Football: Michael Phelps forging his own identity at Oxnard

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There was a Michael Phelps sighting in Ventura County on Friday afternoon. It’s probably not the Michael Phelps everyone is thinking about, though, not the star of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. No, I’m talking about a different Michael Phelps.

This Michael Phelps is a 6-foot-3, 270-pound offensive lineman for Oxnard. The senior center could end up being just as valuable to the Yellowjackets this coming season as the other Michael Phelps was for USA Swimming during the recently completed Summer Games.

‘Michael, our Michael, he’s the catalyst for us,’’ Oxnard Coach Mark Beckham said. ‘He’s physically gifted on the field, and off the field, he has a 4.6 grade-point average. He means everything to us. It begins and ends with Michael. It really does. He’s one of our leaders. No doubt about it. He’s our anchor.’’

Fair enough. But when Beckham mentioned his Michael Phelps being the anchor for Oxnard, I couldn’t help but think about the other Michael Phelps. ‘It’s funny, one of the counselors at school wanted to put Michael in a swimming class this year,’’ Beckham said. ‘I wonder how he’d do in water?’

That’s a good question, although we might never get the answer. One thing is certain: Phelps is a force to be reckon with on the gridiron. He is entering his third year as a starter and has recently received some recruiting mail from Ivy League schools such as Cornell and Harvard.

‘Believe me, people ask me what it was like to win eight gold medals in Beijing almost everyday. I have heard every joke you can imagine,’’ Phelps said. ‘When my teachers do roll-call at the beginning of class, that’s always kind of fun. Everyone gets a good laugh after my name is called.’’

‘It’s kind of cool having the same name as one of the most famous athletes in the entire world. You might think that it would get old after a while, but it doesn’t. I’m taking everything in stride and having fun with it. There’s no sense in trying to fight it. Michael Phelps is a popular name right now.’’

-- Sean Ceglinsky