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Juju Smith-Schuster is highest Polynesian selected in the NFL draft of 2017

Juju Smith-Schuster's dream was to play in the NFL and he is now with the Steelers. Photo courtesy of Steeler Depot.

Albert Ainuu

2017's NFL Draft has come and gone without much fanfare. There were not as many standout Poly College players this year or maybe the election overshadowed the selection process and thus we have not been paying as much attention to the NFL as days gone by. But all in all the draft was another successful day for the Polynesians who as has been said many times before, they have small populations but seem to always emerge as competitive players in the NFL therefore perpetuating the myth and the belief that Polynesians are built differently and have a slight advantage when it comes to sports where violence is necessary. The warrior spirit is always brought out about the Polynesian culture around this time of the year. So with no further delay lets examine the drafted Poly players for the year 2017.

Juju-Smith Schuster does what he does best, play tough. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports

To start off this year the NFL Draft began in the second round for the Polynesians as Juju Smith-Schuster, a Wide Receiver from USC was the top Polynesian player selected when he was taken in the 2nd round by the Steelers. He has been a staple for the USC Trojans for the last 3 years and his play has been considered one of the main reasons USC has been so successful during these past few years even though they have gone through so many coaching changes. The Steelers, perhaps the premiere NFL franchise in the game, made their intentions known early when they selected Juju, that they were going for the best player on the board and they had Juju Smith as the best player on the board when their turn came which as strong as a receiving corp as they already have with Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant as their starters Juju could be used as the 3rd receiver. But the thought of he and Antonio Brown on the same team is definitely not something the opposing defenses are going to be happy about. Juju is a tough and no nonsense player who usually wins the 50-50 balls. Looking forward to how he and QB Rothlisberger interact will be something coaches and fans will be paying close attention to. If they connect it could be Superbowl ring number 7 for the Steelers...just saying.

The Dolphins made Isaac Asiata an Offensive Guard from Utah their selection in the 5th round. Sam Tevi another lineman from Utah was selected in the 6th round by the Chargers to play Offensive Tackle. Pita Taumoepenu of Utah made it a triple Poly sandwich from Utah into the NFL in the 6th round. He will play Outside Linebacker for the 49ers, Shalom Luani from Washington State was selected in the 7th round by the Raiders to play Safety. Steve Tuikolovatu, another USC player was selected in the 7th round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to play Nose Tackle.

Isaaac Asiata of Utah is now a Miami Dolphin

As drafts go this was a decent representation of the Polynesian population with the selections made. In the next few weeks there will be many free agents from the college ranks who will receive invitations to work out with the respective NFL teams and if successful many of them will be hired to play professional ball. This opportunity is one in a million, literally, as there are millions of college football players who never get this chance. But for Polynesians they seem to have the ability to produce more than their fair share of football players who make the transition from amateur to professional with great success and ease. It is a tribute to the Samoan and Polynesian communities that they can produce these athletes with such regularity and yet this fact seems to escape the attention of the leaders of these nations.

Shalom Luani, Oakland (Las Vegas) Raiders

The athletes from our small nations have the natural ability to play at this level, a level which commands salaries above 100 million dollars now. Is there a better product that Polynesians can produce that brings in this much revenue? I would dare say No! We have no other product capable of bringing in over millions of dollars in revenue per athlete. 30 Samoan professional football players can command over 100 million dollars a year in salary among the 30 of them. Governments need to figure out how to bring more of these cash athletes out from their people. They need to figure out the game of how to maximize the countries' ability to benefit from these one in a million athletes who are apparently dime a dozen in our islands but we have not been able to make the right moves from a governmental point of view to make these talents translate into revenue for the national community.

There are so many ways these athletes can benefit the countries they originate from, tax breaks, investment, advertising, training camps, food products, merchandise....the list goes on and the potential for capitalization is abundant but alas the government leaders lack the vision. This should be the priority for our leaders and our people as I keep saying, professional sports is Polynesia's greatest export.

Football’s Polynesian moment: Samoa’s athletic outliers are paying a steep price for their commitment to the game The things that make them so good at football also make them most vulnerable--
as embodied by the great Junior Seau
By Rob Ruck

On Jan. 30, the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame honored five men as its third class of inductees. Troy Polamalu, the recently retired Pittsburgh Steeler with the incandescent smile and wild hair, will attract the most attention. He’s the only inductee well known outside of small circles of fans. But each of these men—Alopati “Al” Lolotai, Charley Ane, Rocky Freitas, Vai Sikahema and Polamalu—embodies the intimate, if painful, connection between football and Polynesian culture.
Football has reached a crossroads, its future imperiled by the very physicality driving its popularity. The number of boys playing Pop Warner and high school ball plunged over the last decade as the neurological, physical and fiscal costs of the game became more troubling. That’s on top of the already severe decline in the game’s scholastic ranks in the Rust Belt—football’s original heartland—during the 1980s and ‘90s.
But one group has bucked that trend—Polynesians, especially Samoans in American Samoa, Hawaii, California and Utah, as well as in pockets of Texas and the Pacific Northwest. American Samoa is the only place outside the United States where football has taken hold at the grass roots, the only one that sends its native sons to the NFL. In just a few decades, the sons of Samoa and Tonga, mostly young men who came of age in the States, have quietly become the most disproportionately over-represented demographic in college and professional football.
Football has become the story Samoans tell about themselves to the world. But the narrative has grown bittersweet. While creating a stunning micro-culture of sporting excellence, these athletic outliers are paying a steep price for their commitment to the game. Sadly, that which makes them so good at football—their extraordinary internalization of discipline and warrior self-image that drives them to play with no fefe (no fear)—also makes them especially vulnerable. Nobody lived and died that irony more than Junior Seau, who became the first Samoan in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a 20-season NFL career in which, inexplicably, he was never diagnosed with a concussion. Not long after retiring, Seau shot himself in the chest, unable to live with the demons of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the tragic downside of playing with no fefe.
The five inductees have seen more clearly than most what football gives to those who play it and what it takes from them. They span the 80 seasons since Al Lolotai became the first Samoan to enter the NFL in the wake of World War II. Charley Ane, the second Samoan in the NFL, surpassed Lolotai on the field, earning two championship rings with the Detroit Lions. Rockne “Rocky” Freitas, a native Hawaiian who starred at every level of the game before returning home, became an educator, most recently as the chancellor of the West Oahu campus of the University of Hawaii. Vai Sikahema, born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, became the kingdom’s first NFL player. He played for Brigham Young University’s 1984 championship team and forged a Pro Bowl career before becoming a journalist in Philadelphia and a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Troy Polamalu, the 2010 NFL defensive player of the year and two-time Super Bowl champion, will almost certainly join Junior Seau in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible. Over the last four years, Polamalu and his wife, Theodora, have taken hundreds of coaches, educators and medical personnel to American Samoa, where their Faʻa Samoa Initiative works with youth to build social capital by imparting life skills to help in the classroom and workplace as much as on the ball field.
Paladins of a culture of sport in which community meant more than money, these men mattered as much after they stopped playing as during their athletic prime. While each excelled on the field, what sets them apart from most athletes was their life-long sense of tautua, what Samoans call service. Each gave back as much as he got from the highly competitive culture that provided the drive to succeed. That commitment brought Al Lolotai back to American Samoa in the late 1960s, and will bring Polamalu there for years to come.
Born in what was then German Western Samoa, Al Lolotai moved to American Samoa and then to Laʻie on the north shore of Oahu, where the Mormons built a temple early last century as a gathering spot for converts from the South Pacific. Lolotai joined the Washington Redskins after World War II. Though owner George Preston Marshall long resisted playing African-Americans, the dark-skinned Lolotai apparently did not affront his or Washington fans’ racial sensibilities. Lolotai gained greater notoriety as a wrestler after leaving football. Performing as Sweet Leilani, he won multiple championships, the last when he was 58. His nephew Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson would also play football and wrestle before becoming one of Hollywood’s more bankable actors. Lolotai’s most enduring legacy came when he returned to direct health education and sport in American Samoa’s schools in the late 1960s. “He started our sports programs out of nothing,” Tufele Liʻamatua, the director of Samoan affairs, told me in 2011, shortly before his death. “He helped bring football to our island.”
Honolulu-born Charley Ane, whose father was recruited to Hawaii to play industrial league baseball, became the first Samoan at the Punahou School. There, at USC, and with the Detroit Lions, Ane was the archetypal Samoan, the quintessential teammate who brought the locker room together. In Detroit, Ane’s blocking gave quarterback Bobby Layne time to do what he did best—improvise like a jazz musician. Detroit made it to the NFL championship game three times in Ane’s first five years and won twice. Teammates voted him their captain for the 1958 and 1959 seasons. And when his playing days were over, Ane gave back as a coach at five high schools. Freitas and Sikahema came later, but like Lolotai and Ane, remained rooted in community and service.
Junior Seau’s selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer and Marcus Mariotta’s Heisman Trophy honors a few months before—both firsts for Samoans—herald a growing wave of Polynesian talent. They are the descendants of a people who resisted conquest and colonization, but embraced Christianity in the 1800s and the U.S. military during World War II. The confluence of religion, military discipline and Faʻa Samoa (in the way of Samoa) created a football culture that coaches cherish.
Robert Louis Stevenson, who spent the last years of his life in Western Samoa, once called Samoans “god’s best, at least, god’s sweetest works.” The more I know about these men and their back stories, the more I realize why Stevenson fell in love with Polynesians and their culture.
But there’s a cost to this devotion to football, to playing with no fefe. Samoan boys, who train year-round on fields blistered with volcanic pebbles and use helmets that should have been discarded long ago, incur far too much neurological damage. They have a difficult time adjusting to college and maximizing the benefit of an athletic scholarship. More important, this micro-culture of football excellence coexists with a public health crisis. Samoans and Tongans are among the most diabetic and obese people on the planet, the consequence of forsaking a traditional diet for cheap and fast food.
Polynesians and youth from other disadvantaged communities may be the salvation of America’s most successful sporting enterprise at a time when the sons of better-off families are deserting the game. But the five men to be inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame this month tell a much deeper and meaningful story of sport and community.
Rob Ruck is a historian of sport at the University of Pittsburgh, currently finishing a book about football and Samoans. His last book, “Raceball: How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin Game,” was a finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing.

Marcus Mariota makes history in NFL debut with win over Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
By Andrew Greif | The Oregonian/OregonLive

TAMPA, Fla. — As a prospect, Marcus Mariota famously made executives in NFL front offices wonder if the squeaky clean touchdown machine from Oregon was too good to be true.

As a rookie playing in his regular-season debut Sunday, Mariota did them one better: He was, on this day, the perfect quarterback.

Mariota compiled one of the great rookie debuts in NFL history in leading the Tennessee Titans to a 42-14 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, throwing for four touchdowns in the first half and achieving the highest passer rating the NFL allows, of 158.3.

Just as he often did at Oregon, Mariota sat the entire fourth quarter of the blowout.

Mariota finished 13-of-16 passing for 209 yards, meaning threw more touchdowns than incompletions. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw four TDs in a half during his debut, and only Minnesota quarterback Fran Tarkenton had more total touchdowns in a debut.

That was in 1961.

Samoans in the 2014 NFL Draft

Scott Crichton

The NFL has begun its preparations for their pre-season games which begin soon and the Samoan players will be fighting for a position against veterans and other rookies as the squads are whittled down to the final cut by the start of the season. Its very inspiring to see these young men who have fought their way through from Pee Wee football to Junior High School to High School and College football to finally make it to this level. There are practically over a million young boys playing High School football in the USA every year. From this million only about 1700 end up playing on Sunday in the NFL. Of the 1700 players playing in the NFL 31 or so are Samoan or part Samoan. By the start of the season there may be less.

Xavier Sua-Filo

By Albert Ainuu

The NFL Draft this year was a rather sparse one when compared to other years in terms of Samoan players selected. There were 2 Samoans selected in the first 7 rounds highlighted by the Houston Texans selection of Xavier Su'a-Filo from UCLA at the top of the second round. The next Samoan taken was Scott Crichton of Oregon State who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round. Then there were 6 others taken as free agents for a total of 8 Samoan players confirmed at this time, who were taken. These included AJ Pataialii, a Defensive Tackle who signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Then DJ Tialavea a Tight End who was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Eathyn Manumaleuna, a Defensive Tackle was picked up by the New England Patriots. Kona Schwenke of Notre Dame was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs as a Defensive Lineman. The San Diego Chargers grabbed Tenny Palepoi to play Defensive End and Fou Fonoti was picked up by the San Fransisco 49ers to play Tackle.

Fou Fonoti Eathyn Manumaleuna Tenny Palepoi

Kona Schwenke DJ Tialavea AJ Pataialii

Compared to the national population statistics we are over represented in the NFL. Samoans comprise less than a 600th of one percent of America's population. However in the NFL we comprise 1 percent. That number has been somewhat steady since the 1980s and it suggests that Samoans have a propensity for this most violent of sports. However as we were reminded by the death of Junior Seau, this is not a sport that is easy on the body or mind. There is a cautionary tale for parents and players alike who venture into this sport. The time for over aggressive tackling with the head is over.

That was the source of some of our most delightful memories of the game, the "katoosh" hits administered during the game. (Legendary players like Chris Pagofie come to mind) But the style of play is evolving. Even pro teams are starting to teach safe tackling techniques which are similar to what Rugby players use. A video by the Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll is exemplary. In light of this development we implore parents and coaches to encourage this style of tackling which is being promoted by Pete Carroll, and discourage the head tackles that were thrilling to watch but over time caused many a player to suffer brain damage.

With the new NFL season about to start and the many fantasy leagues about to start their own drafts, the Le Malae website has affiliates in 4 NFL cities, San Diego, San Fransisco, Oakland and Seattle. There is a contingent of Samoans living in Missouri who probably support either St. Louis or Kansas City. The rest are scattered all over the place and support their favorite player who they are in many cases related to. The excitement is building and the rhetoric is escalating as the season draws closer. But to see our Samoan boys doing so well in a very well paid profession is inspiring to those of us cannot play but love to watch. That extra incentive to watch or support a team because it has a Samoan or family member playing on their squad makes the experience just that more captivating because we love our Samoan football players.

Troy Polamalu has been the premiere player of Samoan descent since Junior retired. He recently extended his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The next draft though will be very interesting as the first Samoan quarterback considered by the NFL in quite a while becomes eligible for the draft. God willing we pray his senior year at Oregon will be successful and devoid of injury. Marcus Mariota from Honolulu, Hawaii is slated to be a high 1st round pick come next year's draft. That will be an exciting draft and hopefully more Samoans will be drafted than this year.

DT Tenny Palepoi "Making Most of Opportunity"

It can sometimes be hard to stand out at Training Camp when there are 89 other players on the field. But with a high-octane motor, undrafted free agent defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi has caught the Chargers’ eye.

“He’s made the most of his opportunities,” Head Coach Mike McCoy said. “I think that he’s flashed since the first day he’s been here. (He’s shown) at time to wreak some havoc in there. The most important thing up front he’s learning is that he’s got to be technique sound every play. If you’re not technique sound, the offensive linemen are too good at this level that if you try to do it your own way and you play high, if you’re not playing the right technique up front on double-team blocks, you’re going to get blown off the ball. But he’s shown some flashes. He’s got a bright future, but with every young player, they’ve all got a long ways to go. They’re learning the game, the tempo of the game and the way we play. The system and everything, but he’s getting better.”

So who is Tenny Palepoi?

He’s a 6-1, 298-pounder who was a second-team All-Pac-12 and team captain who played from 2012-2013 at Utah, recording 74 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys, he totaled four tackles, displaying that potential McCoy spoke of. Palepoi may not say much, but his game speaks volumes.

“I’m just keeping my mouth shut, my ears open and embracing my role,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun and I’m just doing what’s asked of me. I’ve been given a bunch of opportunities, especially early on in camp, to get a lot of playing time. So it’s about going out there and proving yourself. You have to prove you belong.”

One way to prove that is by going all out each and every snap, something Palepoi prides himself on.

“I want to be known for my motor,” he said. “It helps me pressure the quarterback and collapse the pocket. I’ve always been that way. I don’t have the height or kind of build as most defensive tackles, so there are certain areas I have to single myself out. Hopefully that separates me from other players and comes into play.”

