Sua's Humility, Talent Bring Sweet Music To Kaimuki

When the helmet and pads are off, Chester Sua can hear the music again.

It's not just the Lil Wayne riffs that filter into his ears. When all's said and done, he transports himself back to a small place on a small island that was once home.

He can hear the a capella of a choir, hymns locked in his heart and memories. He made the voyage from Sailele, American Samoa, just two years ago, but there's no choir for him on Sundays now.

Instead, he churns out his own music on the football field. He makes cutbacks that leave off-balance defenders grasping, resulting in ridiculously balletic excursions to the end zone. When necessary, he cradles the football with two hands and steamrolls unsuspecting foes with his 6-foot-1 1/2 , 208-pound frame for extra yardage, then helps his tacklers up.

There's more than one reason why the Kaimuki Bulldogs -- just 34 players strong -- have racked up eight wins in eight Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference football games, but Sua is clearly a force of nature. He has lined up as a running back, slotback, wide receiver, safety, linebacker and kick returner.

"The sky's the limit for Chester. He's real driven," said Kaimuki coach Clint Onigama, who has also taught Sua in his Algebra II class.

Sua has also gotten reps at quarterback during practice, but it's far from overload. You won't hear him complain, even in the process of being one of Hawaii's top prospects.

If there's one fact of life that's constant for Sua, it's respect. He might not want to hear your recruiting pitch linger for 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes ... but he'll nod and take it. He doesn't want to hear about his accomplishments when there are teammates whose blocks made his touchdown happen.

There's a politeness that comes with being raised in Samoa. It's power through kindness.

It's also mandatory ... "or else you'll get lickens," he says with a big grin.

Tumama and Polini Sua's family -- there are seven siblings -- had moved to the Bay Area, and then Las Vegas years ago. One brother, however, was in Hawaii, and though Sua was a very good student at Faagaitua High School, it was time for a change.

He moved in with Naff and his wife, and thus began life in a whole new world, a place where he saw classmates and new friends with a different way of looking at life. One of those people was Mason Kualii-Moe, who wound up playing football and basketball with Sua last year.

They're a year apart and almost brothers. When Sua says he'd like to coach one day, Kualii-Moe doesn't even flinch. That day is well off in the horizon, but they share the same calm disposition. Both advise younger players to work hard and steer away from drugs. It'll be surprising if they aren't on the same staff one day.

Until then, Sua tends to business -- a 3.2 grade-point average. The senior has rushed for 956 yards (6.5 per attempt) and 12 touchdowns, and caught seven more balls for 98 yards and three scores while manning the secondary full-time as a safety. His biggest performance came in a 27-21 win over conference rival Waipahu, scoring all four of his team's touchdowns, including an 88-yard kick return to start the game. He ended the night by picking off Waipahu's Hail Mary pass in the end zone.

Sua and Kualii-Moe were best friends before they became statistical leaders on the field. Kualii-Moe, a junior, leads the Bulldogs with 21 receptions for 352 yards and four touchdowns.

To hang out with his pal on a quiet Sunday, Sua gets a ride from his brother to the other side of the Koolaus. Kualii-Moe, whose family has moved a time or two, lives in Kaneohe just a short walk from a string of fast-food joints. This is where best friends can chill.

SUA HIT THE WEIGHT room with a fury in the offseason, ran on the field almost every day. By spring, Division I college recruiters were wearing out the old asphalt road leading into Kaimuki's athletic department. Coaches from four, sometimes five schools per day visited.

Sua hoped to end speculation and all the on-campus visits by committing to Washington State over the summer.

"He wants to go somewhere where the distractions will be at a minimum," Onigama said.

Kaimuki is one win away from a state-tournament berth. They need to get past Pearl City in the opening round of the OIA White playoffs this weekend to seal a spot. A loss means an unbeaten regular season will have gone for naught.

Sua and his teammates are prepared in every way.

"Be humble. Focused," he said. "We set our goals before the season starts. One goal: a championship."

The sound of it makes Sua smile. It's almost music to his ears.

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Newest In Clan Has Polamalu Talent, Not The Hair

Maika Polamalu is a football player on the fast track to a Division I future. The Pottsgrove (Pa.) senior doubles as a bruising running back and a run-stopping defensive back and linebacker. None of that is surprising. In fact, given his surname, it might be more surprising if Polamalu wasn't a budding football star.

 

Still, the muscle-bound 18-year-old isn't as obvious a Polamalu as some might think. Unlike his cousin, hair-so-beautiful-it-needs-an-insurance-policy Steelers uber-presence Troy Polamalu, Maika's hair is more closely cropped. He even sported a slight mohawk at a March combine.

