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Taumoelau impresses at NIKE

Murray (Utah) Cottonwood offensive tackle Percy Taumoelau had a weekend to remember.
The 6-foot-4, 297-pounder won the most valuable player award for the offensive line at Saturday's NIKE Training Camp in Provo. Taumoelau beat out several other highly regarded linemen, including four-star teammate John Martinez for the honor.
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"I was shocked," Taumoelau said. "I thought they'd give it to John. He deserved the award just as much as I did. But I'm really proud of myself. I've been working really hard, and it felt good to go out there and hit somebody finally."
And hit, is exactly what Taumoelau did.
Taumoelau showed powerful explosion with his lower-body and he moved surprisingly well for a 300-pounder.
"I think my punch was the best thing I did," he said. "I was also really pleased with the one-on-ones. I don't think I got beat the entire time. It was a lot of fun."
Taumoelau said he can tell his hard work in off-season training has paid off, but he's also going to continue to work on the little things.
"I think I need to get better with my speed," he said. "I just want to get faster and be quicker on the field. I already have a big frame, but I need to get faster to be able to catch those quicker defensive ends."
Taumoelau said at this point he does not have any scholarship offers. He said interest is mainly coming from local schools like BYU, Utah, Colorado, Colorado State, Weber State and other Pac 10 and Mountain West programs.
"I know we're going to the Weber State camp," Taumoelau said. "And then I'm going to the USC Rising Senior Camp with John. I hear it's one of the best camps out there, and I can't wait to challenge myself."
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