Palepoi is a humble young man, so while it meant a lot that McCoy personally mentioned him, he isn’t resting on his laurels. Instead it motivates him even more.

“It feels real good that you’re hard work isn’t going unnoticed,” he said. “But I’ve got to keep grinding and doing more. I have to keep getting after it and try to make this roster. I’m not satisfied yet. I still feel like I have a lot of room for improvement and I will do whatever I can to help out this team.”

Texans rookie Su’a-Filo playing catch-up after missing some OTAs

Veteran Ben Jones is still starting at left guard, but it might be a matter of time until he moves to right guard, where he started as a rookie.

Xavier Su’a-Filo, the 33rd overall pick, is expected to start at left guard, but he’s behind after being forced to miss 10 OTAs because UCLA is in the quarter system.

Su’a-Filo (6-4, 307) was projected to be selected in the first round in a lot of mock drafts, and the Texans jumped on him with the first pick in the second round. He’s working hard to make up for lost time.

“He’s a bright guy,” coach Bill O’Brien said today. “He’s an instinctive player. There’s a lot being thrown at him right now, especially with our system and all the different run schemes and protections and cadences.”

Vikings: Rookie Scott Crichton has shot at D-line rotation

MANKATO, Minn. -- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Sunday that rookie Scott Crichton could end up in the rotation on the defensive line. That was news to Crichton.

But it was good news.

"He thinks I'm going to be in the rotation?" Crichton said with a level of excitement. "That makes me feel good.''

The third-round pick missed about a month of spring drills because he was completing classes on the quarter system at Oregon State. But he hasn't wasted any time impressing Zimmer during the first three days of training camp.

"He has done really, really well," Zimmer said. "He is a very try-hard guy, which I like that. He hasn't made a lot of mistakes. ... He has a chance to get into the rotation."

While Crichton is listed as a defensive end, Zimmer said he could play multiple positions on the line.

"I'm doing as much as I can to contribute to the team and get to the Super Bowl," Crichton said. "We all have got that mindset to get to that Super Bowl."

Follow Chris Tomasson at twitter.com/christomasson.

Top prospect Danny Shelton makes presence felt at Senior Bowl

John David Mercer/USA TODAY SportsDefensive tackle Danny Shelton showed off a high motor and nimble feet at Senior Bowl practices.

By Mike Triplett | ESPN.com, MOBILE, Ala. – With all of the New Orleans Saints news swirling during Senior Bowl week, I didn’t get as much chance to check out the prospects on the field as I would have liked.

But Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton was hard to miss.

The massive, 6-foot-2, 343-pound Shelton came into the week as perhaps the most highly-touted draft prospect in the game – a possible top-10 pick (or perhaps the 13th pick if the Saints decided to add some explosion to the middle of their defensive line).

Shelton “lived up to the hype” throughout the week, according to Senior Bowl executive director and former NFL general manager Phil Savage.

Although Scouts Inc. draft analyst Steve Muench said Shelton got off to a somewhat slow start, Muench said he “just got better and better and better as the week went on.”

Shelton was named as the defensive lineman of the week by a panel of NFL scouts (though fellow defensive tackleCarl Davis from Iowa was honored as the most outstanding practice player overall).

Shelton’s greatest asset is his pure power and ability to both push the pocket and swallow up blockers. But many analysts have also remarked about how fluid he is for his size and how much athleticism he shows while chasing down plays to the edges as well.

“This is not the best platform for him to show what he can do,” Muench said of the Senior Bowl practices, “because you’ve got to watch him on tape. He’s not a player that’s gonna make a lot of flash plays. … What Danny Shelton’s gonna do for you is he’s gonna keep your linebackers clean. He’s gonna help your run defense.

“The thing you saw in one-on-ones, I don’t know if he was trying to show that he could be more of a pass rusher early on, but as the week went on he just stopped messing around and started driving guys. And that’s what you want him to do.”

Although Shelton had nine sacks as a senior, Muench said he doesn’t think Shelton will be a “high-volume sack player” in the NFL.

“But I do think he can be disruptive in the sense that he can get quarterbacks to move off the spot,” Muench said. “He can line up over the center, he can drive that guy back and force the quarterback to get to the outside and move the spot, make him a little less comfortable.”

In other words, Shelton could be a more athletic version of the Saints’ other young giant nose tackle, John Jenkins. And there could be room for both of them in New Orleans’ defense because they like to rotate so often at the position. Veteran nose tackle Brodrick Bunkley’s future is in doubt because of his high salary.

Shelton said he could play in either a 3-4 or 4-3 front, though he predicted 3-4 teams would be even more interested in looking at him to fill the middle of two-gap fronts.

Shelton said he spent the week trying to work on the “details” such as hand speed, his eyes and attacking off the ball. When asked why teams should draft him, he said, “Because I do my job and I’m gonna try to be the best at it. I take up two or three blockers.”

Shelton’s sizeable personality was also on display this week. He comes from Samoan heritage and has long, golden locks flowing from his helmet. He wore a traditional Polynesian skirt called a lava-lava to Senior Bowl media night.

He made an animated fist-pump gesture during weigh-ins when he weighed in at 343 pounds –telling ESPN colleague James Walker that he had let himself balloon to 360 earlier in the month and was intent on getting that weight down.

When asked why he didn’t skip the Senior Bowl, as some other top prospects do, Shelton said, “Honestly, I just always wanted to play in this game.”

“Growing up, seeing all these elite players in this game, I was just star-struck,” Shelton said. “So when I got the invitation, I had to come, for the love of game and to finish my season. And kind of preparation in prolonging my season. The NFL season’s pretty long, so I want to be prepared for it.”

Samoan Quarterback leads Alabama to National Championship. Freshman Tua Tagovailoa comes in 2nd half to lead Alabama from 0-13 to 26-20. Coach Nich Saban's happiest moment in his life.

Just when you thought it couldnt get any better the National Football College Championship game took it to a whole nother level. the game of the Decade in the minds of many who were watching this amazing game and the turn around from the 1st to 2nd half was just unbelieveable. Tua Tagovailoa, a freshman out of Hawaii, replaced the starting Quarterback Jalen Hurt and was able to bring back Alabama from 2 touchdowns down to win on the biggest stage of his young career. Tua is from the same High School as Marcus Mariota who won the Heisman Trophy while playing for Oregon. However, Marcus was not able to win the National College Football Championship. Tua as a replacement did.

Fagaloa are 2018 National Champions for Volleyball in Samoa

Fagaloa Bay is not the most easiest place to travel to. The road to Fagaloa veers off the main road to Aleipata crossing over a waterfall and then travels over treacherous terrain before emerging into the most beautiful secluded bay on the East Coast of Upolu, The Fagaloa Bay is known for its excellence in rowing and they are well know for two fautasi's or long boats, the very unpredictable fautasi boat, the Oti or Goat and the Sau'ai which is from Lona.

Lona has now added another feather to its hat. In the last week they have emerged as one of the most talented volleyball teams in the entire country of Samoa.

This year the team assembled of youth from Lona took the whole thing and became Champions of the entire country. According to one of the supporters, Sa'u Autaloto Brown, the final was actually between two Fagaloa teams but the "Tama Ole Aoa" team from Lona were too strong for the team from Ma'asina. Lona won going away in two straight sets. The team from Taelefaga, Fagaloa, also made it to the Semifinals but were eliminated there.

The Head Coach Feutaga'i Laga'aia Fitu has been very consistent and his approach to the coaching of this team has been brilliant. On his staff was technical advisor, Luaitalo Seumanu Tavita Brown who was a former NZ National player. These gentlemen have forged a strong basis for the future of volleyball from the Fagaloa Bay area.

On behalf of the team Sa'u Autaloto Brown gave thanks to those who supported the team from the Fagaloa Bay area This was a great year for Fagaloa Volleyball teams.

Congratulations Fagaloa!!

JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER sets a record for Rookies in NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers are not new at being a Playoff team. This version of the Steelers though has been a delight to watch with the addition of Super Rookie Juju Smith-Schuster from USC. Selected in the 2nd round of the Draft Juju became a darling of the fans in Steel town with a combination of youthful exuberance and playmaking ability that defies his status as a rookie.

Juju is the youngest player in the NFL entering the ranks of millionaires at the young age of 20. He however has set himself apart from other rookies because of his flair for the incredible.

MARCUS MARIOTA carries Titans to first playoff victory in 14 years against favored Chiefs

The Playoffs are where legends are made and Marcus Mariota has placed himself in the lofty status of Tennessee Titans folklore with a perfomance for the Ages this past weekend in Kansas City against the favored Chiefs. Maybe a notch beneath the Music City Miracle, Mariota's first playoff game couldnt have been scripted any better if it were written in Hollywood.

The fight last night was the culmination of a journey that started when Joseph Parker was introduced to boxing by his father, Dempsey. The Parker family has 2 boxers as a matter of fact in Joseph and his younger brother John. His mother Sala and sister Elizabeth complete the family. Joseph grew up in Mangere, South Auckland which has the largest Polynesian population in the world. In 2012 he began his professional career after barely missing an Olympic games selection.
Joseph represented New Zealand in the Commonwealth Games fighting as a super heavyweight. Although he did not medal he was determined to keep pursuing the goal of becoming the world heavyweight champion. In four years he has an impressive record of 22 fights and no defeats. For someone not considered a knockout specialist he has won 18 by knockout. That may be misleading because he does have power but has been taught to use more than just power to win. His boxing skills are being put to the test as he keeps moving up the rankings.
Lastnight the Samoan and New Zealand audiences were treated to a nail-biter of a fight. According to many Ruiz was a tough opponent and may have taken Parker to his limit in terms of fitness and skill. The first rounds were Ruiz's then Parker took over in the middle rounds, but the last couple of rounds were a tough affair for both fighters. Ruiz had a mouse under his eye by the end of the fight courtesy of Parker's jabs and combinations which were crisp and accurate. Joseph did enough to win`the fight or more importantly not to lose the fight. He used his height to his advantage and the speed definitely made life hard for the shorter and stockier Ruiz. At the end of the fight the judges scored it 115-113 for Joseph by 2 judges and 114-114 draw by the 3rd Judge.
Now that he is the WBO Champ, Joseph Parker has taken both New Zealand and Samoa to the top of the boxing world. However, in the most important fight of Joseph Parker's career New Zealand was unwilling to finance the fight. As a result the Samoan government stepped up and put up over $200,000.00 to fund the promotion and other expenses. Prime Minister Tuilaepa made the announcement and the Samoan people funded a fight that the New Zealanders are now taking credit for. This was rather a disturbing development but nevertheless it did not prevent the inevitable from happening.

Joseph Parker makes a statement with latest win

There were those who felt Ruiz deserved a rematch after last nights gallant effort but that might not be the best choice for Joseph at this time. Fighting under Duco Events, Joseph has qualified people managing his career and they will be very careful not to jeopardize Joseph's path to unifying the title. As part of the team preparing Joseph for his fights is the illustrious Kevin Barry who is his trainer.
Many in the Samoan community in South Auckland are not happy with Kevin Barry's involvement in Jospeh's career because of the sad state of affairs David Tua was left with after Kevin trained and managed his career. But so far Kevin has shown that he can direct a successful fighting career for Samoan boxers. Whether he has Joseph's best financial interests at heart will be revealed in time.
A Samoan is now holding one of the World titles that are not unified at this time. Anthony Joshua of England holds the other belts, the WBA and IBA titles. The goal is to unify all the titles. Joseph is surely on the path to achieving this but as was evidenced last night when you reach this level there are no easy fights. Joseph is a marked man as he makes his move on the most coveted prize of boxing. His next fights will be in preparation for the showdown between him and hopefully Anthony Joshua.That is the fight all of us are waiting for.
Ia tafe toto ou ala World Champion Lupesoliai Laauli Joseph Parker. O ou Mama na.

Joseph Parker broadcasted a clear message to Anthony Joshua by destroying Alexander Dimitrenko inside three rounds.

The heavy-handed New Zealander (21-0-KO18) is mandatory challenger to the IBF world heavyweight title held by Joshua (17-0-KO17) and was in ruthless form in Manukau City.

In Dimitrenko (38-3-KO24), Parker faced an experienced Russian boxing out of Germany who had only been stopped once; an 11th-round defeat to European champion Kubrat Pulev in 2012.

An expectant Kiwi crowd packed the Vodafone Events Centre to see their boxing hero, while Anthony Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn kept tabs on events from back in Europe. Wladimir Klitschko may also have been an interested spectator.

Could Parker retain his reputation as one of the most serious threats in the sport's marquee division? Or would Dimitrenko dampen the hype by frustrating the home fighter with clever use of his giant 6'7" frame?

The fight was one sided and although there was a controversial ending, the outcome was all but secure with the first knockdown of the Russan giant in the first round. The power of Joseph Parker's punches were clearly evident as he cut down his taller opponent with well placed body shots that were painful as evidenced by Dimitrenko's face.

Joseph Parker is undefeated in 21 fights and this latest result is what the Parker camp were hoping to see after the difficult Takam fight. Parker was crisp and precise. The height of the Russian seemed to cause little concern for Parker.

The heavyweight division has been taking notice of Parker as he moves up step by step into the top of the division. Its almost a sure bet that Joseph Parker will fight for the world title in the next few fights.

Malo lava Joseph le tauata'i.

Joseph Parker vows to earn a shot at Anthony Joshua with a win over Carlos Takam on Saturday.

Joseph Parker will face Carlos Takam in a final eliminator for the IBF heavyweight title this month on Sky Sports.

"This is a very exciting time for myself and the team. I'm really looking forward to May 21, and being in the ring, and showing everyone what we have been training hard for.

"This is a big opportunity, I'm fighting for the IBF mandatory, I'm taking it with both hands. I've done the work. Kevin's done the work, the whole team has done the work, so what can I say? I'm excited.

"Come Saturday night, we're ready to do what we have to do, and that's to get the victory."

Joseph Parker and Carlos Takam fight for right to face Anthony Joshua

Takam has new-found respect for his 24-year-old opponent, but has vowed to ruin Parker's perfect record this weekend.
"Before this fight I didn't know too much about Joseph Parker, but having done my research I do think that he is a great young boxer," said Takam. "He has had a great career, but he is in my path and I'm here to win.
"I think with time he is going to be one of the best, but right now I'm here to win."

By Richard Damerell
Joseph Parker is determined not to let Carlos Takam stand in the way of a world title shot against IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

The unbeaten Parker (18-0-KO16) will face Takam (33-2-1-KO25) in an IBF final eliminator in New Zealand on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, with the winner becoming mandatory challenger to Joshua.

Parker is facing the toughest test of his 18-fight career against the experienced Takam, who has suffered just two losses in 36 bouts, but the 24-year-old New Zealander has vowed to rise to the occasion.

"I have a lot of respect for Carlos and what he has done in his career. He has been in the ring with some big names," Parker said.

I have goals. I want to be the world champion and I'm not going to let anyone stand in my way.Joseph Parker
"I'm just excited to be challenging someone like Carlos, who is going to be a good name on my record, if I do beat him.
"A win gives me the chance to fight for a title. I have goals. I want to be the world champion and I'm not going to let anyone stand in my way."

Parker has undergone a lengthy camp with trainer Kevin Barry and is ready to display the punching power that has brought him 16 stoppages.

Joseph Parker wins IBF Challenger elimination bout.
Watch the fight below...