And unlike Troy or his uncle, USC offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu, Maika is unlikely to spend his college career at USC in sunny Southern California. Still, the latest to add to the Polamalu family's long football pedigree is all but guaranteed to spend his next four years playing college football, and he shows every inclination of living up to the family name in the process.

Polamalu is currently burning up Pennsylvania high school fields during his final season. The Falcons are 3-1, responding from their first loss at Boyerton -- the only game in which Polamalu was held to fewer than 100 yards rushing -- with a 21-10 win over Perkiomen Valley on Friday. Polamalu scored seven touchdowns on 460 yards in the Falcons' first four games, numbers which can only increase interest in the two-way starter. The senior currently has scholarship offers from Temple and Navy, but has also received significant interest from Penn State (where his father played for Joe Paterno), Pittsburgh and Michigan State, among other schools.

When the Falcons star isn't on the field, he's probably in a classroom somewhere. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pottsgrove student athlete is taking a full five classes at the Montgomery County Community College branch in Pottstown. Already sporting a cumulative average of 91, Polamalu is likely to face little problem finishing his high school coursework in December so he can enroll in his chosen school in January for the spring semester and preseason practices. While that standardized "grayshirt" path might not be recommended for all student athletes, Pottsgrove's head football coach doesn't foresee any problems for Polamalu.

"He's a tremendous student," Pottsgrove coach Rick Pennypacker told the Inquirer. "He's a tremendous kid, and I can't say enough good things about the kid."

Regardless of where Maika heads next, his NFL cousin will be rooting for him.

"I never felt pressure because I have uncles and cousins that played at pretty elite levels of college,"

Troy Polamalu told Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It all depends on the parenting. Some parents can put a whole lot of pressure on [their children], and some don't. His parents definitely don't do that."

"It's awesome," the elder Polamalu told Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV. "It is a younger generation of cousins that are starting to come up, so him along with a few other cousins, it's gonna be pretty cool to watch."

Considering the fact that Pittsburgh has recruited the younger Polamalu, it's possible there could be multiple Polamalus keeping an eye on defensive backfields in Heinz Field in the future. Not that there will be any trouble telling the two apart. The hair takes care of that.

"People always ask me why I don't have that kind of hair, and what happened," Maika Polamalu told the Inquirer. "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."

Luckily for Maika, the hair is a less important familial trait than football aptitude. Though it might only be slightly less valuable, if you ask Head & Shoulders.

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Auburn's Danny Shelton Hoping For Better Finish To This Season

The childhood bully became a high-school teddy bear.

But Auburn's Danny Shelton is still a terror on the football field.

At 6 feet 3 and just less than 300 pounds, Shelton dominates on the line with moves like a linebacker.

Opposing coaches tell stories of him swatting away blockers with one arm and his legend on the wrestling mat grew quickly as he learned the sport just last season, reaching the 4A state semifinals at 285 pounds.

Tahoma coach Tony Davis remembers watching in awe as Shelton made a catlike move in one match.

"My jaw was on the ground," Davis said. "This is someone almost 300 pounds. You're not supposed to be able to do that. ... I've got to imagine the sky's the limit for him. He's a scheme-adjuster. Whether he's on offense or defense, you've got to locate him and then do something different than you probably want to do."

As a kindergartner, Shelton tried to do whatever he wanted.

"He was a troublemaker," said his mother, Oneone (pronounced OnayOnay). "He tried to take food from kids and beat them up."

The fourth of five children, Shelton lived with his grandparents in Samoa until he was 3 and didn't speak English when he came to live with his parents in California. It took him a while to adjust to his siblings.

"I kept yelling at them in Samoan," he said.

The parents divorced and Oneone brought the children to Washington, first Tacoma and then Auburn in 2000. Her brother, Steve, came with his family, too, and became a father figure to his niece and nephews.
The two of them kept Danny in line at school and got him involved in church activities. He still participates in some Samoan dance performances. As a seventh-grader at Cascade Middle School, he played organized football for the first time and found it the perfect channel for any pent-up frustrations.

"I get to build anger through the day, then let it loose when it comes to games and practice," he said.

He apparently masks his anger well. Teammates Nick Conlan and Dylan Rutledge call Shelton shy and a big teddy bear.

"He's the hardest-hitting nice guy you'll know," Rutledge said.

Shelton's two older brothers played at Auburn, and Danny frequently tagged along at practice. Coach Gordy Elliott noticed his intense interest in the game. While other 10-year-olds soon ran off to throw a ball around, Danny took everything in.

"Even then he was a student of the game," Elliott said.

And a big one. Too big, in fact. Danny was born with high blood pressure, which required a two-week hospital stay, and he weighed 320 pounds by the time he was 14. His mom took him to a specialist in Tacoma, who guided him toward a better diet.

