Former Gaither star Esalomi joins Leto football staff

Posted Apr 18, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Apr 18, 2012 at 10:54 AM

Former Gaither High wide receiver and track star Torrey Esalomi, who went on to play defensive back and kick returner for the University of Massachusetts, has joined Matt Kitchie’s staff at Leto as defensive backs coach, Kitchie announced Wednesday.

Until a broken foot ended his senior season at UMass, Esalomi led the squad in kickoff returns, running back 13 for 251 yards for an average of 19.3 yards per return.

At Gaither, Esalomi earned third team all-state honors his senior season after recording a team-high 44 receptions for 667 yards and five TDs. Before graduating in 2006, he accumulated 74 career receptions for 1,152 yards and 12 TDs.

Esalomi was also part of a Cowboys 4x400-meter relay team that year that finished fourth in the Class 4A state meet in a school record time of 3 minutes, 18.93 seconds. On that relay team with Esalomi was former South Florida wide receiver Carlton Mitchell, now playing for the Cleveland Browns.

Photo: Torrey Esalomi in action at the 2006 state track and field championships in Winter Park. Staff file photo by Bill Ward/The Tampa Tribune.