Joseph Parker got the first significant test of his career today in New Zealand, and he passed that test, beating Carlos Takam by unanimous decision with a solid if flawed performance that puts Parker in line for an IBF heavyweight title shot.
Parker (19-0, 16 KO) won on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 116-112, all reasonable. BLH had the fight 115-113 Parker, and despite the close score in rounds, it was certainly Parker who claimed the fight -- or, arguably, Takam who gave it away.
Takam (33-3-1, 25 KO) started well, catching an overeager Parker in the first round with some good counter left hooks, a punch that was his best weapon in the fight, particularly in the first half. But Parker adjusted nicely in the second and third rounds, settling down and finding a tempo he liked, keeping Takam from so easily countering by using less reckless aggression.
In the fourth, Takam started to pressure a bit more in the second part of the round, and the fifth was a big one for Takam, who really turned up the heat and had Parker retreating and looking suddenly very exhausted. Armed with the information that he could put Parker on the retreat and do some damage, Takam chose to use that breakthrough to, well, not do much of anything in the sixth and seventh rounds.
The eighth was the most action-packed frame of the fight, as both fighters were buzzed a bit, and Parker expended a ton of energy with a mid-round flurry and attempt to close the show, which Takam got through relatively unscathed, then finished the round strong himself. Parker still looked tired through the ninth, but was bizarrely handed another couple of rounds from Takam in the 10th and 11th, obviously crucial rounds, at a point where Takam really needed to do something. He did get back on the front foot in the 12th and final round, but by then he'd already given Parker too much breathing room.
This very easily could've been a different fight, and Parker very easily could have lost if Takam hadn't clearly stepped off the gas in at least three rounds. But he did, and Parker had a lot to like here, too, showing well above average hand speed, some good combination punching, a nice body attack that we don't often see in the division anymore, a solid chin, and a lot of determination.
Parker is now the No. 1 rated IBF contender, with Kubrat Pulev recently beating Dereck Chisora to claim the No. 2 spot. The sanctioning body will likely soon order a fight between Parker and Pulev for the mandatory challenger position.

Joseph Parker Stops Bergman in the 8th round

By Jim Dower:

#3 WBO, #7 WBC, #10 IBF, #11 WBA heavyweight contender Joseph Parker (18-0, 16 KOs) remained unbeaten in stopping a flabby looking 31-year-old Jason Bergman (25-12-2, 16 KOs) in the 8th round of a scheduled 12 round bout to retain his WBO African/Oriental heavyweight titles last Friday night at the Faleata Sports Complex, in Apia, Samoa.

The 24-year-old Parker hurt Bergman with a left to the body followed by right to the head that backed him up to the ropes. Parker than landed a big left-right combination that dropped Bergman to the canvas. A hurt looking Bergman got back to his feet, but referee John Conway chose to stop the fight after looking at how hurt Bergman was.

The official time of the stoppage was at 1:02 of round eight. Parker knocked Bergman down three times in the fight in dropping him once in the 2nd, 7th and 8th rounds. If there’s anything to criticize from Parker’s performance, it’s how easy it was for Bergman to hit him.

Bergman was able to land shots all throughout the fight, and these were punches that Parker should have been able to block or get out of the way of. Bergman was landing clean punches that frequently caused Parker to freeze up after getting hit. If this was bigger and stronger heavyweight with more punching power and skill, Parker would have been in trouble last night.
Parker is too easy to hit right now for him to be put in with better heavyweight in my opinion. Parker’s management needs to keep him in the slow lane until he fixes his defensive issues before they consider moving him up a level against better heavyweights.

It might be a good idea to hire a defensive coach that can work with Parker to teach him how to get out of the way of shots, because he can’t be getting hit like he was last night if he wants to be able to succeed at the highest levels of the sport.

The other negative in Parker’s performance was his inability to put his shots together in a sustained way to get Bergman out of there. A good heavyweight like Luis Ortiz, Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua would have been all over Bergman in the first three rounds and would have kept pumping shots into him until he dropped.

It probably would have taken one sustained flurry to get Bergman out of there in a round or two. But it wasn’t a good sign that it took Parker eight rounds before he was finally able to get a knockout in this fight. It suggests that Parker has a long way to go both on offense and defensive before he’s ready to mix it up with the best in the heavyweight division.

Parker ranked third by World Boxing Organisation

Unbeaten New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker has climbed two spots to be the third-ranked challenger in the World Boxing Organisation.
There was a ranking reshuffle following Briton Tyson Fury's defeat of long-time champion Wladimir Klitschko last month, with the Ukranian great now sitting a place below Parker.
The top-ranked challenger to Fury is American Charles Martin, followed by another unbeaten fighter, Briton Anthony Joshua.
Parker, 23, holds the Oriental and African belts in the division, having won all 17 fights of his professional career.
He cruised to a first-round knockout win over Daniel Martz in Hamilton last week and next fights another mid-ranked US opponent, Jason Bergman, in Apia in January.
Parker was ranked just outside the top-10 in two rival organisations last month, the WBC and WBA.

NZN

This Week In College Football: The Best Coach You Never Talk About. Ken Niumatalolo of Navy

By Ryan Mayer, CBS Local Sports
Every year around this time of the college football season, we start to discuss the top coaching candidates to fill the numerous positions that open up. We’re not even at the end of the regular season and already there are 11 schools looking for their next head coach. The coaching carousel will only continue to spin as teams wrap up the regular season within the next three weeks.

Right now, the names you hear circulating for these job openings feature guys at Group of 5 schools who are having terrific seasons. Memphis’ Justin Fuente, Houston’s Tom Herman, Temple’s Matt Rhule and Bowling Green’s Dino Babers have all been linked to multiple schools looking for their next head coach. All of these coaches have been getting recognition (deservedly so) for the jobs they’ve done in turning around their programs and leading them to great starts to this season. At least one of the four will probably be coaching somewhere else next season. That’s the reality of college football, good coaches climb the ladder every chance they get.

However, there’s one coach who continues to rack up victories whose name never seems to come up when discussing the next guy to go after. That guy is Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo.

The Midshipmen are 8-1 so far this season and undefeated in American Conference play with their only loss coming at the hands of the current #4 team in Notre Dame. Their wins have all come in dominant fashion, with no game being closer than 10 points. That includes a 45-20 rout of #21 Memphis just two weeks ago. The Midshipmen are in position to play in the conference title game if they beat Houston next weekend.

Yet, for the success of this season, his name never comes up in the college coaching rumor mill. He’s been a part of the Navy program for 17 years and the head coach for eight so it’s possible that he just doesn’t want to leave. But, when has that ever stopped schools previously from contacting coaches. Texas has gone after Nick Saban multiple times, despite Saban being entrenched in the Tide program now for nine seasons.

Niumatalolo’s record at Navy speaks for itself. He’s the winning-est coach in program history with a record of 65-36. He’s had just one losing season in his tenure, the same number as Paul Johnson who was hired away from Navy by Georgia Tech. In his eight years at the helm of the program, the Midshipmen have never won less than five games, and have won eight or more in every season but one (2011). He’s 3-6 in games against Top 25 opponents, true. But, that record includes a four point loss to Ohio State in 2009 and a three point loss to South Carolina in 2011.

Is it because of the offense he runs? Navy runs a triple option style of attack that isn’t en vogue anymore at the major schools. Yet, Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech has shown that you can win with that offense, twice having won 11 games with the Yellow Jackets. The offense, while slightly antiquated, shouldn’t disqualify Niumatalolo from getting looks for jobs.
Keep in mind, that all of Niumatalolo’s success has come at a program that isn’t ever going to get the top 4 or 5-star recruits. In his eight full seasons as head coach, Niumatalolo’s highest ranked recruiting class according to Scout.com was 84th back in 2010. Currently, next year’s class sits ranked at 98th. Top recruits just don’t commit to go to the service academies. That makes his consistent track record of winning all the more impressive.

Niumatalolo has shown in his time at Navy that he can get the most out of any athlete that decides to play for him. What school wouldn’t at least inquire about a guy like that?

Ryan Mayer is an Associate Producer for CBS Local Sports. Ryan lives in NY but comes from Philly and life as a Philly sports fan has made him cynical. Anywhere sports are being discussed, that’s where you’ll find him.

Team Samoa hits the Jackpot with 9 gold medals

Mary Opelagi is the tournament's Best female weightlifter.

APIA, (SAMOA OBSERVER) ----The Samoa Weightlifting team return to Samoa Wednesday with a large haul of gold medals after a successful Mainland Open Weightlifting Tournament in Christchurch, New Zealand, last week.

The medal haul includes nine gold medals – not including bronze and silver.

And as icing on the cake, Mary Opeloge was declared the competition’s Best Female lifter while NevoIoane won the Best Male lifter award.

Coach Tuaopepe Jerry Wallwork is elated with his team’s effort.

“In the first day of the Mainland Open Weightlifting Tournament held in Christchurch (NZ), Samoa weightlifters won three Gold medals with the lighter divisions,” he said.

“In the afternoon of the same day, the men’s division 85 kg and 94 kg division Samoa had won two extra gold medals.”

Tuaopepe said that it was a tough competition because there were some great competitors from New Zealand and Australia.

“They did their best and we’re able to go for first place.”

The second day of the tournament saw Samoa winning four gold medals in the women’s divisions and the men’s heavy weight.

“Samoa Weightlifting dominated the second day by winning Gold Medals in every division we entered lifters,” said Tuaopepe.

“Samoa had a clean sweep of nine Gold medals and 1 silver medal out of the 10 member team that participated.

“Furthermore, Samoa also won the best Female and Male Lifter of the tournament and won the overall best team trophy.”

American Samoa Fautasi race is postponed til Saturday

Thursday's Race cancelled after two fautasi swamped

By Samoa News staff
reporters@samoanews.com

The Matasaua of Manu’a and Fealofani Samoa III of Fagasa are swamped with water and the crews are clinging to the hulls while the chase boats work to secure the oars and rescue the rowers.

KVZK-TV reports no one is injured and they are covering the rescue live. Click on our link in the left hand column, look for the “Big 2”.

Weather today is 10-15 MPH tradewinds with moderate seas. It appears that the low gunnels (sides of the boat) on the two swamped fautasi allowed the waves to fill the hulls with water.

The other seven boats have headed back to the harbor.

The 2015 Fautasi Race Committee officially cancelled today's fautasi race and called an urgent meeting at 12noon with fautasi captains and village representatives at the Office of Samoa Affairs to
discuss, among other things, whether to hold a race tomorrow.

The National Weather Service Office in Tafuna issued around 6:34a.m. today a small craft advisory due to winds of 10-15mph and seas 6-8 feet. It’s currently high tide.

An hour before the starting time, there were reports of fautasi in trouble, due to high seas, with water inside some fautasi. KVZK-TV reports that Aeto fautasi was the first to be affected by high waves, but they were able to made it back to the harbor.

A privately owned boat, which carried the TV crew and a Samoa News reporter, could be seen on video bouncing up and down due to rough seas. Owners of the boat also stayed on the sea to lend a helping hand to Fealofani Samoa.

KVZK-TV live broadcast footage shows the Fealofani Samoa fautasi underwater, as crew members remains on the boat, with nearby fautasi trying to help. Footage shows at least four fautasi crew members in the ocean as help arrives on the scene. ASG tugboats, at least two alia boats, Marine Patrol boat, Marine and Wildlife boat all rushed to the scene.

Other KVZK footage shows Matasaua fautasi also in trouble as help arrived at their location, and a fautasi nearby stopped to help.

Around 9:12a.m an announcement was made on the PA system at the Port Administration building that the race was not going to happen and fautasi fans headed away from the main dock.

From the Samoa News building - located across the street from main dock - at least two fautasi was seen heading back into the main harbor, towards the finish line.

Long before the race started, supporters of each fautasi team have already made their way into the downtown area, to get a good spot along the shoreline, especially between Utulei and Pago Pago in front of ASCO Motors the finish line.

With the race as well as the 2 Samoa Trade Fair at Utulei, traffic was almost at a standstill.

All Black-coached U20 Rugby Team Runs Away with 2015 ALOHA WORLD SEVENS (AWS) Men’s Cup Title. Kahuku High School Wins AWS Women’s U20 Cup Final

HONOLULU, HAWAII – Team Messam-SPI, the Under-20 Sevens Rugby team personally coached by current New Zealand All Black player Liam Messam, ran away with the Men’s Cup championship 55-0 – unseating Hilo Reign at
the 2015 ALOHA WORLD SEVENS international Sevens Rugby tournament on Saturday (March 21) at Aloha Stadium.

In the AWS Women’s U20 Cup final, Kahuku High School outlasted the Hilo Reign 17-12 in a hard-fought match.

The tournament featured eight men’s and six women’s U20 teams and 14 Keiki Flag Rugby teams.

The two-day AWS tournament also featured an exclusive Friday night exhibition 15s rugby match between Kahuku High School, the 9th ranked high school rugby team in the USA and current Hawaii State Rugby champions, and St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School from Ontario, Canada. Kahuku blew away their outmatched cross-border competitors 72-0.

The Kahuku 15s Men’s team has been invited to the national school rugby championship at San Diego in May.

Olelo Community Media TV, which covered the two day event with a five-camera crew and on-site production truck, will broadcast two separate AWS sporting events. The Kahuku-St. Anne’s 15s rugby match will be broadcast statewide throughout Hawaii on Olelo (Channel 53) four times. These are the air dates announced by Olelo: Sunday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m.; Monday, April 27, at 12:30 p.m.; Wednesday, April 29, at 10 p.m.; and Sunday, May 3, at 1:30 p.m. The match will be uploaded and streamed on Olelo’s web site after the first air date.

The Kahuku 15s Men’s team has been invited to the national U.S. high school rugby championship at San Diego in May.

The second original AWS broadcast by Olelo will feature Sevens Rugby matches exclusively with all the complete Cup finals and semi-finals in their entirety. The broadcast dates have not been determined yet.

On the morning of both days, the AWS organizers included matches by 14 Keiki Flag Rugby teams from Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in three age categories: 5-7; 8-10; and 11-13.

THE KEY FINAL DAY (MARCH 21) U20 MATCH SCORES

Men’s Cup Semi-Finals

Kahuku – 0 vs. Team Messam-SPI – 26 Hilo Reign – 19 vs. Laie Parkside – 14

Women’s Cup Semi-Finals

Hilo Reign – 19 vs. Kalihi Raiders – 5
Kahuku High vs. BCI (Canada) – Kahuku High by forfeit

Men’s Plate Final

Kahuku High – 20 vs. Laie Parkside – 7

Women’s Plate Final

Kalihi Raiders vs. BCI – Kalihi Raiders by forfeit

Men’s Bowl Final

Kalihi Raiders – 19 vs Samoa Islanders – 5

Men’s Shield Final

Pacific Rim vs. Kahului – Pacific Rim by forfeit

The 2015 tournament marks the ALOHA WORLD SEVENS debut at Aloha Stadium, Hawaii’s largest and most prestigious sporting venue with 50,000 seats.

“Our goal is moving our AWS tournament to Aloha Stadium was to continue to build on the prestige of the event. Our long term goal is to host a Junior Rugby World Championship in Hawaii at the stadium,” said Reg Schwenke, Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“The stadium administration was overwhelmingly supportive and cooperative in ensuring our event was as successful as it could be from an operational and logistical perspective. We truly appreciate that,” Schwenke added.

Aloha Stadium manager Scott Chan wrote the AWS organizers after the tournament: “Congratulations on your event! I am pleased to hear that, for the most part, all went well. Your kind words reflecting the work relationship between your staff and Aloha Stadium is greatly appreciated. We look forward to future opportunities.”

The 2016 ALOHA WORLD SEVENS is now scheduled for March 17 through March 19, 2016 most likely at Aloha Stadium – pending Stadium Authority Board review in late April.

McKay Schwenke, Co-Founder, Executive Vice President and AWS Tournament Director, was effusive in his optimism for the sport in Hawaii and the local athletes who compete at all age levels: “We feel this tournament represents an enormous opportunity for our Hawaii athletes to gain exposure to be considered for USA national teams in Sevens and 15-a-side rugby. I personally feel that our top athletes in Hawaii can compete with anyone from the U.S. mainland.”

The four ALOHA WORLD SEVENS Co-Founders are Reg, McKay,
Carolyne and Angie Schwenke. Governor David Ige and Lt. Governor Shan Tsutsui signed a special proclamation saluting the AWS organizers for their community efforts to build and develop the sport of Rugby in Hawaii as a means of countering child obesity through the safe practices of Keiki Flag Rugby initially and later tackle rugby in a disciplined fashion.

Lt. Governor Tsutsui, a strong supporter of the AWS event, issued this statement just before the tournament began: ““We are excited that the Aloha World Sevens tournament returns to Hawaii this month,” adding that “we are most especially proud of the positive work that Aloha World Sevens has done with our youth and community through developing and growing the interest of rugby in Hawaii.”