Danny played on Auburn's freshman football team that season, "even though he was probably better than some of the seniors ahead of him," Elliott said. Shelton saw his first varsity action in the SPSL 3A final against Auburn Riverside and recorded two tackles. He appeared in the Trojans' two playoff games and became a full-time fixture on the line as a sophomore, when he started making recruiting lists.

"My sophomore year is when I blew up, I guess," Shelton said.

Auburn went 11-0 before losing in the 3A state quarterfinals to Skyline.

Back in the 4A ranks last season, the Trojans again finished 11-1. Shelton was named the offensive and defensive lineman of the year in the SPSL North Division, even though he missed parts of two games with a sprained foot.

"I don't think I deserved the awards I got," he said. "I don't think I did as good as I could have, and this year I'm going to make up for that."

Shelton said he made a goal for himself as a freshman to develop into the best lineman in school and state history. Those things are hard to gauge, Elliott noted, but said, "I can't imagine there have been too many that have the tools that he has."

Shelton, who just turned 17, was named the "Big Man MVP" at the UCLA camp this summer and has the Bruins on his top-four list, along with Washington, Oregon and California.

And while most tend to look at him as a prospect on defense, Elliott raves about his abilities on offense.

"At his age already, some of the things he can do on offense are things it takes college kids a couple years to learn," he said. "For his size, he's really athletic, that's what sets a kid like him apart from other big kids. If you're big, you're big, and sometimes you're able to do things in high-school football just because you're big. He would be as effective a lineman at 175 pounds with the same skill set. He could easily be a starting tight end for us. He's a total athlete."

Wrestling helped Shelton with his footwork, strength and conditioning. He also competed in track and field, placing fifth at state in the shot put and sixth in the discus. This year he has visions of wrestling and playing basketball, although that seems unlikely due to practice and scheduling conflicts.

More than anything, Shelton wants to finish business on the football field after what he felt was a disappointing climax to last year's season.

"Our goal together this year is to make it the best year and win state," he said. "We have the talent, and I think we're ready to do it. It's our last shot."

And for teddy bear Danny Shelton, anything less would be unbearable.

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Prep Recruiting: No Boundaries

Alta High’s Toloa’i Ho-Ching got football scholarship offers from all around the country before he finally decided to play for Brigham Young.

For the Hawks’ all-state linebacker, it was hardly a novel experience.

Ho-Ching told The Salt Lake Tribune that he was recruited heavily as a Ute Conference player for two years before ever setting foot at Alta. Even after enrolling at the Sandy high school, he said it didn’t deter multiple rival coaches from trying to woo him away.

“They promised all kinds of things,” said Ho-Ching. “They offered playing time, promised starting positions. They offered me gear. They took my father to dinner. The whole thing was really an eye-opening experience. We moved to Utah from Samoa. This wasn’t something that we were used to as a family.”

Ho-Ching’s experience is hardly unique, according to a number of Utah high school coaches. And at least one — Kearns coach Bill Cosper — says the recruiting of pre-high school and enrolled prep athletes has gotten out of control, with no sign that it will get reined in anytime soon.

Because he says the football talent base inside Kearns’ boundaries is constantly being encroached on, Cosper says he is forced to conduct what amounts to home visits with the eighth- and ninth-grade players who live in Kearns’ area. Once there, he sells kids on the virtues of staying at Kear­ns and building a winner — instead of moving on to the perceived greener pastures at other schools.

Cosper has finally started to reap rewards from his hands-on approach in the last few years. But he also asks: Why does he have to do it in the first place?

“I have to recruit my own kids,” Cosper said. “I shouldn’t have to do that. I come from Texas, and the problem here is way worse. It’s horrible here. There are all kinds of things going on. There are kids who actually change guardians just to move into another area. At the Ute Conference, coaches stand on the sidelines in full [high school] apparel.”

Cosper is not the only head coach who goes to such lengths to hang on to players. Even in the talent-rich area around Alta, Hawks coach Les Hamilton estimates that he conducts five to seven home visits a year in an effort to persuade his incoming freshmen to stay with his program.

While Hamilton counts himself as one of the lucky ones — Alta has one of the largest high school enrollments in the state — he says he still finds himself fending off recruiters who swoop in on Hawks players who haven’t cracked the starting lineup.

Ute Conference — the Wasatch Front’s largest youth football organization — is where it all starts.

Because of the state’s open enrollment laws, players can begin their prep careers at the high school of their choice. That means high schools can make recruiting pitches without fear of repercussions. Even Ute Conference officials acknowledge it has become a free-for-all.

“You can’t have open enrollment and not have recruiting,” said Dave Harrison, an executive board member for the Alta Ute Conference organization.

