For this Polamalu, expectations are nothing new

By Lou Rabito

Maika Polamalu was about to enter the small room just off the football practice field at Pottsgrove High School.

I awaited the onset of some serious hair envy.

He has the Polamalu name.

He plays the Polamalu game.

He has to have, I thought, the Polamalu mane.

In walked a muscular 18-year-old with a full head of hair - full by average standards. But by Polamalu standards, the barometer set by his first cousin, Pittsburgh Steeler and proud Samoan Troy Polamalu?

Let's just say the Head & Shoulders people won't be calling Maika anytime soon.

"People always ask me why I don't have that kind of hair, and what happened," Maika Polamalu said. "My dad was one of the only few out of his brothers and sisters not to have thick, curly hair. So then, when I'm only half-Samoan, I'm definitely not going to get it."

As a young player in a family filled with football tradition, Maika Polamalu is used to comparisons to relatives, as well as expectations that might be off the mark by, well, more than a hair.

His father is Ao Polamalu, a defensive lineman for Penn State in the mid-1980s. An uncle, Kennedy Polamalu, played for USC and is the Trojans' offensive coordinator.

Then there's Troy Polamalu, safety and cornerstone, shampoo-commercial star, and subject of a million-dollar insurance policy on all that hair. His mother is Ao and Kennedy's sister.

Maika, a running back who also plays several positions on Pottsgrove's defense, will be the next Polamalu in college football. A 6-foot, 210-pound senior and a Division I prospect, he has scored seven touchdowns in the Falcons' four games this season, gaining 475 yards on 55 carries.

Being a Polamalu has its privileges. But along with that comes pressure.

"The positives are he gets himself looked at a little quicker than other people," Pottsgrove coach Rick Pennypacker said, referring to recruiting. "For a lot of colleges, a lot of coaches, that name is pretty well known throughout the country. He has gotten a lot of glory, a lot of attention because of that name.

"The negatives, I think, far outweigh the positives. I feel bad for the kid because every college, every high school kid, every fan, every coach that comes in, every opponent, every opponent's fan think that he has got to be Troy Polamalu. And there's only one Troy Polamalu."