Sevens Rugby is now considered the fastest growing new sport in the United States. Within 18 months, the AWS organizers hope to make it the fastest growing new sport in Hawaii.

They have plans to develop community Keiki Flag Rugby leagues on all major Hawaiian Islands working with parent/grandparent volunteers. Their vision, however, will depend in large measure on securing corporate sponsors to provide the means by which they can implement their vision.

The AWS major PLATINUM SPONSORS are: World Rugby Shop, Olelo Community Media TV, Pepsi, Gilbert, Rukutai International
(China) and studio853.

The AWS GOLD SPONSORS include: Dominos Pizza, U-Haul, Enterprise Rent a Car, Hawaii Tent and Events, Eagle Electric, Kona Winds Electric, LeMalae.com, Alapa Plumbing and Best Choice in Construction.

Individuals or corporations interested in future sponsorship opportunities with AWS should contact Reg Schwenke at reg.awsevents@gmail.com.

The 2016 ALOHA WORLD SEVENS is shaping up early to include the largest group of international teams that will participate from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, American Samoa, Kenya and Jamaica. Top U.S. mainland high school teams are also expected as well as Hawaii’s top U20 teams from Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.

In its inaugural ALOHA WORLD SEVENS tournament in June Zealand’s national championship high school girls Sevens Rugby team from Hamilton Girl’s High School, defeated a determined Australian Barbarians select team 22-12 to win the U20 Women’s Cup final. In the Men’s competition, the Honolulu Titans edged Kahuku High School 24-22 in the Cup final.

Hamilton Girls High successfully defended their New Zealand national championship title at the Condor 7’s New Zealand National Secondary Schools tournament in Auckland in December 2014. They were selected to play in
the Sanix World Rugby Championship in Japan – which conflicted with the 2015 AWS tournament schedule.

Vaitele Soi signs for fight on March 28 that will propel him into rankings if he wins

The challenger Vaitele Soi of Samoa and New Zealand pictured at SKY Arena 'Super 8 Redemption' press conference on Wednesday in Auckland with Tuilagi Saipele Esera (Event Polynesia), Mark Keddell (Super 8 spokesperson), Justin Wallace (Christchurch Super 8 promoter) and defending champ Anthony McCracken of Australia for the WBA Pan African, WBO Asia Pacific & OPBF cruiserweight titles.

Samoa based boxer Vaitele Soi who hails from Vailele, Taga & Vaovai Falealili will be stepping into the ring at Horncastle Arena, Christchurch on 28 March for the biggest fight of his life.

Vaitele with a professional record of 24 wins with just one loss to Brad Pitt of Australia is the first Samoa based professional boxer to graduate from the pathway put in place by his management Event Polynesia in conjunction with Samoa boxing fraternity and boxing partners with assistant from Samoa government to establish the much needed local boxing tournaments in Samoa.

With a winning performance here, Vaitele Soi will propel up the world ratings and in contention for bigger fights to come.

Samoan boxing legend David Tua, with Lavata'i Mailagi Onesemo, from the Samoan seagoing vessel, Gaualofa pose with upcoming fighters.

But to get there he needs our help with his training. Today we're launching the Team Samoa Supporters network to raise funds to give Vaitele Soi the best chance in winning.

We hope to get Vaitele to New Zealand in the next week or two to get good training and sparring. It will cost a bit to set up training camp in Auckland. If you can assist or know someone who can help financially or corporate sponsorship then please contact me by email edwin@puni.co.nz or private message me on Facebook.

Thank you for your prayers and best wishes, but Vaitele Soi also needs your helping hand. Samoa mo Samoa. Fai mai mai e le galo tae nai Atua. "A e iloa au i Siulepa, ou te manatua oe i Togamau."

Faalavelave Frank Frost, Kang Woong Lee, Shan Thompsen, Kaino Thompsen Fuataga and Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi.

“As a director of the Foundation, I can use my influences to secure scholarships,” he said.

“Sponsors can pay for tuition for students to attend a two year scholarship in Korea."

“To offset living allowances, foreign students can teach English while attending University to support them during their studies.

“That practice is very successful with foreigners taking up taekwondo scholarships “Simple self defence taekwondo techniques can save lives. It’s not about physical confrontation but resorting to basic self-defence moves to neutralize any situation…” in Korea."

“Samoa can also have a full time coach to promote the sport in schools and in the rural areas with the Foundation funding the salaries,” added Master Lee.

“In terms of equipment, the foundation can secure uniforms, mats and sparring gear as a donation for Samoa."

“The opportunities are endless,” he said.

However, Grandmaster Fa’alavelave noted that the biggest obstacle hindering the assistance from overseas is due to local leadership.

“The National Body is inactive and inefficient,” he said.

“Samoa’s taekwondo is screaming for change."

“We have shared these concerns with the Prime Minister.

“And hopefully, for taekwondo to receive the direly needed help it deserves there should be changes in the local leadership.”

The two coaches will be leaving this week and plans to return to Samoa in the coming months.

Roman Reigns, can Samoan Heritage produce a great WWE Champion

By David M. Levin

While the WWE fans are still warming up to the idea of Roman Reigns becoming “the man” to replace John Cena as their tried and true hero, the man who will become the new World Champion is showing off a bit of his Samoan heritage with each passing live show. The idea that he continues to talk about it allows me and millions of older wrestling fans walk through history to not only remember the great Samoan influences on the business when we were younger, but to also revisit the great Anoa’I blood line the WWE has fostered of the years.

I miss the days of the Samoan wrestlers and the influences of other cultures in the business. The days when the Wild Samoans (Reigns’ father is none other than Sika Anoaʻi) had the great Capt. Lou Albano at their side – the intimidating look and the fear fans had when they walked toward the ring. Given the fact the Uso’s (whose father is Rikishi) are the most dominant tag team in the company today, I’d say the Samoan influence on today’s promotion is alive and well. But let’s not mistake the impact of the 1970s and 1980s as being the same as things are today – there is no comparison.

The Samoans may have been the greatest tag team in the business before the onslaught of the Road Warriors in the mid-1980s. Afa and Sika spent time in Mid-South Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The Samoans held 21 tag team championships around the world. Completing their larger than life image, the duo engaged in outrageous behavior such as nose picking and eating raw fish during interviews

And as I have heard in many circles over the years, they may have been one of the last truly hated heel tag teams before the walls of Kayfabe were torn down. If intimidation was their only key to success in the business, the Samoans were masters at it without having to say a single word.

As they stated out in the WWF before the ascension of Hulkamania, Afa and Sika made their Madison Square Garden debut on January 21, 1980 in a WWF Tag Team Championship match against Tito Santana and Ivan Putski, who retained their title. In the upcoming months, both men became contenders for Bob Backlund’s WWF Championship, but neither man won the gold. They, however, won their first championship in the WWF, the tag team championship, by defeating Santana and Putski on April 12, 1980.

They reigned as champions for approximately five months, until dropping the title to Backlund and Pedro Morales in a two out of three falls match at Showdown at Shea. Because Backlund was already the reigning WWF Champion, the team had to forfeit the title, and a tournament was held to crown new tag champions. On September 8, 1980, the Wild Samoans defeated Tony Garea and Rene Goulet in the tournament finals to win the title.

Their reign lasted for one month, until they lost to Garea and his new partner, Rick Martel. The Wild Samoans feuded with the champions for the rest of the year, but they were not able to recapture the gold.

Now that the Anoa’I family has come full circle again with another superstar in the making, I wonder why the WWE is trying so hard to make Reigns the “New Cena” of the next generation.Wouldn’t the WWE (more importantly Vince McMahon) be better off pairing Reigns with a manager to help him hone his skills. It has worked for Brock Lesnar, who by no means gives the fans a thrilling promo, but he is intimidating nonetheless and can get away with it because of the presence of Paul Heyman.

If Lesnar’s contract situation is not resolved and he leaves the WWE (which he should), would Heyman and Reigns be the lottery ticket the company needs? Reigns is better suited as a heel champion (in my opinion) but lacks guidance on camera. Heyman is the perfect bridge to make the heel turn happen.

The WWE is void of managers and valets in this day and age. If the company is willing to revisit the roots of its future champions, hopefully it would be willing to explore the past to ensure Reigns, like his father and uncle before him, receives the best push he can get. In this case the company must align him with the best mouthpiece in the business.

Maybe then, the WWE fan base will be more accepting of a champion that has all but been shoved down their throats.

Marcus Mariota picked up his own fumble and scored a TD in defeating UCLA.

By Nick Bromberg
It wasn't the most glamorous of plays, but thanks to a lot of open space, Oregon QB Marcus Mariota deftly picked up his own fumble and scored a touchdown in the third quarter against UCLA.

Mariota was running a read option play and saw that UCLA had committed to the running back so he kept the ball himself and ran to the left. As he went to tuck the ball and run, he mishandled the ball and fumbled.

However, since UCLA had committed so significantly to the running back, Mariota had plenty of time to pick the ball up and stroll into the end zone.

The touchdown gave Oregon a 28-10 lead and the Ducks won 42-30. Mariota's scoop and score was his second rushing TD of the day and his fourth total touchdown of the game. Thanks to the suspension of Todd Gurley and losses by other teams, the big win against UCLA can help put Mariota near the top of the Heisman race.

Mariota keeps adding to his highlight reel. Lifts Oregon to another win

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes the ball during the second quarter against Wyoming during an NCAA college football game at Autzen Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- One week after a season-defining win over then-No. 7 Michigan State, No. 2 Oregon spent the first quarter Saturday trying regain its footing against upset-minded Wyoming.

Quarterback Marcus Mariotadidn't let that happen, leading the Ducks on six consecutive scoring drives to lift Oregon to a 48-14 win over the Cowboys.

Mariota became the fourth Oregon quarterback to pass for more than 7,000 yards. The Ducks junior completed 19 of 23 passes with two touchdowns. Mariota also rushed five times for 71 yards, including touchdown runs of 15 and 19 yards.

Mariota has thrown a school-record 71 touchdowns, with at least one TD thrown in all 29 games he's appeared in.

Oregon (3-0) had a rare scoreless first quarter, and found itself trailing 7-0 heading into the second quarter.

''We were a little sluggish at the beginning in every phase. Whether it's the early game or whatever, we're in the business of fighting human nature. It's impossible to ignore to some degree,'' Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said. ''Our guys did a decent job of shaking the hangover.''

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Mariota paced Oregon by leading the Ducks on four second-quarter scoring drives. Mariota ran for two scores and threw 16-yard touchdown pass to Devon Allen that gave Oregon a 27-7 halftime lead.

''I don't know if anyone in this room has a vote for the Heisman Trophy, but I encourage you to take a look at your ballot there for (this) quarterback. He's a tremendous player and I thought he played extremely well,'' Wyoming coach Craig Bohl said.

Highlighting Mariota's performance was a second-quarter touchdown where the Honolulu junior gave Ducks fans a thrill and scare at the same time.

Scrambling to avoid a pass rush, Mariota ran 19 yards for a touchdown, finishing the play by diving head first over Wyoming tacklers to reach the pylon.

Mariota bounced off the ground and ran to the sideline.

View gallery

Oregon linebacker Torrodney Prevot (86) celebrates after sacking Wyoming quarterback Colby Kirkegaar …
''I hope he never does that ever again. Pretty sure all our coaches don't want to see him do that again,'' said Oregon receiver Keanon Lowe, blocking for Mariota on the play. ''I'd rather see him run out of bounds at the 2. That being said, it was an awesome play.''

Helfrich said that play was Mariota being Mariota.

''He can't sit there and think, don't do this, don't do that. The way he plays, that's one of his biggest strengths,'' Helfrich said.

Helfrich wasn't entirely thrilled with seeing his Heisman Trophy hopeful going airborne, however.

''He told me on the sideline to never do that again. I'll take that as a warning,'' Mariota said.

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Oregon wide receiver Johnathan Loyd (10) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quart …
Byron Marshall ran six times for 80 yards and a touchdown to lead Oregon's running game. Freshman Royce Freeman had a 12-yard touchdown run. The Ducks had 556 yards, including 263 on the ground.

Oregon safety Erick Dargan had two interceptions, both in the first half.

Wyoming quarterback Colby Kirkegaard completed 19 of 33 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Cowboys running back Shaun Wick ran 16 times for 122 yards.

Wyoming, a 43-point underdog to Oregon, had some moments, but couldn't stop the Ducks offense after the first quarter.

The Cowboys (2-1) had 439 yards, including 282 during the first half. But Wyoming allowed Oregon to score on six consecutive possessions, three set up by Cowboy turnovers.

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Oregon running back Royce Freeman (21) scores a touchdown during the third quarter of an NCAA colleg …
The loss ended a personal 26-game winning streak for Bohl, the first-year Cowboys coach who won three consecutive FCS national titles at North Dakota State (2011-13).

''We knew it was going to be an uphill challenge and we were going to have to play error free. We certainly didn't do that,'' Bohl said. ''I'm not saying everything was beautiful out there, but by and large, I felt like our guys stayed in it, kept on trucking, kept on believing.''

Wyoming stunned Oregon early, stopping the Ducks' first drive on fourth down at the Cowboys 2. Wyoming rewarded its defense by driving 98 yards for the game's first score, an 18-yard touchdown pass from Kirkegaard to Tanner Gentry.

Oregon right tackle Jake Fisher, a three-year starter, left the game during the Ducks' opening drive with a leg injury.

The Ducks ended Wyoming's upset hopes with a 27-point second quarter.

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Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) hits the turf after he was flipped in the air scoring a touchd …
''It's good to go through a little adversity. You have to fight through some things. It wasn't a factor that we weren't moving the ball. For us, it's punching it in and finishing,'' Mariota said.

Oregon tied the game at 7-7 just five seconds into the second quarter on a 15-yard touchdown scramble by Mariota. The Ducks took a 13-7 lead four minutes later when Marshall romped 30 yards for a score.

Two interceptions by Dargan set up Oregon's final two scores of the second quarter.

Allen caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Mariota with 1:34 remaining in the second quarter, giving Oregon a 27-7 lead that it took into halftime.

The Ducks continued their offensive roll into the third quarter, when Oregon scored on its first two possessions to take a 41-7 lead. Mariota left the game after throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Johnathan Loyd with 9:59 remaining in the third.

Oregon blows out Stanford behind Heisman-worthy performance from Marcus Mariota

By Sam Cooper

Stanford has never been kind to Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Heisman frontrunner put an end to that Saturday night.

After Stanford ruined undefeated seasons for Oregon in the last two years , Mariota and the fifth-ranked Ducks featured a balanced, high-powered offensive attack to finally get over the hump in a blowout 45-16 home win. Mariota led the way, passing for 258 yards and two scores while also running for 85 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. In all, the Ducks racked up 525 yards of offense – 267 rushing, 258 passing – en route to a big win.

The Cardinal defense stifled Oregon’s spread attack in years past, but the Ducks moved the ball with ease from the start. Though Stanford was able to hang around early with two field goals, two Mariota scores (one passing, one rushing) and aThomas Tyner touchdown run allowed the Ducks to jump out to a 21-6 lead early in the second.

An Oregon field goal pushed the lead to 24-6, but Stanford was able to get in the end zone and cut the lead to 24-13 at halftime via a one-yard Patrick Skov touchdown run.

After Stanford’s Kevin Hogan and Mariota traded interceptions to start the second half, the Cardinal got within one possession, 26-14, with Jordan Williamson’s third field goal of the game. That was the closest Stanford would get.

Oregon’s next drive culminated with another Tyner touchdown run. This one was from 21-yards out and features a video game-like spin move inside the 10. Hogan fumbled on Stanford’s next drive, and it was all Oregon from then on out.

The win improves the Ducks to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the Pac-12 while also giving Mariota, the current Heisman favorite, a coveted win over Stanford. Oregon was ranked No. 1 in the country when the Ducks fell 17-14 to Stanford in 2012. Last year, the Ducks were undefeated again and ranked No. 3, but a hobbled Mariota and the Ducks fell to the fifth-ranked Cardinal 26-20.

With Ole Miss losing to Auburn Saturday night, the Ducks may be able to slide into the Top 4 of next week’s College Football Playoff rankings. A trip to Salt Lake City to square off with No. 17 Utah is next on the schedule.