“If you have one [open enrollment], you’re going to have the other. It’s definitely a problem at this level.

“I know of coaches who make phone calls, asking kids to do this and do that,” Harrison added. “There are coaches who are on the sidelines during games. That’s why I feel you should play where you live. It has to be black-and-white.”

The Utah High School Activities Association has tried to clamp down on recruiting once students begin playing prep sports. A new transfer rule will force student-athletes to give up a year of eligibility if they switch schools.

UHSAA officials believe that the rule will curtail much of the recruiting that takes place once kids get to high school. The downside? It could accelerate recruiting at the pre-high school level.

“We’re looking for ways to deal with that,” UHSAA attorney Mark Van Wagoner said. “We know that recruiting takes place at the Ute Conference. We want to stop recruiting in itself. It’s something that we know goes on and its something that, at the same time, is extremely difficult to prove.”

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Viliami Moala: Where Will He Go?

I've chalked Viliama Moala to the Trojans since defensive line coach Ed Orgeron hit LA, but recent events have me, and Moala, hesitating.

The Trojans have already taken two major defensive line recruits in the 2011 class, after inking five-star DT George Uko in the last class. Could Antwaun Woods and Jalen Grimble fill out USC's allotment for DTs in the 2011 class?

Defensive line is also the strongest position groups on the USC defense, and one of the youngest. I'm not sure if another defensive lineman—even one as good as Moala—is their top priority.

Perhaps I'm just looking for a reason to second-guess what should be a slam dunk of a commitment, but Moala is hesitating to name a leader or even to devote too much time to his decision.

Is it because he already has the Trojans picked out? Could he be favoring a school like Cal, one closer to his home and in which he's expressed early interest?

Or is the interest from SEC powerhouses Florida and Alabama making him reconsider the Pac-10?

Nothing ought be said, or even guessed at, until Moala says more.

Harvey Langi: Travels East to Compete

Running back Harvey Langi (Bingham, Utah/South Jordan) made the 2,560-mile trip to Coral Gables to compete at the event, which annually is among the most loaded Nike Football Training Camp.

He played quite well, earning running back MVP honors and displaying good hands and athleticism during the drills.

"Traveling here was the worst part," he said. "We had to stop in Atlanta and got mixed up on a couple of flights over there and flew in here Saturday morning, but coming here was worth it. I just wanted to come out here and check out the competition and the speed. The competition is wild. So many kids have so much talent. All my time here was worth it. They treated every individual special and coached all of us."

With the 6-2, 220-pounder's skill in the passing game, it's possible he could end up playing H-back or somewhere besides running back in college, which is fine with Langi.

"I just want to work on everything," said Langi, who might even play some defense this season. "If a coach needs something here, something there, I will go play it. I want a bunch of tools in my toolbox."


Langi holds offers from BYU, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Stanford, UCLA.

"I am going to go out and travel and see what I can do," Langi. "I always go to camp out west and see schools out there, but I wanted to come (to Miami) to see what the competition here was all about."

Four of Langi’s teammates have already committed to BYU -- Baker Pritchard, Kesni Tausinga, Manoa Pikula and Moses Kaumatule.

Those close to Langi say he wants to wait at least a few more months before deciding, but already it appears that he’s going to be the most-recruited player in the state this year.

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High School Recruiting Recap for 'Month of January' 2010

High School Recruiting Recap for 'Month of January' 2010

Sealii Epenesa, DT

Hometown	Honolulu, HI
High School	Iolani School
Position rank	DT # 79
Height	6'2"
Weight	300 lbs.

Commited: UCLA
Scouts Grade: 76

Position Rank: 79

Ofa Fifita, OLB

Hometown	San Bernardino, CA
High School	Arroyo Valley High School
Position rank	OLB # 127
Height	5'11"
Weight	199 lbs.

Commited: Fresno State

Scouts Grade: 73

Position Rank: 127

Nate Fakahafua, WR

Hometown	Salt Lake City, UT
High School	Highland High School
Height	6'3"
Weight	190 lbs.

Commited: Utah

Scouts Grade: 45

Sione Tupouata, DE

Hometown	Sunnyvale, CA
High School	Fremont High School
Position rank	DE # 129
Height	6'4"
Weight	240 lbs.

Vertical Jump	28.0"
40-yd dash	4.64
20-yd shuttle	4.23
Power ball throw	39'

Commited: Utah

Scouts Grade: 74

Position Rank: 129

Ofa Latu, OLB

Hometown	Provo, UT
High School	Timpview High School
Height	6'2"
Weight	210 lbs.

Commited: Utah

Scouts Grade: 40

Maka Unufe, WR

Hometown	Provo, UT
High School	Provo High School
Height	6'1"
Weight	190 lbs.

