Brother act in the trenches
Noticeable, new sounds can be heard echoing from the field at Memorial Stadium this spring.
A lot of it has to do with the spirited activity bred by the new Cal coaching staff, but some of it also has to do with brotherly competition.
There’s a distinct pop when the pads of Patrick and Tony Mekari meet in individual drills, and the Bears’ linemen have been going at it quite a bit.
“Whenever we get a chance, we do,” said Patrick Mekari, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior offensive lineman. “It’s always fun, because he’s a great challenge for me.”
Tony Mekari, a 6-1, 295-pound senior defensive lineman, said: “Every now and then, he’ll come give me a cheap shot, and when they’re running the ball, I’ll give him a shot in the gut or something. It’s fun.”
The Mekari brothers could be key to Cal this season as Patrick is slated to be the starting left tackle and Tony appears to be the starter at nose guard.
Patrick Mekari fared well as a utility lineman last season, playing at least two full games at both tackle and both guard positions, but he’ll be even more vital taking over for Aaron Cochran, who is transferring to Oklahoma State.
Ross Bowers and Chase Forrest, the leaders in the quarterback competition, are right-handed, so the left tackle will be protecting the blind side. Patrick Mekari believes he has mastered the cadence and footwork that go with the Bears’ new offense and seems to relish the responsibilities that come with being the left tackle.
“I’m really comfortable with it,” he said, “but wherever I can best help the team, that’s where I want to play. I’d play receiver if the coaches told me that’s where I could help.”
Mekari has always tried to find his place, chasing his older brother — two years ahead of him — and his friends in youth football and lacrosse.
“In high school, two years was a big physical difference, but these days, he’s caught up,” Tony Mekari said. “I win one. He wins one. It’s back and forth.”
Tony Mekari has grown into his position, too. Moving from a 4-3 defensive tackle to a 3-4 nose guard in the Bears’ new defense appears to suit him.
“In this scheme, his skill set really works,” defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said. “He’s a guy who works really hard and is a tough, hardnosed guy. He’s a guy who has some suddenness. When you can move him, two-gap him and let him play with leverage, that plays right into his world.
“I really like what he’s done.”
As a 4-3 defensive tackle, Tony Mekari usually lined up in the one gap he was responsible for filling. As a 3-4 nose guard, he’ll often line up head-on against the center and be responsible for reading the play and clogging one of two gaps, according to which way the play is run.
Tony Mekari’s role will be essential in freeing Cal’s athletic linebackers to run and make plays, and that fits him well. He’s always been a leader.
Patrick Mekari chased him everywhere, and Jacob Mekari, who is now a freshman linebacker at Westlake High (Los Angeles County), used to watch his older brothers’ youth games from a sideline high chair.
“My mom would probably tell you something different, but it has been great for us,” Patrick Mekari said.
It sure sounds good.