Meanwhile, Stanford drops to a disappointing 5-4 with the loss.

Oregon QB Mariota grows as a player and leader

Marcus Mariota pauses for seven seconds when he’s asked if he can remember an instance when he got in trouble.

“I can’t really pinpoint a certain time,” Mariota said. “I think I was in elementary school when I was messing around and went to the principal’s office.”

This is what makes Mariota different from the Johnny Manziels and Jameis Winstons of Heismans past. Mariota, a native of Honolulu, is soft-spoken and shies from attention. But his play has thrust him into the national conversation as the current front runner for the Heisman Trophy.

On Friday at Levi’s Stadium, Mariota and No. 6 Oregon will look to have a big game against a Cal passing defense that ranks last in the Pac-12 in yards allowed per game. While Mariota’s personality is more quiet than Manziel and Winston, the previous two Heisman winners, his play is every bit as electrifying.

At 6-foot-4, he’s a powerful force, keeping plays alive in a dazzling fashion, avoiding pressure with his feet to make a big play. But it’s his arm that really sets him apart. Mariota has thrown 188 passes this season without an interception. He’s the most efficient quarterback in the country, completing 132 of 188 passes and throwing for 1,957 yards and 19 touchdowns.

When Cal head coach Sonny Dykes was at Louisiana Tech in 2012, his team gave up 576 total yards to Manziel in a 59-57 loss to Texas A&M. At Cal in 2013, Dykes and the Bears gave up just 147 total yards to Mariota in a 55-16 loss in a driving rainstorm. Still, Dykes said Mariota compares favorably to Manziel.

“I think he’s the best quarterback I’ve seen in a while,” Dykes said.

No one questions Mariota’s character, but his low-key nature has presented a different problem for the Ducks. There’s a certain vocal aspect that comes along with being an elite quarterback that Mariota was missing.

Mariota attributes his quiet nature to his Hawaiian upbringing. He grew up learning to listen to elders and to be quiet when someone else is talking. The 6-foot-4, 219-pounder may have been born with the physical skill set, but he had to teach himself to become a locker-room leader.

Oregon coach Mark Helfrich described Mariota as introverted when he first got to Oregon. Mariota worked to change, understanding the importance of having a vocal leader at quarterback.

“He’s been phenomenal,” Helfrich said. “The guys that need to be yelled at, he yells at, and the guys that need to be hugged, he hugs.”

Mariota points to a number of leaders who helped get Oregon back on track after the Ducks’ 31-24 loss to Arizona on Oct. 2. But his personality came to light in a different form. After the potentially season-crushing loss, Mariota saw a child wearing his jersey on the sideline.

“I just went up and introduced myself,” Mariota said. “I thought they were just typical fans.”

Mariota didn’t know the kid was part of a group attending the game from a children’s hospital.

“There’s no extra responsibility that comes with maybe being a Heisman Trophy candidate,” Mariota said. “For me it’s just what I’m supposed to do.”

Mike Vernon is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mvernon@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @M_Vernon

Oregon QB Mariota, Heisman candidate, leads comeback against Michigan State.

EUGENE, Ore. — The play you'll remember — the one that might end up a Heisman moment, a critical combination of decision and execution that was the biggest catalyst in Oregon's 46-27 comeback victory against Michigan State — will go down in the official evaluation as a mistake.

Somehow escaping a collapsing pocket on third-and-long, Marcus Mariota suddenly had room to run. Instead, he shoveled the ball forward. Freshman running back Royce Freeman caught it and ran for the first down.

"It was the only play I didn't think Marcus did well," said Scott Frost, Oregon's offensive coordinator. "He should have ran for it, because that was dangerous. … It could have changed the game."

Which is kind of funny, because it did. Four plays later, Oregon scored. And the avalanche began – three touchdowns in five minutes, 14 seconds as the third quarter became the fourth, and the Ducks erased a nine-point deficit and pulled away.

In a game that more than lived up to its billing as the best nonconference matchup of the season — for almost three quarters, two Playoff contenders traded haymakers — it should not be a surprise that the difference was the Ducks' junior quarterback. He's the reason they look more than capable of contending for the national championship.

But how he did it was different than usual.

We've known about Mariota's arm. We knew that when healthy — unlike, say, the second half of the 2013 season — he could run. But Saturday, against the relentless pressure of a very good defense, we learned plenty about Mariota's improvisational skills. Turns out, the guy whose trademark has been precision and efficiency can make things up on the fly, too.

"I should have to pay to watch that guy play," Oregon's Mark Helfrich said. "We obviously think very highly of Marcus."

It's only two games into the season, but we should think highly of both teams.

Oregon looked every bit worthy of its No. 4 ranking. Mariota was spectacular. And as he cranked up in the second half, the Ducks' defense clamped down. In the process, they tore a chunk from the perception that they can't beat physical opponents (see: Stanford, 2012 and 2013).

"We think we're physical," Helfrich said. "Our style of play is different. … We believe very strongly in what we do."

But No. 6 Michigan State played well, stuffing Oregon for most of the first 40 minutes, grabbing a 27-18 lead behind Connor Cook's passing, and turning the volume way down in Autzen Stadium. For a while, the Spartans seemed primed to leave town with victory, and although there's plenty of season left, Michigan State could conceivably become the first real quandary for the College Football Playoff's selection committee: What's the meaning of a tough road loss?

Arik Armstead (9), Alex Balducci (56) and No. 4 Oregon made a big early-season statement with a 46-27 win over No. 6 Michigan State at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Scott Olmos, USA TODAY Sports.

It shouldn't be an eliminator. But it's definitely an accelerator for the Ducks, who made an emphatic early statement.

"Too many big plays, too much speed," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "That's Oregon. We understood that coming in."

In so many ways, he's right. Oregon has its usual array of speed merchants. The defense suddenly became stingy, and maybe even angry, when it mattered.

But it was too much Mariota. And if we probably understood that coming in, we know more now.

He threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns — the third-year starter has thrown a TD pass in every game he's played. He ran nine times for 42 yards. But harassed all day by the Spartans' pressure, he was sacked three times and forced to dance and scramble and improvise on countless other plays.

"We knew I'd have to sit in the pocket and take some hits," he said. "I'd have to make plays on my own, just because of how aggressive they are."

Late in the third quarter, down nine, Oregon faced third-and-10 from its 41. The Spartans had momentum, and seemed likely to hold onto it. Mariota had just been sacked again. When the pressure came again, from everywhere, it seemed likely the Ducks might go three-and-out for the fifth consecutive possession (not counting one play to end the first half).

Instead, he avoided all three Michigan State linebackers, first Darien Harris, then Riley Bullough, then Ed Davis, and then he was free, with at least a shot at scrambling for the first down.

Freeman was a few yards ahead, preparing to block. But Mariota stumbled, then flipped the football, end-over-end — like a wishbone quarterback, only a forward pass — toward the freshman running back. Up in the press box, Frost winced. But the pass was on target. Freeman gathered it in and raced 17 yards.

"It's uncanny," Oregon defensive backs coach John Neal said. "You have to be special. And greatness comes in those moments. It's a superior deal. You can't defend it. You can't make it up. It's pretty amazing. And it's gonna be on TV a bunch."

Two plays later, Mariota did what he's better known for, pumping once, then feathering a 24-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Devon Allen. All of a sudden it was 27-25 — and Mariota and the Ducks were just getting started. On the next possession, he jumpstarted the drive by scrambling for 9 yards on third-and-8, and then tossed another TD pass.

Even as he suggested Mariota should have run on the earlier scramble, Frost backtracked.

"It's hard to nitpick on a kid that played like that," he said, and then reiterated something he's been saying for a while: "I think he's the best player in the country."

It was hard to argue on a Saturday that, in the end, was mostly typical Oregon.

"We're gonna take some shots," Helfrich said. "We're gonna make some — and it's gonna be ugly sometimes."

Same as it ever was. That's been the Ducks' m.o. for years now, since the program cranked to elite. But a newer feature was on display Saturday.

Sometimes, Mariota will change the game.

"Mariota leads," Dantonio said. "He's tough, he leads and he creates. That's the difference in the football game."

And potentially much more.

Malcom Floyd Steals Show in Major Way

Malcom Floyd who is half Samoan and African American has made the fans at Qualcomm Stadium rise to their feet countless times over his 12 year career. Perhaps none compared to what occurred with 7:05 remaining in the game.

With Floyd making it clear that 2015 will be his final NFL season, the Chargers honored him with a tribute video during a break in action. Highlights of M80’s acrobatic catches and memorable moments elicited a roar from the crowd as each and every fan gave the humble wide receiver a raucous standing ovation.

“It was so hard to stay focused,” he said with tears in his eyes. “I was just trying to stay focused. It’s so emotional. I got teary-eyed right there. It’s just crazy when you play in a stadium for that long and it comes to an end like that. I’m just glad that we got a win today so I could soak it in. I just appreciated all the support from the fans through the ups and downs throughout these 12 years. I love them to death.”

“I wanted to know who picked that song because it was hard for me to keep it together,” Antonio Gates said of the video tribute. “You’re talking about a guy that I have been playing with for over a decade. He means so much to myself and to this team. I hate to see him go out the way we have this season, but he is so special and means so much. He epitomized what it means to be a San Diego Charger and I am happy to be able to enjoy these last 12 years with him.”

In a game where Danny Woodhead scored four touchdowns, which are tied for second most in franchise history, and the defense continued to play lights out, it was a man who had only one catch that stole the show. While it was his only grab of the day, his 27-yard snare was the type of clutch, acrobatic deep reception that has made him one of the best deep threats in the NFL since he arrived in 2004.

“The roughest part of it for me was Malcom when they were playing that (video),” Rivers said. “Seeing Malcom and those highlights and stuff, I had a hard time calling the next play in the huddle just knowing, shoot, he’s got two games left of ever playing football…He’s down to the last two and the last time for sure he’ll ever play a home game. So, that one got me. I had a hard time calling the next play.”

The Bolts made sure it was a special day for Floyd from the very beginning. M-80 was the last player introduced during pre-game warmups, and he joined Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, Mike Scifres and Eric Weddle for the opening coin toss. Later, with the game decided in the final minute, Head Coach Mike McCoy removed Floyd from the game along with Rivers and Gates to another rousing ovation.

“Malcom Floyd; what a stud,” McCoy said. “That is what this is all about, and a lot of other great leaders we have. Knowing what Malcom has publicly come out and said, what he is going to do at the end of the year, we wanted to make sure he went off the field a winner today.”

That moment meant the world to the humble Floyd.

“Man, to be mentioned in the same tier with those guys, you know, I don’t deserve it,” he said. “They played at a high level all year. They made me. I just appreciated just being mentioned amongst them. I love them to death. They’re my brothers forever. We laid it out on the line for each other throughout the years. No doubt, I love them to death more than a brother.”
When Nick Hardwick retired earlier this year, he mentioned his career was laced with “championship moments,” which would be the best way to sum up what Sunday meant to the popular wide receiver.

“Today definitely ranks up there with the playoff games because it was my last game. It was so emotional today. This was the last time I’ll be in this stadium. I’m going to soak it in and just want to say how much I appreciate and love the fans. Without them, there wouldn’t be me.”

Troy Polamalu doesnt mince words when identifying problems with Steelers

First time captain, Troy Polamalu, didn't shy away from pointing a finger after the Steelers 26-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Where he pointed the finger as to where the team went wrong might have been the most surprising aspect of his comments.

In the chaos following the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, almost every player was forced to answer question after question about what went wrong and whether the sky was truly falling. The usually reserved Troy Polamalu answered questions honestly, and painted a picture as to what might truly be wrong with the Steelers' porous defense.

Listen to Troy Polamalu's answers in the BTSC feature 'Inside the Steelers Locker Room' following the loss, and you'll hear a captain truly disappointed in the defensive performance of the unit he leads, but also him pointing to one surprisingly telling aspect of how the team needs to improve.

Q: The penalties seem to be a recurring issue in the first two games. Anything you can do to fix those?

A: "Just work on playing cleaner. Practicing better."

Q: There was a lot of talk last week about lack of communication. Was that an issue this week or just simple execution?

A: "Our communication was on point, it's just about execution for sure."

Q: What can be done about that?

A: "Practice better."

There is a recurring theme within these comments, and as Allen Iverson would say "we talkin' about practice."

Polamalu's comments in regards to the Steelers needing to practice better paints a bad picture for the players and coaches within this organization.

Anyone that has ever played a sport at some point in their lives knows that preparation, or practice, plays a critical role in the outcome of the team's performances. Polamalu repeatedly stating the team's practice habits are an issue speaks of a team that needs to focus more and put in the time off the field to see the changes needed on it.

The coaching staff would be wise to listen to the team captain's message. They have a long week of preparation ahead before traveling to Charlotte, NC to face the Carolina Panthers. A game where the Steelers could get this terrible taste out of their mouths by winning a big game on the road in prime time.

These comments speak to the entire team, coaches included, and if the communication issues after week one were solved by week two, then the practice issues should be fixed by week three and hopefully the team's play on the field will improve in the process.

The extended break this team received after the Thursday night game could be the perfect remedy for this Steelers team and coaching staff as they prepare for the Panthers next week.

More from sbnation.com:

42 players of Polynesian heritage are playing in the NFL this year.

Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans and Juju Smith-Schuster of the Pittsburgh Steelers

By Albert Ainuu

2018 was a unique year in the NFL as the final rosters for the teams were narrowed down to the final 53 players, it became evident that alot of Polynesians made it to this very exclusive club of highly skilled and talented athletes. The NFL always boasts a large number of Polynesian players each season and this is one of the most anticipated seasons for Polynesian players as the Super Bowl Champion Eagles seek to duplicate their magical season from last year with 5 Poly players on their roster. This year they added Haloti Ngata a longtime All Pro on the Baltimore Ravens squad but he has signed with Philly initially to be back up but he beat the incumbent and is now starting. Together with him on the Defensive Line is Destiny Vaeao.

The Offensive Line of the Eagles boasts Vaitai Halapoulivaitai, Isaac Seumalo and Jordan Mailata who is the first ever player to have never played a down of football in his life but be drafted and make the team. He is from Australia and played Rugby all his life, but when he was selected in the 7th round of the draft this year, he worked on the skills he needed to learn and made the team. Jordan's story is an amazing one because he has tremendous size and speed but no football experience. What was so amazing is he came to America and trained for 3 months prior to the NFL Combine earlier this year and when he performed he wowed all the NFL scouts and was drafted by Philadelphia in the 7th round. The rest is history as he now is a member of the Philadelphia squad.

The Offensive Side of the ball this year has stand out Quarterback, Heisman trophy winner Marcus Mariota who is the Tennessee Titans leader. He is the only QB of Polynesian descent in the NFL this year. There is no running back of Polynesian heritage this year and only one receiver, Juju Smith-Schuster of the Steelers. However, there is a move happening in the college ranks that will definitely change the number of skilled players in the NFL in the near future. Quarterbacks of Samoan heritage are at the top of the College ranks and are the hottest commodity in the College game right now. One can only anticipate that in future drafts the likes of Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Ta'amu will be playing on Sunday.

However in terms of impact on the game Juju Smith-Schuster of the Pittsburgh Steelers has made the best of his opportunities allowing Pittsburgh to release disgruntled wideout Martavis Bryant and put Juju in as the second receiver to perennial All Pro Receiver Antonio Brown. Juju was such a rising star last year that he set the record for a rookie for yards gained overall. He scored TDs receiving, running and returning punts/kickoffs. But he also has shown a very entertaining side that has the NFL smiling every time he touches the ball. We can only dream of the day Juju will be catching passes from Marcus Mariota.

The complete list of Polynesian NFL players on this year's NFL teams are below. We wish them all well as we feature all the Polynesians: 28 Samoans, 11 Tongans and 2 Hawaiians in this list. This is the most Polynesians we have had for a while.