Commited: Utah

Scouts Grade: 40

Beau Yap, DE

Hometown	Pearl City, HI
High School	Kamehameha Schools
Position rank	DE # 116
Height	6'1"
Weight	230 lbs.

Commited: Hawai'i

Scouts Grade: 75

Position Rank: 116

Kalafitoni Pole, DE

Hometown	Union City, CA
High School	James Logan High School
Height	6'2"
Weight	250 lbs.

Commited: Washington State

Scouts Grade: 40

Isaac Asiata, OG

Hometown	Spanish Fort, UT
High School	Spanish Fork High School
Height	6'4"
Weight	295 lbs.

Commited: Utah

Scouts Grade: 45

Hauoli Jamora, DE

Hometown	Kahuku, HI
High School	Kahuku High School
Position rank	DE # 63
Height	6'2"
Weight	230 lbs.

Commited: Washington

Scouts Grade: 78

Position Rank: 63

Dustin Elisara, ILB

Hometown	Kapolei, HI
High School	Kapolei High School
Position rank	ILB # 29
Height	6'1"
Weight	225 lbs.

Commited: Hawai'i

Scouts Grade: 76

Position Rank: 29

Kody Afusia, OC

Hometown	Huntington Beach, CA
High School	Ocean View High School
Height	6'3"
Weight	295 lbs.

Commited: Hawai'i

Scouts Grade: 40

Cedric Lousi, DE

Hometown	Fremont, CA
High School	Freedom High School
Height	6'1"
Weight	235 lbs.

Commited: San Jose State

Scouts Grade: 40

Tuu Lolohea, ILB

Hometown	Kapolei, HI
High School	Kapolei High School
Height	6'1"
Weight	225 lbs.

Commited: Hawai'i

Scouts Grade: 40

Kurt Taufaasau, DT

Hometown	American Samoa, SP
High School	New Mexico Military Institute (NM)
Height	6'2"
Weight	290 lbs.

Commited: Wyoming

Matangi Tonga, DT

Hometown	San Mateo, CA
High School	College of San Mateo
Height	6'3"
Weight	280 lbs.

Commited: Houston

Marcus Umu, S

Hometown	Honolulu, HI
High School	Saint Louis School
Position rank	S # 79
Height	5'11"
Weight	180 lbs.

Commited: Hawai'i

Scouts Grade: 76

Position Rank: 79

David Katina, DE

Hometown	Pago Pago, American Samoa, SP
High School	Fa'assao Marist High School
Height	6'2"
Weight	225 lbs.

Commited: Hawai'i

Scouts Grade: 40

Desmond Tautofi, DE

Hometown	Las Vegas, NV
High School	Calvary Chapel Christian School
Position rank	DE # 145
Height	6'3"
Weight	270 lbs.

Commited: UNLV

Scouts Grade: 74

Position Rank: 145

Eric Tuiloma, S

Hometown	Las Vegas, NV
High School	Desert Pines High School
Position rank	S # 139
Height	5'11"
Weight	185 lbs.

Commited: UNLV

Scouts Grade: 73

Position Rank: 139

Kaiwi Crabb, OT

Hometown	Honolulu, HI
High School	Punahou School
Position rank	OT # 76
Height	6'5"
Weight	244 lbs.

Commited: Colorado

Scouts Grade: 76

Position Rank: 76

Say Aloha to Hawai'i

Texas, Florida and Louisiana are known as the traditional high school football factories.

But none produces talent quite like Hawaii. Neither does any other state.

On a per capita basis, Hawaii produced the most players on Football Bowl Subdivision rosters in 2009, a Tulsa World analysis shows.

The Aloha State sent 3.8 players on to major college football teams per 1,000 boys age 15-19. That’s 50 percent more than the No. 2 state, Louisiana (2.5). Per capita, Honolulu is the top producing metro area (4.6), with almost 40 percent more than second-place New Orleans (3.2).

“Football is a big part of the Polynesian way of life,” said Jeremy Crabtree, the national recruiting editor for Rivals.com. “That’s why we see how well they support things.”

The top states producing recruits per capita

1.		Hawaii
2.		Louisiana
3.		Florida
4.		Alabama
5.		Georgia
6.		Texas
7.		Ohio
8.		Mississippi
9.		Nebraska
10.		Washington, D.C.

The top cities producing recruits per capita

1.		Honolulu
2.		New Orleans
3.		Birmingham, Ala.
4.		Dallas-Fort Worth
5.		Miami
6.		Jacksonville, Fla.
7.		Youngstown, Ohio
8.		Baton Rouge, La.
9.		Atlanta
10.		Lakeland, Fla.

