reps helps me improve.”
If he continues to improve, it’s possible that Imasuen could play beyond high school.
“I do think that it is crazy that I have managed to get to a point where looking for college offers is a possibility on the table,” Imasuen said.
For now, Imasuen will try to help Acalanes make another deep playoff run.
The Dons can clinch their first outright league championship in 43 years with a win at home on Friday against Las Lomas.
Acalanes Bethel Imasuen (65) is a big part of Acalanes’ defensive line (Anda Chu for the Bay Area News Group)