QB       MARCUS MARIOTA, TENNESSEE TITANS, Samoan

WR       JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER, PITTSBURGH STEELERS, Samoan
KENDRICK BOURNE, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, Samoan

TE       MICHAEL HOOMANAWANUI, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, Hawaiian
      LEVINE TOILOLO, DETROIT LIONS, Samoan

OL   JON HALAPIO, NY GIANTS, Tongan
       MIKE IUPATI, ARIZONA CARDINALS, Samoan
       SENIO KELEMETE, HOUSTON TEXANS, Samoan
       LEO KOLOAMATANGI, DETROIT LIONS, Tongan
       FRED LAUINA, CLEVELAND BROWNS, Samoan
       SHAWN LAUVAO, WASHINGTON REDSKINS, Samoan
       JORDAN MAILATA, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, Samoan
       BRIAN SCHWENKE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, Samoan
       ISAAC SEUMALO, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, Samoan
       AMINI SILATOLU, CAROLINA PANTHERS, Samoan
       RONNIE STANLEY, BALTIMORE RAVENS, Tongan
       XAVIER SUAFILO, HOUSTON TEXANS, Samoan
       SAM TEVI, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, Tongan
       VAITAI HALAPOULIVAATI, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, Tongan

DL   RICKY ALIIFUA, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, Samoan
       TYSON ALUALU, PITTSBURGH STEELERS, Samoan
       DEFOREST BUCKNER, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, Samoan
       DANIEL EKUALE, CLEVELAND BROWNS, Samoan
       BRONSON KAUFUSI, NEW YORK JETS, Tongan
       STAR LOTULELEI, BUFFALO BILLS, Tongan
       HERCULES MATAAFA, MINNESOTA VIKINGS, Samoan
HALOTI NGATA, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, Tongan
DOMATA PEKO, DENVER BRONCOS, Samoan
KYLE PEKO, BUFFALO BILLS, Samoan
DANNY SHELTON, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, Samoan
PASONI TASINI, ARIZONA CARDINALS, Samoan
STEVIE TUIKOLOVATU, TAMPABAY BUCCANEERS, Tongan
JOSH TUPOU, CINCINNATI BENGALS, Tongan
DESTINY VAEAO, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, Samoan
VITA VEA, TAMPA BAY BUCS, Samoan

LB       FRANKIE LUVU, NEW YORK JETS, Samoan
      PITA TAUMOEPENU, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, Tongan
      MANTI TE’O, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, Samoan

DB       SUA CRAVENS, DENVER BRONCOS, Samoan
      SHALOM LUANI, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, Samoan
      KAI NACUA, BALTIMORE RAVENS, Hawaiian

The rain couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of Jason McLeod and family after the victory. photo courtesy of Salani Faiivae Harrison

Now with the successful raising of the dead, the Chicago Cubs, all three of these individuals are considered hot properties and Jason is being considered for General Manager positions by other teams. It would be a shame to see this effective team broken up, but they all realize the next step will be for each to be his own man. The Rat Pack will be a pretty much relegated to a social group. However for their wives that will be a good thing. The relief will be palatable as it was noticed by media the wives had to endure playing second fiddle while the Rat pack was in vogue. Many times after major victories the guys would hug each other first and their wives after. It brought a few comments but the wives were understanding and with the results, such as Epstein's $50 million contract (making him the most expensive executive in baseball) they have learned to smile and roll with it.

Hopefully the baseball bug will bite the Samoan athlete as there are not many Samoans in the game of baseball and yet Samoans are built for this game as hitters and pitchers.

We congratulate the city of Chicago on its fine win and especially the Faiivae family for their representative, Director of Scouting and Player development, Jason McLeod who will definitely enjoy the fruits of their victory for a long time. Malo le tau ata'i.

Oakland A’s top prospect Sean Manaea has tons of talent, fun and hair. Major League Baseball begins to recruit Samoans

By Susan Slusser

MESA, Ariz. — If you don’t know who Sean Manaea is, manager Bob Melvin said Sunday, “look for the hair.”
The A’s top pitching prospect, in camp for the first time after coming from Kansas City in the Ben Zobrist deal, has whirls of curls — hair so big that it looks as if it might have its own gravity field. He had to go up a hat size this spring to accommodate it all.
“I shaved it in May. I lost a bet,” Manaea said Sunday morning before the pitchers and catchers took the field for the first time this spring. “I’m trying to grow it out as long as I can before I start going crazy.”
Manaea, who is of Samoan heritage, called it his “Samo-fro.”
“Perfect for the Oakland A’s,” right-hander Sonny Gray said approvingly.
Manaea (pronounced man-EYE-uh) fits the bill for the A’s in many ways. First of all, he has sensational ability, going 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA with Double-A Midland last summer after coming from the Royals. It’s not far-fetched that he could be in the rotation by late May.

“He might have the best stuff I’ve ever seen in person,” Midland reliever Ryan Doolittle said.
“He checks all the boxes to be a big-league starter, and a good one,” Oakland general manager David Forst said, noting that Manaea might have been the top overall pick in the 2013 draft had it not been for a hip injury. As it was, Manaea was the 34th pick.
Second, as Gray suggested, he falls right in with the free-spirited, free-wheeling A’s tradition. He’s a big kid at heart: Manaea, 24, bought himself a Nerf gun for his birthday this month, and Midland manager Ryan Christenson smiled when remembering Manaea’s playthings.
“He went out and bought a Lego toy, put it together and put it in front of his locker for a couple of days. It kind of tells you how he likes to have fun,” Christenson said. “When he got traded over, he stepped into the clubhouse and within the first couple of days, he was the glue of the team. The guys gravitated toward him; he’s got a magnetic personality.”
Manaea, a 6-foot-5 left-hander with a fastball-slider-changeup repertoire, spent most of last year at Double-A Midland after the midsummer deal, but might be on a fast track for Oakland’s rotation.
“He’s overpowering,” catcher Bruce Maxwell said. “As big as he is and with the wide arm angle, it looks like it’s getting on you fast, and he’s throwing mid-90s as it is. Explosive. Dominant. And the hair tells you everything you need to know: He’s relaxed. Goofy. A very fun guy to be around.”

By Adrian GarroFeb 23, 2016 at 12:29p ET

Here's a name to remember as the 2016 season nears: Sean Manaea.

The Oakland Athletics obtained the 6-foot-5 lefty from the Kansas City Royals last summer in the Ben Zobrist trade, and he's quickly become one of the A's most talked-about prospects.

A former first-round pick out of Indiana State University, Manaea earned a spot on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list earlier this winter.

He turned heads while pitching for the A's Double-A affiliate in Midland after joining the organization and has some seriously big hair.

It's so big, in fact, that Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote on Monday that he had to "go up a hat size" just to fit it all under the hat brim for spring training.

But wait, there's more! Bruce Maxwell, the catcher who became familiar with Manaea's presence on the mound at Midland, made a lofty comparison when chatting about his talents with CSN Bay Area's Joe Stiglich:

“He’s a Samoan Randy Johnson. He has the long delivery, he’s got the size and the angle for everything. It makes things very, very tough.”

Stiglich notes that Oakland GM David Forst has said it would be "unlikely" that Manaea will break camp on the A's big-league roster. But that doesn't mean he won't show up at some point during the season.

Obviously, with the A's planning to employ a rotation featuring Sonny Gray and an injury-prone complement of arms including Rich Hill, Henderson Alvarez and Jesse Hahn, a spot might open up for Manaea to make his MLB debut at some point.

Manaea in his A's jersey during Arizona Fall League action.

Mark J. Rebilas / USA TODAY Sports

If that happens, manager Bob Melvin wouldn't be too surprised. As he said to Stiglich,

“There’s a lot to him. There’s funk in his delivery, there’s extension. There’s the hair, the movement. There’s a lot with this guy to be excited about. You could understand what all the hoopla is about based on the fact that he looks to be a very talented guy with an assortment of pitches.”

Let this be your introduction to Sean Manaea, who -- if he's able to stay injury-free -- could be an impact pitcher sooner rather than later.

A's have a 'Samoan Randy Johnson,' and he could break out in 2016

Josh Phegley caught Manaea on Sunday and said, “With the size and stature, he’s going to be intimidating. And the hair!”
Phegley already had heard a lot about Manaea, because they’re both from Indiana. “I’d never seen him before — and at first glance, not anything I’d imagined,” Phegley said.
Not a lot of Samoans in Indiana? “Not a surplus,” Phegley said.
Manaea said the only other American Samoans he knew in Indiana growing up were his half-brother and his family. Manaea’s father, Faaloloi, is from American Samoa and lived in Hawaii, but while in the Army he was stationed in Indiana and decided to stay. “He’s the guy who gave up the sun and the beaches for Indiana,” Manaea said with a laugh.
Manaea is himself a world traveler: After the Arizona Fall League, he and his girlfriend, Megan Stone, visited Manaea’s brother, Dane, who is in the Navy and stationed in Spain. They also went to Paris, Amsterdam and Italy.
“It was great,” Manaea said. “Great food. I think I put on 10 pounds in Italy.”
Then there’s the Lego; Manaea got it during an off-day on a trip to an aquarium. “Bought it and built it,” he said proudly. “Lego City submarine. Everyone made fun of me, but I’m kind of a big kid.”
“He’s a goofy kid, great attitude, very positive. And I love when he puts on a hat — it just sits there,” Doolittle said. “He’s one of those guys that any time I walk into a room and see him, it’s instant smile.”
Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SusanSlusser

American Samoa Flag Day marred by cancellation of the Fautasi Regatta.

Fautasi contestants in Amerika Samoa. Photo by Barry Markowitz

American Samoa's Fautasi race is cancelled amid reports of disgruntled villages whose Long boats were disqualified by the Fautasi Race Committee in the Preliminary Race held last Saturday in Pago Pago Harbor. The Matasaua; Iseula le Moana; Fetu ole Afiafi; Paepaeulupoo and Nuuuli II were disqualified by the committee on Saturday for failing to heed the Starter's signal and went ahead without waiting for the proper starting signal. There were 6 remaining fautasi's that were supposed to race Monday morning in the following order: the six official participants in the 2016 Flag Day Fautasi Championship Race: Lane 1 - Manulele Tausala I from Nuuuli, Lane 2- Fuao from Vatia, Lane 3 - Fealofani Samoa II from Fagasa; Lane 4 - Taema II from Leone; Lane 5 - Tama o le Muaau from Faleniu, and Lane 6 - Aeto from Pago Pago. However after a weekend of meetings and discussions between the Fautasi Committee and Governors Office with the Captains from each fautasi, the final decision was announced by Lt. Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga. According to News Outlet, the Samoa News, Paramount High Chief Mauga Tasi Asuega was quoted as saying the decision was needed in order to avoid any controversy and keep the peace.

American Samoa has a long tradition of fielding a very competitive and lucrative Fautasi Race every year as the highlight of their American Samoa Flag Day. The news was received with great disappointment by the fans of this highly anticipated race which is the basis for bragging rights for the victor's village for the entire year. To many who live in American Samoa as well as those living abroad, they were all waiting for this year's contest as American Samoa's version of the Super Bowl but with oars not a pigskin. So as a result last year's winner, Manulele Tausala of Nuuuli can remain at the top of this years contest too.

The sad thing was that the preparations and support both financially and morally provided by the villages for their crews were all to be for naught. In light of the Fautasi Race Committee's firm commitment to maintain strict observance of the rules, there is a hope that the fautasi's will learn from this cancellation and be more compliant next year so that the race, which is the primary sporting event in American Samoa will be run with total fairness and transparency.

By Dave Reardon
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Series: PGA Tour

Published: Tuesday, January 12, 2016 | 4:05 p.m.

HONOLULU – Kelepi Finau didn't know a wedge from a driver. But that didn't stop him from teaching his sons the basics of golf.

Plus, his wife, Vena, insisted on it.

"This is her project," said Kelepi, as he watched his son, Tony, play putt-putt with kids Monday at the Shriners Hospital for Children-Honolulu. "I feel like mothers and wives are smart when it comes to this kind of thing. Otherwise, I would've had them playing football."

Who knows? Maybe Tony and Gipper would've been pro football stars, like their cousin, Haloti Ngata. Or a famous NBA player, like another relative, Jabari Parker. Instead, due to Vena's prescience, Tony got on track to become the first PGA Tour player of Samoan and Tongan ethnicity.

"At times it'd be tough, like when we drove past the park on the way to (golf) practice and we'd see the other guys playing football or basketball," Tony said.

But the brothers stayed the course and stayed on the course. And now Tony, 26, is a blossoming star and among the field for this week's Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club.

Monday, he arrived at the hospital with a check from his foundation and smiles from his heart.

"I knew there'd be a lot of Polynesian kids here and I wanted to come and connect with them," said Tony, father of two young children with his wife, Alayna, of Laie. "I'm not different from them and there's no reason they can't someday do what I'm doing."

When they were 6 and 7, Vena wanted Gipper and Tony – the most rambunctious and closest in age of the seven Finau children – to play a sport that would keep them occupied and keep them together. And something they could play for a lifetime.

"We didn't know at that time (they'd become pro golfers)," Kelepi said. "This was literally babysitting."

But Tony had an inkling. Despite seeing few other Polynesians on golf courses where they grew up in Salt Lake City, he knew you could look different than the other players and succeed. He'd seen someone else do exactly that.

"I watched Tiger (Woods) win the Masters in 1997, and that was right around the time I started playing golf. Tiger, he made it look exciting and made it look athletic."

Plus, he understood his family had made sacrifices.

"My dad didn't really know how to play golf, but he self-learned so he could teach us," Tony said. "We didn't have the funds for lessons, to travel for tournaments. But somehow, we found a way."

That included clubs from garage sales and scrounging for balls. And the generosity of an understanding professional at the Jordan River Par 3 who saw their potential, Richard Mason.

"He gave us a place to practice and play for free," Tony said.

Tony did well enough at West High School to earn a scholarship to BYU. Instead, he went pro at 17, and Gipper wasn't far behind. Some thought it was a big mistake, but at least one early supporter did not.

"(Tony's) hands, his wedge game and his putting were great for a big guy," said former University of Hawaii football coach June Jones, who played rounds with both while they were teenagers. "And he was poised and he hit the ball a mile. That's what I immediately saw. It's worked out because he remained committed to it. It could still for Gipper (who has played events on the Web.com Tour), too."

Jones took the Finau brothers on his missionary trips to Samoa, and let them stay at his home in Dallas, where they worked with PGA of America instructor Randy Smith.

"Back in 2010, Randy said of Tony, 'June, this kid is destined to win.'"

That hasn't happened yet, but it seems inevitable. As a PGA Tour rookie last year, he notched five top-10 finishes, including a tie for 10th at the PGA Championship, and earned $2,095,186. He's already banked $318,187 this season.

"My goal now is to win. That's really the next step, to win at the highest level," he said.

When he does, his first thoughts will be of his mother, the person who somehow knew he should play golf.

In 2011, Vena Finau died in a car accident.

Tony was struggling at the time, and considered giving up the game. Kelepi convinced him he owed it not only to himself but to Vena to continue.

"He's never alone now," the father said. "Wherever the wind is blowing, that's her."

Said Tony: "I know she's there, I do believe she's following me."

This article was written by Dave Reardon from The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

PARADISE FOOTBALL CLASSIC is a big Hit in Hawaii

International Event Showcasing High School Players from the Pacific Region

Honolulu, Hawaii, January 7 and 9, 2016: Jr Prep Sports America (JPS) is proud to announce that the 2016 Paradise Football Classic will be played at Aloha Stadium and will feature several top collegiate football prospects from Hawaii, American Samoa and Team Norcal-West Coast (Northern California, Nevada, Utah and Washington State). Nearly 160 high school players will stay in Waikiki and compete over a two-day period while participating in team and cultural events from January 4-10, 2016. Games will begin Thursday, January 7 and the Championship Game will be played on January 9 at 7:00pm.

The JPS Paradise Football Classic will also feature its JPS eighth grade All Stars in an East vs West game on January 9 at 3:00pm. Previous JPS All Star Intermediate Games featured players such as Vavae Malepeai – 2015 State Offensive Player of the Year, Mililani High School; Tua Tagovailoa – 2015 ILH Offensive Player of the Year, Saint Louis High School; Kesi Ah Hoy – 2015 Red OIA Offensive Player of the Year, and will showcase other notables like Ephraim Tuliloa, Punahou High School; Sefa Ameperosa, Kahuku High School and Challen Faamatau of Farrington High School to name a few.