Like football at the University of Hawaii. The Warriors averaged 36,725 fans at home games this year. With a state population of 1.2 million, that’s the equivalent of Oklahoma averaging 105,000 fans at Memorial Stadium.

The state’s football offerings extend to the Hawaii Bowl and a high school all-star game, the Hawaii/Polynesia Mainland Bowl.

The Polynesian love of football comes from a few aspects of their culture, said Steve Lineweaver, the head football coach at Euless (Texas) Trinity High School, which has a large Polynesian population and does a traditional Haka war dance before games.

The Pacific Islands’ warrior history lends itself to physical sports like rugby or football.

Their culture also values family — which is perfect for a team sport like football.

“It’s just what you ordered,” Lineweaver said.

Add in a great climate that allows year-round practice, and Hawaii has the seeds to become the most fertile football recruiting ground in the country.

“In our neck of the woods, Hawaii isn’t what we think about,” Crabtree said, “but it’s something recruiters have known for quite some time.”

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Te'o, Funaki Top Voting of Readers

Who were the Hawaii's best high school football players the past decade?

Online readers decided that quarterback Inoke Funaki (Kahuku '02) and linebacker Manti Te'o (Punahou '09) are the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Decade in a non-scientific poll that started Thursday.

The two lead The Advertiser's first All-Decade high school football team. The players picked from all-state selections from 2000 to 2009.

A majority of the selections were either multiple-year picks or Offensive or Defensive Players of the Year. But we left the readers to pick the top offensive and defensive players. In some cases, post-high school success was a factor.

Eleven different Players of the Year and several multi-year selections didn't make the cut.

We picked Siuaki Livai as Coach of the Decade. The former Kahuku coach won four of the school's five state titles during the 10-year span.

We chose Funaki, former Saint Louis quarterback Micah Mamiya and Leilehua quarterback Andrew Manley as finalists for voting as Offensive Player of the Decade. Mamiya and Manley are the only two-time Offensive Players of the Year in the decade. Funaki also was a two-time first-team pick, but was Offensive Player of the Year only once ('01). But he's the only one of the trio to lead his team to two state titles.

Perhaps because he did it early in the decade, not many remember that Funaki passed for 2,446 yards and 29 touchdowns his senior year. He also rushed for 548 yards and eight TDs.

Mamiya, now of Montana Western, accounted for 37 TDs in his best season
(2007), passing for 27 and rushing for 10, while throwing for 2,267 yards.
Manley, who has verbally committed to New Mexico State, twice passed for more than 3,000 yards and combined for 35 TDs (31 passing, four rushing) in his best season (2008). His career was like a storybook because he was promoted from the JV to the varsity in the middle of the playoffs his sophomore year when Leilehua's dual-starting quarterbacks were injured in the same game. Manley would lead the Mules to the O'ahu Interscholastic Association and state title in 2007.

The Defensive Player candidates came down to two linebackers. Te'o is the most decorated high school player to come out of Hawai'i. He is the only USA Today national Defensive Player of the Year (2008) from here and the first recipient of the prep version of the Dick Butkus Award for being the best linebacker.

Blaze Soares is the only three-time first-team all-state selection during the decade ('02 to '04).

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Highly Regarded Running Back Prospect Joshua Quezada Commits to Cougars

After receiving official commitments earlier this month from the nation’s top prep quarterback and one of the best high school receivers in Texas, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall today announced that one of the top running backs in California—La Habra High School standout Joshua Quezada—has also signed a scholarship agreement to enroll at BYU in January.

Quezada joins Jake Heaps out of Skyline High School in Sammamish, Wash., and wide receiver Ross Apo out of the Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas, as high school seniors coming to Provo to begin college mid-year.

“Joshua is excited to come to BYU, and we are equally excited to have him join us,” Mendenhall said. “He embraces what our program is about on and off the field. He has the ability to be a very successful member of our team and help us continue to improve our program.”

A 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back out of La Habra High School in La Habra, Calif., Quezada rushed for 2,114 yards and 26 touchdowns and added 186 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver to lead the Highlanders to their third straight CIF-Southern Section Southwest Division Championship in 2009. He was named the 2009 Freeway League MVP, Daily News 2009 Football Player of the Year, and CIF-SS Southwest Division Offensive Player of the Year while earning back-to-back first-team All-Orange County honors as a senior. He averaged 8 yards per carry and 151 yards per game overall and accounted for 11.1 points per contest while leading La Habra to a 13-1 record.

Quezada not only put up big numbers during the season but also came through with his best performances during key games. Among the season’s many highlights, Quezada galloped for 304 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-21 semifinal victory over Cypress High School to advance to the championship game. He carried the Highlanders to the 2009 title by averaging 203.8 yards per game in four playoff contests.

As a junior in 2008, he ran for 1,680 yards on 163 carries and scored 21 touchdowns while adding 21 receptions for 318 yards and three touchdowns on the way to the 2008 CIF-SS title. He was first-team All-Orange County, first-team All-League and first-team All-CIF.

In addition to Quezada, Heaps and Apo, several other BYU recruits and returned missionaries plan to enroll in January. 2009 National Letter of Intent signee Kyle Van Noy, a linebacker out of McQueen High School in Reno, Nev., and 2007 NLI signees Famika Anae (OL, Timpview High School, Provo, Utah), Devin Mahina (TE/DE Upland High School, Upland, Calif.) and Marcus Matthews (WR, Southridge High School, Beaverton, Ore.) will enroll for winter semester as well as 2006 redshirt quarterback James Lark out of Pine View High School in St. George, Utah.

ROSTER INFORMATION
Ross Apo         WR    6-3   190  Arlington, Texas / The Oakridge School
Jake Heaps       QB    6-2   205  Issaquah, Wash. / Skyline HS
Joshua Quezada   RB    5-11  210  La Habra, Calif. / La Habra High School
Kyle Van Noy     LB    6-4   209  Reno, Nev. / McQueen HS
Famika Anae      OL    6-5   260  Provo, Utah / Timpview HS
Devin Mahina    TE/DE  6-6   225  Upland, Calif. / Upland HS
Marcus Mathews   WR    6-4   200  Beaverton, Ore. / Southridge HS
James Lark       QB    6-2   219  St. George, Utah / Pine View HS

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Vainuku Wins Big 4 Offensive MVP

  
The Eureka football team was recognized by the Eureka City Council at its meeting Tuesday, then again by the Humboldt-Del Norte Conference when it released its all-league selections this week.

Soma Vainuku, the running back for the North Coast Section Division II champion Eureka Loggers, was named the Big 4 offensive MVP. He had 762 yards and 15 touchdowns in six games against Big 4 opponents and gained 2,202 yards and scored 38 touchdowns on the season, including the playoffs.

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Two Stand Out For Quezada

 

Athlete Joshua Quezada (La Habra, Calif./La Habra) has now taken four of his official visits and with one remaining, two schools currently lead the way.
Quezada took his first visit to BYU followed by trips to Utah, Hawaii and Washington.

"We play this Saturday so it's going to be good to get a weekend off and sleep in for a change," Quezada said. "The trips get real tiring but I've loved every one of them. I'm going to take one last trip Dec. 18 to either Fresno State or Arizona and I may try and squeeze in an unofficial visit to San Diego State as well."

Quezada said he loved his recent visit to UW, but still favors the two Mountain West powers.

"Washington was awesome," Quezada said. "I had a great time with the players and really bonded well with the other recruits on the visit. We saw a great game and I like the energy and passion of the coaching staff. Coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian) said he thinks I could be another Troy Polamalu for them at safety and said I remind him of Troy since he was coaching at SC when he played there.

"As much as I liked the trip, I still have BYU and Utah at the top for me. I just felt most comfortable there and I'm closest with the coaches. With BYU, I love their offense, it's a lot like our offense at La Habra and it would be an easy adjustment.

"Utah felt like home to me as well and there's a real family environment. I felt that at both schools to be honest. It's going to be a really tough decision for me and I don't have a lot of time left since I'm graduating early but I know I can't go wrong with any of my choices."

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Family Sustains Archbishop Murphy Lineman Taniela Tupou

Taniela Tupou has had a roller-coaster year.

The thrilling high for the Archbishop Murphy junior was his first Division I college football scholarship offer, from the University of Washington.

The gut-wrenching low was in May, when he had to resuscitate his grandfather, David Kekuaokalani, who collapsed at the dinner table, only to die a few days later.

This month, he buried his other grandfather, Fitu Tupou.

"For me, this year has been really emotional," said Tupou, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound lineman.

This weekend, Tupou leads the second-ranked Wildcats (11-1) of Everett into a Class 2A state semifinal game Saturday against No. 3 Lynden (11-1), which ended Archbishop Murphy's season last year.

Tupou, who goes by Tani (or Taani, the traditional spelling, which is on his letterman's jacket), won't have all the same familiar faces of some of his relatives cheering for him this weekend. But the 16-year-old has found another source of support: his teammates.

"This year, we have come together more as a family," said Tupou. "We look at each other as brothers."

And there's little doubt who the big brother is.

Tupou, who weighed 9 ½ pounds at birth, has never been overmatched physically. As early as the third grade, he had to play against older boys. Even now, he's getting looks at the next level. In addition to a UW offer, Tupou has received recruiting interest from BYU, Notre Dame and several Pac-10 schools as a defensive-line prospect.