Every year a number of extremely talented prospects throughout the Pacific Region go unseen by college football programs in the United States and Canada. JPS America believes that high school students participating in this event will increase their post-secondary educational opportunities by exposing their football abilities. The final two games on January 9 will include live coverage, accessible via OC16 Xcast during and after the competition.

Throughout the past four years Jr Prep Sports Hawaii has hosted a number of youth all-star games for elementary and intermediate players here in the Islands. In December 2014, two Jr Prep football teams traveled to Washington State and competed in the Tanoa Bowl with Canadian and Washington All Star teams. Both Hawaii teams won their respective division championships.

Robert Faleafine, founder of Jr Prep Sports Hawaii and JPS America, said of his Tanoa Bowl experience: “I saw how costly it was to take a team up there. Many of our athletes can’t afford to travel, and we were only able to take a team of limited numbers. I thought to myself, ‘Why not bring some teams here?’. Hawaii is a great destination. Who doesn’t want to play in paradise? We have great weather, activities, and opportunities here. Teams from American Samoa can more feasibly travel here than to the continental United States, and they usually get less exposure than we do here in Hawaii. It’s also a middle ground for teams from the west coast.” From those reflections, the Paradise Football Classic was born.

Jr Prep Sports Hawaii, in partnership with JPS America and its affiliates, is committed to showcasing island athletes. They believe this tournament has the potential to grow into a major mechanism for connecting athletes from the Pacific Region to NCAAI, NCAAII, NAIA, and NJCCA schools around the country. Mr. Faleafine further remarked, “The Paradise Football Classic gives some of our most eligible prospects throughout the Pacific Region a platform from which they can be scouted by a number of college programs. These games give players a chance to compete on a level playing field to see how they compare to other prospects. We truly expect the game to generate a lot of attention toward the players participating.”

The two Hawaii teams representing the East and West teams are coached by select coaching staff from both the ILH and OIA local High Schools including Wendell Look and Joe Lane (Iolani), Isaac Sopoaga (Kaiser), Nelson Maeda (Castle), Walter Young (Waianae), Nolan Tokuda (Leilehua), Amosa Amosa (Campbell), Fred Salanoa (Radford), Rod York and Maa Tanuvasa (Mililani), Hauoli Wong (Kailua), and David Tautofi (Kaimuki) to name a few. Also in attendance will be Honorary Head Coach Jessie Sapolu for Team Norcal-West Coast, and coaches from high schools throughout American Samoa, including Faga’itua High School, 2015 American Samoa High School Football Champions.

An event of this significance requires the participation of many volunteers and leaders in the community. Jr Prep Sports Hawaii and JPS America are grateful to the many organizations who have stepped forward to support the JPS Paradise Football Classic. JPS hopes to build on strategic partnerships with business and community leaders such as the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council including Reginald Castanares, President; T.G. Paris Managing Director of the Ironworkers Stabilization Fund; Joseph O'Donnell Financial Secretary, Treasurer and Business Manager for the Ironworkers Union; Arthur Tolentino, Financial Secretary, Treasurer and Business Manager for the Sheet Metal Union; Damien Kim, Financial Secretary, Treasurer and Business Manager of I.B.E.W Local 1188; The Polynesian Cultural Center; Television Station OC16; Ilima Tours and Transportation; Leilani & Raymond Ma’ae, USO Sportswear; Yvonne Samia LSW, Community Relations Manager, Kapolei Kroc Center; Doreen Au, Starwood Sheraton Hotels; Linelle Hanawahine, Sports Travel Hawaii; Gay Shinbara, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts; Risa Myers, Pagoda Floating Restaurant & Catering. Special thanks to former Honolulu Mayor Mr. Mufi Hannemann for his unwavering support and guidance.

Jr Prep Sports (JPS) is Hawaii’s premier youth football program that prepares players to compete at the High School level using an unlimited weight format. JPS Hawaii has 17 member organizations and operates year round. JPS is a student first program that promotes academics, leadership and citizenship through sports.

For updates such as game times, daily events, team rosters and featured players, please visit www.jrprepsports.com or contact us at jrprepsportshawaii@gmail.com.

--
Robert Faleafine
President & CEO
3049 Ualena Street, Suite 1000
Honolulu, Hawaii 96819
Phone: (808) 851-7157
Fax: (808) 851-7156
Email: jrprepsportshawaii@gmail.com
Website: www.jrprepsports.com

January 9, 2016 is the Polynesian All American Bowl game in Oceanside, CA.

This weekend the AIGA Foundation will be holding their annual Polynesian All American Bowl featuring the top High School Football players from all over the USA. The game will be held on Saturday January 9th, 2016 at Oceanside High School.

This game has been the highlight for Polynesian and Samoan Football players trying to impress College coaches. There are at least 6 players who are being brought in from American Samoa to participate this year. There are over 120 students from all over the USA who were selected by the AIGA Foundation panel who determined who would be invited based on their over all rankings in the scouting websites, placement in City and Regional All Star selections as well as academics.

According to George Malauulu, President of the AIGA Foundation, this event is the premiere event for Polynesian Athletes trying to transition from High School Football into the College game. There are college coaches and staff who attend this game to watch the athletes and recruit them based on their performance. But not only is this beneficial for the coaches, members of the Samoan community have attended this game every year to watch and support their sons, brothers and friends who are fortunate enough to be selected.

This year there are players from Utah, California, Hawaii, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Nevada, North Carolina, Maryland, Alabama, Arizona, Texas and American Samoa. The names of the student athletes selected for this year's PAAB are listed below.

On Friday night the Katina Brothers, world famous Gosple music band will perform at the New Venture Christian Fellowship Hall at 4000 Mystra Way, Oceanside, CA. These fabulous musicians will be joined by Reno Anoa'i and Essel. Tickets for the game and concert are available for $17.00. For more details go to www.polynesianallamericanbowl.com, the website for the event. This is the best collection of Polynesian football athletes in America. Please support.

2016 PAAB SELECTED PLAYERS
KAMALII AKINA - QB/FS / MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA / SAINT FRANCIS HIGH
ROMAN ALE - QB/P / HARBOR CITY, CA / NARBORNNE
KEVIN ALI'IFUA MLB/OLB / TORRANCE, CA / NORTH HIGH
BRADLEE ANAE - DE / KAHUKU, HI / KAHUKU
DEVIN ASIASI - TE/DE / CONCORD, CA / DE LA SALLE
MANAIA ATUAIA - MLB / KAHUKU, HI / KAHUKU
TOLEAFOA AUWAE - OG/OC / KAPOLEI, HI / KAPOLEI HIGH
LYRIC BARTLEY - DE/TE / TAYLORSVILLE, UT / TAYLORSVILLE
CAMRYN BYNUM - CB/FS / CORONA, CA / CENTENNIAL
JABRIL COX - OLB / RAYTOWN, MO / RAYTOWN SOUTH HIGH
NICK CRABTREE - TE/DE / HUNTINGTON, CA / HUNTINGTON BEACH HIGH
DYLAN CRAWFORD - WR / RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA / SANTA MARGARITA CATHOLIC
EMOSI DAMUNI - T / HYRUM, UT / MOUNTAIN CREST HIGH
MICHAEL ELETISE - OT/OG / HONOLULU, HI / KAISER HIGH
SAMU ELISAIA - OLB/MLB / SOUTH JORDAN, UT / BINGHAM HIGH
JOSHUA FALA / DL/OL / MANTECA, CA / SIERRA HIGH
DAVID FALO - OG/DT / SAN DIEGO, CA / MADISON HIGH
ACE FAUMUI - SS/RB / HONOLULU, HI / RADFORD HIGH
GIOVANNI FAUOLO - TE/DE / OAKLEY, CA / FREEDOM HIGH
SIMI FEHOKO - WR/FS / SALT LAKE CITY, UT / BRIGHTON
EMMANUEL FESILI - DT/DE / LONG BEACH, CA / LONG BEACH POLY
TJ FIAILOA - OT / LAWTON, OK / MACARTHUR HIGH
SIONE FINAU - RB/SS / KEARNS, UT / KEARNS HIGH
SAIA FONONGALOA - C/DT / PITTSBURG, CA / PITTSBURG HIGH
TAINOA FOSTER - MLB/LS / HONOLULU, HI / KAMEHAMEHA HIGH
LEKI FOTU - DE / HERRIMAN, UT / HERRIMAN HIGH
ATOA FOX - FS/RB / CHULA VISTA, CA / BONITA HIGH
KAINOA FUIAVA - DE/DT / DOWNEY, CA / WARREN HIGH
KALEO GARRIGAN - CB/WR / PETALUMA, CA / CASA GRANDE HIGH
REED GODINET - TE/DE / SPRINGDALE, AR / SPRINGDALE HIGH
ALEVA HIFO - CB/WR / MENIFEE, CA / HERITAGE HIGH
KAELIN HIMPHILL - OLB/RB / HILLSBORO, OR / LIBERTY HIGH
VILIAMI IONGI - QB/FS / PROVO, UT / PROVO HIGH
JORDAN IOSEFA - ILB / HONOLULU, HI / ST. LOUIS
KEITH ISMAEL - OG/NG / SAN FRANCISCO, CA / SACRED HEART
DONTYE JAMES - RB/OLB / SAN JOSE, CA / SILVER CREEK HIGH
ZION JONES - WR/CB / LAS VEGAS, NV / DESERT OASIS HIGH
MIQUE JUAREZ - S/LB/WR/QB / TORRANCE, CA / NORTH HIGH
RAINE POHAKU KAHEAKU-PAIVA - QB/P / CLAREMONT, CA / CLAREMONT, CA
SPENCER KATOANGA - OLB/TE / OCEANSIDE, CA / EL CAMINO
ALEMA KAPOI - DT/FB / HONOLULU, HI / KAMEHAMEHA HIGH
JACKSON KAUFUSI - OLB/RB / SALT LAKE CITY, UT / BRIGHTON HIGH
DREW KOBAYASHI - WR / HONOLULU, HI / ST. LOUIS
KAPONO LAGUISAN - DE/OLB / SANTA ANA, CA / MATER DEI
BRANDON LAMARCHE - RB/SS / SANTA ANA, CA / MATER DEI
KEONI LARSEN - RB/LB / LAYTON, UT / LAYTON
KELEPI LATAIMUA - CB/RB/P / SAN MATEO, CA / SERRA
HIRKLEY LATU - OLB/SS / KAHUKU, HI / KAHUKU
SEMISI LAUAKI - TE/DE / LAWNDALE, CA / LEUZINGER
TAYLOR KEKOA LAU - OLB/TE / TEMECULA, CA / LINFIELD CHRISTIAN
IAN LAUVAI - OT/LS / CORONA, CA / CENTENNIAL
PESA LEFAU - LB / KAHUKU, HI / KAHUKU
PETE LEOTA - OT / ASHEVILLE, NC / ASHEVILLE HIGH
DAVID LETULIGASENOA - DT/OG / BRENTWOOD, CA / HERITAGE HIGH
JOTAVI LEUTA-ULU - OG / ENCINO, CA / CRESPI HIGH
LA'AKEA LOOK - MLB/OLB / HONOLULU, HI / PUNAHOU
LT LUALEMAGA - OG/NG / HENDERSON, NV / FOOTHILL HIGH
JOHNNY MAEA - OT / SALT LAKE CITY, UT / EAST HIGH
TYSON MAEVA - ILB/FB / SAN DIEGO, CA / CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC
NIKO MAGEO - SS/LB/FB OCEANSIDE, CA / OCEANSIDE HIGH
ATUNAISA MAHE - NG/OG / WEST JORDAN, UT / WEST JORDAN
LEONE MAHE - OG/DT / HERRIMAN, UT / HERRIMAN HIGH
POOKIE MAKA - DE / SALT LAKE CITY, UT / COTTONWOOD
KEONI KORDELL MAKEKAU - WR/SB/K / HONOLULU, HI / LOLANI SCHOOL
EDWARD MANASE - DT/C / PAGO PAGO, AMERICA SAMOA / TAFUNA HIGH
CLIVE MANUAO - OLB/MLB / BELLFLOWER, CA / ST. JOHN BOSCO
FRANK MARTIN - OT/OG / SANTA ANA, CA / MATER DEI
FREDERICK MAUIGOA - OT/OG/DT / PAGO PAGO, AMERICA SAMOA / TAFUNA HIGH
VIANE MOALA - OT/DE / PAGO PAGO, AMERICA SAMOA / TAFUNA HIGH
VAVAE MALEPEAI - RB / MILILANI, HI / MILILANI HIGH
IVERSON MOANA - C/G/DT / PAGO PAGO, AMERICA SAMOA / FAGA'ITUA HIGH
RUSSEL MONTIBON - OT/OG / KEA'AU, HI / KAMEHAMEHA HIGH
ANDREW MULIPOLA - MLB/RB / BUENA PARK, CA / BUENA PARK HIGH
KALEPO NAOTALA - DT/DE / NEWPORT NEWS, VA / MENCHVILLE HIGH
KAHI NEVES - QB / PROVO, UT / TIMPVIEW
ALII NIUMATALOLO - MLB / ANNAPOLIS, MD / BROADNECK
JOHN WENDELL NISA - OG/C / HONOLULU, HI / KAISER HIGH
KUMOKU NOA - WR / HONOLULU, HI / KAMEHAMEHA HIGH
TREVOR NOFOA - SB/RB / LAS VEGAS, NV / DESERT PINES
ISAIA PAOPAO - S/WR / OCEANSIDE, CA / OCEANSIDE HIGH
DONOVAN PATI - DE/OT / VISTA, CA / VISTA HIGH
ALEMA PILIMAI - OLB/QB TUSTIN, CA / TUSTIN HIGH
TRE POLAMALU - S/QB / LA CANADA, CA / ST. FRANCIS
PJ POUMELE - ILB / OCEANSIDE, CA / OCEANSIDE HIGH
SAM POUTASI - OG/OT / LAS VEGAS, NV / DESERT PINES
JEREMIAH PRITCHARD - SS/OLB / LAS VEGAS, NV / SILVERADO
KEENAN PILI - SS/OLB / PROVO, UT / TIMPVIEW HIGH
TRAVIS SAILO - MLB/DE / BUHL, AL / SIPSEY VALLEY
KEANU SALEPAGA - DE / LA MIRADA, CA / LA MIRADA HIGH
KEALA SANTIAGO - FS/RS / KAHUKU, HI / KAHUKU
JOSIAH SA'O - DL/OL / SAN DIEGO, CA / KEARNY HIGH
KEKOA SASAOKA - K/P / KAHUKU, HI / KAHUKU
QUINN SEAU - MLB / SAN DIEGO, CA / ST. AUGUSTINE
BENJAMIN SEIULI - DT/T / CARSON, CA / CARSON HIGH
KEONI STALLWORTH - SS/SB ELK GROVE, CA / CONSUMES OAK
JORDAN SALIMA - RB/FS / INDEPENDENCE, MO / TRUMAN HIGH
SCHEYENNE SANITOA - SS/OLB / PAGO PAGO, AS / SAMOANA HIGH
FALAMOE STEFFANY - CB / VISTA, CA / VISTA HIGH
ALI'I SUIAUNOA - CB / VISTA, CA / VISTA HIGH
TALENI SUHREN - OT / CHARLOTTE, NC / ARDREY KELL HIGH
ALEX SUNIA - OC/OG / PAGO PAGO, AS / LEONE HIGH
MATA'AVA TA'ASE - WR/FS / MESA, AZ / MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH
BOSS TAGALOA - DT/T / CONCORD, CA / DE LA SALLE
SEFA TAUANU'U - DT/G / LA MESA, CA / HELIX HIGH
WAYNE TAULAPAPA - RB / HONOLULU, HI / PUNAHOU
DOUG TAUMOELAU - DE/FB / SALT LAKE CITY, UT / BRIGHTON HIGH
JUSTUS TAVAI - DE/DT / MANHATTAN BEACH, CA / MIRA COSTA HIGH
KEONTE TAYLOR - WR/CB / ANTIOCH, CA / ANTIOCH HIGH
CHRIS TAYLOR-YAMANOHA WR/CB / ROHNERT PARK, CA / RANCHO COTATE HIGH
JUSTUS TE'I - DE/TE / SAN MARCOS, CA / MISSION HILLS HIGH
LJ TE'O - DT / PAGO PAGO, AS / FAGA'ITUA
DEGNAN THILL - MURRIETA, CA / VISTA MURRIETA HIGH
KALAKAUA TIMOTEO - WR/TE / MILILANI, HI / MILILANI
LOKENI TOAILOA - ILB/TE RIALTO, CA / CARTER HIGH
TAYLOR TUIASOSOPO - G/T / LANCASTER, CA / PARACLETE HIGH
EPHRAIM TULILOA - QB / HONOLULU, HI / PUNAHOU
MAXS TUPAI - DE/RB / MURRAY, UT / MURRAY HIGH
SIONE TUPOU - DE / ALLEN, TX / ALLEN HIGH
BRANDON WELLINGTON - FS/RB / BELLEVUE, WA / EASTSIDE CATHOLIC
COLIN WONG - WR / RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA / RANCHO CUCAMONGA HIGH
LUCA VARTIC - CB/S/WR / HONOLULU, HI / ST. LOUIS
DEVAUGHN VELE - WR/FS / SAN DIEGO, CA / RANCHO BERNARDO HIGH
NICK ZIMMERMAN - T/DT / OCEANSIDE, CA / OCEANSIDE HIGH

Women's Fighting is about to Heat Up with Samoan Genah Fabian's MMA Pro Debut

Introducing Genah Fabian, a tall beautiful "afa kasi" girl with Samoan, Maori, German and Scottish heritage who we've been following for some time. Don't be fooled by her gorgeous looks and cute dimples guys as this one will happily serve you up a can of whoop a** if she needed to!