"He's just naturally strong and he works hard in the weight room," Archbishop Murphy coach Dave Ward said.

Tupou, who isn't ready to select a college, does the fire-knife dance to represent his Polynesian culture and is only a couple badges from becoming an Eagle Scout. His involvement in both began as a child.

During spring football this year, he helped teach his team the haka, a traditional Polynesian dance.

And as a member of the LDS faith, he is involved in the church and is looking forward to taking a mission after high school.

"He has his hands dipped in so many things right now, and going on a mission is just another one of his goals," said Kawai Tupou, Taniela's mother. "He's just dealing with them one at a time."

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Moala Likes Tennessee’s History at Defensive Tackle

The Tennessee football program has a long history of producing some of the best defensive linemen in the history of the game. From Reggie White to John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth in recent years, the Volunteer program has always had a powerhouse defensive line. The Vols also have a long history of bringing in players from the state of California and have brought in a few from Grant Union High School in Sacramento, Ca.

About a decade ago, Onterrio Smith and Donte Stallworth were both recruited to Knoxville out of Sacramento and now the Vol staff is after another Grant star, this time it is a massive defensive tackle prospect from the California powerhouse. Viliami Moala has been a key cog for the Grant team since his sophomore year and the 2011 prospect still has another year to develop at the high school level before moving on to college.

Viliami dominated opponents last year on the way to the California state championship and now he has seen his stats dip a bit but that is only due to the constant double and triple teams he has been faced with.

“It can be frustrating because last year I was able to go one on one most of the time but now I have three guys on me almost every play. It can be tough but I guess it means they respect me so that means something for sure.”

Moala has strong ties to USC as he has had a couple of cousins play their college ball at Southern Cal and so he has always followed the program and has thoughts of playing for a program so rich in tradition.

“USC, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, LSU, UCLA, Cal and many other big time schools are all over me right now and most of them have offered me scholarships. It is really early and I don’t know what to do yet. I have work to do on the field and in the classroom before I even think about choosing a college.”

Moala can clog the middle as well as any other high school defensive tackle in high school football and has the athleticism to chase guys out on the edges.

“I feel like I can do a little bit of everything and my size comes into play. At this level, they really can’t move me around too much in the trenches. I like mixing it up in there.”

Right now, Moala lists no favorites in his recruitment but it is pretty clear that USC is the leader of the pack based on his family ties and his familiarity with the program. There is however, plenty of time for others to make an impact on him.

“There are plenty of schools who have a shot at my services. I like the history that Tennessee has at the defensive tackle position and they are a winning program all around. I think I will definitely be looking at Lane Kiffin and his school a lot more as time goes on.”

Vol Nation will stay in touch with Viliami Moala as his recruitment continues.

He will be a coveted recruit in the class of 2011.

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Polamalu's Cousin Following In His Footsteps

There are few players more recognizable in the NFL than Troy Polamalu with his hits, his hands and of course, his hair.

He's become an icon in Western Pennsylvania in just seven short years with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

However, in the eastern part of the state, there's another Polamalu who is turning heads as well.

Maika Polamalu is a junior at Pottsgrove High School, which is northwest of Philadelphia.

He is being recruited by area schools such as Pitt and Penn State, all of whom would love to have a Polamalu on their team.

"It's awesome. It is a younger generation of cousins that are starting to come up, so him along with a few other cousins, it's gonna be pretty cool to watch," Troy Polamalu said.

"Maika is the kind of kid that comes from a great family of football. His dad was a great athlete at Penn State, his uncle was a great athlete at USC and is now a running back coach with Jaguars," Rick Pennypacker said.

Now Maika, a running back and linebacker, appears to be the next leaf on the family tree to excel in football.

"I've been working with my dad since seventh, eighth grade. I've just been coming out here running my miles, getting my workouts in daily, just doing what I think I have to do," Maika Polamalu said.

While success on the field has been easy for Maika, off the field, it's a little harder due to the standard set by the Polamalu in Pittsburgh.

"I try telling Maika he's not Troy Polamalu, he's Maika Polamalu. The name is always gonna follow him. I think he's greatest player in the NFL and I don't know if Maika will ever live up to that, but everyone expects him to," Pennypacker said.

One possibility is that should Maika make it to the NFL, that he would get to play with Troy.

"That would be awesome. I don't know if I can last that long though," Troy Polamalu said.

"That'd be amazing. If he's still in there and I make it that far, it'd be an honor," Maika Polamalu said.

Unfortunately, Troy has never been able to make it out to Pottstown to see Maika play.

However, that hasn't stopped him from letting his biased opinion be known that Maika should play college football at the University of Southern California.

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