Genah takes physical training and contact sport to a whole new level. Genah, or Fabio-so as she's known to her friends, is a professional fighter. Standing 5'11' and weighing between 66- 70 kgs at fight time, Genah has K1 fighting experience and is the current Phuket Muay Thai champion. And things are about to get a whole lot nastier as she's about to enter her first MMA fight on 27 Aug in Perth against a Jojo Obolevics.

Genah told Pacific Illustrated that she has been living in Thailand since early 2014 and she is sponsored by the hugely successful AKA Thailand, with free training and subsidized living costs. Her Thailand training partners over the past few months, who she also calls her close family include fellow Samoan big hitters Soa "The Hulk" Palelei, Mark Hunt and Bam Bam Tai Tuivasa.

Genah wasn't always a fighter though and had achieved a high level of success in other sport including representing NZ at the Junior Olympics in track and field. Genah was a NZ champion in 100 and 200 metre sprints and triple jump, and to this day may still hold a NZ record.

She reflected on an operation that she had as a result of a serious leg injury which set her back significantly, and once she returned to the track she confessed that she had struggled to find her form despite months of rehabilitation. Unable to cope with her reduced track times Genah moved to Australia and turned her energy towards the gym. Applying the same mental discipline and commitment to her cross fit routine, it wasn't long before Genah made representative selection in rowing and even scouted for possible national squad selection.

Soon afterwards however she found herself drawn to a new sport that would take her to another level both mentally and physically. She started learning the intricacies of fighting and after 2 years of fight training, Genah had her first professional fight in 2014.

Currently, her daily grind involves training 2-3 times per day, 6 days a week. She's developing increasing discipline as her training is tough on both her body and her mind, setting new PB's (personal best) while increasing her fitness, strength, speed and power, grappling and ground work skills at each training session. All of this while her promoters desperately scour the globe for potential fighters as she's not an opponent that many women fighters are happy to slug it out with in the ring. Perhaps her motto, "patience, perseverance and resilience", is testament of her growing maturity within this sport, and her understanding of the qualities that are needed to stay in the game.

Despite relocating to Thailand to live, Genah maintains close ties with family both in Sydney and NZ. She is also extremely grateful for the support and the laughs she continues to have with her fight brothers, who evidently know how to relax and have a laugh after a grueling training session.

Asked as to which culture she identifies with the most given her cultural blend and Genah admits with no uncertainty that despite the wishes of some of her family, which she loves dearly, she identifies more with her Samoan heritage through her half German, half Samoan mother who reigns from Apia, Samoa.

We wish her well in her MMA debut. Follow her journey here.

"Patience, perseverance and resilience" - Genah Fabian

Troy Polamalu's retirement marks end of an era for Steelers

The modern-day version of the Steel Curtain has finally closed for thePittsburgh Steelers.

The reality truly hit home when news broke of Troy Polamalu's retirement.

The players and assistant coach who helped comprise one of the NFL's greatest defenses for more than a decade have gradually left the organization in recent years. Departures earlier this offseason included mastermind coordinator Dick LeBeau and mainstays like cornerback Ike Taylor and defensive end Brett Keisel.

The decision of a future Pro Football Hall of Fame safety to call it quits Thursday night punctuated the end of a glorious era that saw the Steelers win two Super Bowls, reach a third and make the playoffs four other times during Polamalu's 12-year NFL career.

"It's part of the business obviously that there is change (and) turnover," Steelers president Art Rooney II said Friday morning following the official announcement of Polamalu's retirement. "Certainly with the group that is leaving us this year, it's a pretty special group. It's probably time to turn that page."

But what a book of work Polamalu left behind.

It wasn't just the long black locks flowing out of his helmet or his soft-spoken off-field demeanor that made Polamalu different than other safeties. Nobody played the position in the same dynamic fashion.

LeBeau gave his blessing for Polamalu to roam the field and make decisions based upon what he read from opposing offenses. Polamalu took full advantage of such liberty to post 32 career interceptions, 14 forced fumbles and 12 sacks.

One of Polamalu's most famous plays came in a 2010 game against Tennessee. Polamalu timed the snap count perfectly to leap into the Titans' backfield and sack Kerry Collins almost as soon as the quarterback took the football from center.

"I have to admit there were times when you'd see a play coming and Troy would be on the line and you'd think, 'What's going on?'" Rooney said with a laugh. "And then all of a sudden he'd be in the backfield making a sack-fumble.

"At times, it was a little scary in terms of the free reign that he had. But obviously more often than not it turned out to be a big play that he was making. That was what made Troy special."

Like any defensive player, Polamalu could sometimes get caught out of position. But former Baltimore Ravenshead coach Brian Billick said that to describe Polamalu primarily as a freelancer "belies the fact he was so intelligent in the way that he did it."

"There are times it leaves you vulnerable," Billick said of Polamalu's style. "It does put a lot of pressure on the players who play around you. But he's going to help you out a whole lot more than he's going to hurt you."

The Ravens were mortally wounded by Polamalu in two key games. In the 2008 AFC Championship game, Polamalu returned a Joe Flacco interception for a 40-yard touchdown that sealed Pittsburgh's victory. Polamalu also registered a strip-sack of Flacco late during a key 2010 regular-season game that Pittsburgh won en route to snaring the AFC North crown and later reaching another Super Bowl.

For years, Billick said he would give his quarterbacks preparatory advice about where Polamalu might be in certain down-and-distance scenarios until realizing such attempts were proving futile.

"I finally just gave up," Billick said. "To pretend I could do film analysis and say, 'In this situation he's going to roll in the middle or down toward the line (of scrimmage) or jump underneath that out-cut,' I've got no clue.

"He always seemed to be where he shouldn't be: At the wrong time if you're an opponent, at the right time if you're the Pittsburgh Steelers."

To his credit, Polamalu realized it was the right time to retire less than two weeks before his 34th birthday. Polamalu's play was starting to noticeably decline. His injury history, including multiple concussions, is lengthy.

The Steelers tried to handle the situation as gently as possible, which also reflects the respect Polamalu had earned inside the organization. The Steelers didn't cut Polamalu earlier this offseason — a move that would have freed $3.8 million in salary-cap space when the free-agent market opened — but his release was inevitable if he didn't walk away.

Shamarko Thomas, a 2013 fourth-round draft pick, will have the first crack at becoming Pittsburgh's new starting strong safety. Rooney, though, admits "the reality is you don't replace Troy Polamalu."

"You don't even try to think in those terms," Rooney said. "You just try to make sure that we do everything we can to make sure our defense across the board is as good as it can be this year."

That means greatly improving the secondary and quarterback pressure from last season when the Steelers surrendered the most passing yards (4,049) in franchise history. Pittsburgh's best pass rusher may be the last remaining defensive player from the 2005 and 2008 Steelers teams that captured Lombardi Trophies in outside linebacker James Harrison — and he turns 37 in May.

Yet while the rebuilding challenge for LeBeau's replacement Keith Butler is daunting, Rooney believes Polamalu's legacy can still have a positive effect on the 2015 Steelers.

"Obviously, a lot of the guys that are on the team now have benefited from being Troy's teammate for the past few years," Rooney said. "It's up to them to kind of take those lessons and turn them into something positive this year."

Otherwise, it will be curtains for the unit that Polamalu now leaves behind.

Alex Marvez and co-host Ross Tucker interviewed Art Rooney II and Brian Billick on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

By Larry Fine

EDISON, New Jersey (Reuters) - Tony Finau is the first player of Tongan and American Samoan descent to compete on the PGA Tour and the former fire knife dancer has been able to transfer his skills to a different kind of blade to compete at the highest level.

Finau's rise from Salt Lake City poverty to golf's premier tour is the stuff of Disney movie scripts but the strapping rookie is proving more fact than fiction as he stands one shot off the lead halfway through The Barclays.

The 25-year-old followed his opening five-under 65 with a 69 on Friday to sit just behind two-times Masters winner Bubba Watson at Plainfield Country Club.

The 6ft-4in Finau went from luau fundraisers his parents threw, where he performed with the fire knife and his sister danced the hula so he could compete in junior golf events, to battling for the $10 million FedExCup jackpot.

"To have a chance to play for $10 million is really unbelievable," said Finau, who turned professional at 17 and graduated from the world of mini-tours to the PGA, where he has already posted five top-10 finishes in his rookie campaign.

"I just focus on what I'm doing here this week and try to attack this golf course on the weekend.

"I feel like I've earned my stripes. I feel like I belong out here and I'm starting to prove that to myself week-in, week-out as I play here and start to get confidence."

Finau grew up in a poor neighborhood and learned golf on a par-three public course.

"I definitely didn't grow up like the average golfer out here; the atmosphere that I was surrounded with and kind of living out of poverty," he said.

"The neighborhood that we grew up in, a lot of gangs, things like that. A lot of my friends were involved in that. So it was really cool to be interested in the game of golf at a really young age to kind of take me away from that.

"And I was able to excel early," said the long-hitting Finau, who tied for 10th at the PGA Championship and for 14th at the U.S. Open after an eighth-place tie at the Memorial.

WARRIOR DANCE

Finau then explained how he excelled at a radically different pastime before he got proficient at golf.

"Fire knife dancing, it's pretty basic," he explained. "It's just a stick with knives at the end. We wrap towels around the knives that you can light on fire, and you spin it around and (see) whoever can do the best tricks.

"It's a warrior dance back in the islands of Samoa. My mom taught me how to do it."

Finau's arms display evidence of the hours of practice he put in.

"I was really good. I competed. There was competitions in Hawaii. I competed just spinning the knife around. I have cuts all over my forearms from it and burn marks," he said.

"It's not safe for me to do now that I play golf, but I enjoy doing it.

"I finished third in the Junior World Competition in fire knife dancing when I was 10," he said. "I could spin the knife around and spin the stick around pretty good."

(Editing by John O'Brien)

Samoa grabs world attention with Samoan Sprinter and Tae Kwondo
from Samoa Observer

Minister Magele Mauiliu Magele, Jeremy Dodson, Orepa Mauala (Jeremy’s Grandmother) and C.E.O Matafeo Falana’ipupu Aiafi .

The United States of America’s loss is Samoa’s gain. Indeed, that was the overwhelming feeling when Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi and the Minister of Education, Sports and Culture (M.E.S.C), Magele Mauiliu Magele, welcomed the newest addition to the local athletics scene, track and field athlete, Jeremy Dodson.

Dodson, 27, from Phoenix Arizona, is a track runner who can compete in the 100, 200 and 400metres. He has switched allegiances and will pushing for a spot in Samoa’s Olympic team for Rio next year.

On Friday, the M.E.S.C hosted a welcoming lunch for the star. During an interview with the Sunday Samoan, Dodson said he is pleased to be able to return to represent Samoa. The athlete is the son of Peggy Mauala, of Malie and Cyrus Dodson, of the United States. “I represented the United States for so many years but during all that time it just didn’t feel right,” he said. “I was just another person, another sprinter.”

Dodson also has personal reasons for coming to Samoa. “My mother is Samoan and she hasn’t been back home in so long and so I felt in order to get her back here to her roots, I have to represent Samoa. This will be my chance to help my mother out. She hasn’t been home for thirty years and she hasn’t seen her family for so long so I guess this is my way to help my mother connect back to her family.”

The plan for the long term is to eventually relocate to Samoa.

Asked about some of the challenges in changing country, he said it is getting to know the people. “Being ranked top ten in the world, I knew a lot of people and have a lot of connections and I knew the committee,” he said. “However representing Samoa, it was trying to find out who the committee was, who everybody is starting from the government people and that was a tough challenge.”

“But now I’m here I can see everybody’s face to face and can actually put faces to names and I can connect and communicate better with them.”

So how does it feel to change the flag he will be carrying?

“I love how the flag looks and so it means so much more just to put that on,” he said. “I get to pull the Samoan flag and there is so much culture behind it that you be more proud to say that you are Samoan.”

“I want to learn everything, life, culture just how the life is every day.” Jeremy has a younger brother, Quinton, who is also a sprinter.

Samoa is also receiving world-class attention this week in taekwondo with two grand masters in the sport visiting the country to lift the profile of the sport.

Grand master, Kang Woong Lee from the Australia-Korea Sports Academy Foundation and Samoan born 5th Dan Master, Fa’alavelave Frank Frost based in Brisbane Australia are guests being hosted by the KL Taekwondo Club at Matautu.

“Hosting two world class taekwondo master instructors are a blessing for the Taekwondo Club, our KL Security operation as well as the sport,” says Managing Director, Shan Thompsen Fuataga.

The two masters will be grading the Fuataga brothers, Zoey, Fritz and Kaino.

Zoey, the youngest will attempt to attain his 1st Dan Black Belt standing.

He has already secured his Red Belt.

Older brother Fritz is vying for his 2nd Dan Black Belt while Samoa’s Olympiad Kaino, the eldest of the trio will be pursing his 3rd Dan Black Belt grading.

But there is more.

The two grand masters are also beefing up basic self-defence techniques for KL Security personnel.

Both Master Lee and Fa’alavelave are certified bodyguard instructors.

“Simple self defence taekwondo techniques can save lives,” says Fa’alavelave.

“It’s not about physical confrontation but resorting to basic self-defence moves to neutralize any situation so that the safety of security personnel and their assailants are not compromised,” added the Samoan born who is also the Queensland State Taekwondo Coach in sparring.

For Grandmaster Lee, he sees a lot of opportunities for the Australia Korea Sports Education Foundation, to assist Samoa in scholarships, coaches’ internship and equipment.

SUPER 8 PACIFIC FIGHTER’S MEDIA OPPORTUNITY AND PHOTO SHOOT BEFORE BIG FIGHT MARCH 28, 2015

Vaitele Soi

In under a week the Horncastle Arena, Christchurch will bear witness to the biggest line-up of professional boxers ever seen in Christchurch in The Rockstar Energy Drink SUPER 8 Redemption on Saturday 28th March!

The SUPER 8 last man standing fighters featuring American Brian Minto are Kiwi fighters, Monty Filimaea, Lance Bryant, Asher Derbyshire, Israel Adesanya, Samoan Farani Tavu'i, Ghanaian Joseph Kwadjo and Australian Daniel Ammann.

Undercard Fights: Monty Betham vs Adam Hollioake (Ex English Cricket Captain); Jesse Ryder vs Cameron Slater (Celebrity Charity Fight - Kids Can); Australian Cruiserweight Champion Anthony McCracken v Samoan Vaitele Soi (Title Fight - WBA / WBO Regional Cruiserweight title)

Please join us at 10:30am on Tuesday 24th March at City Boxing for an opportunity to speak to and acknowledge our Polynesian SUPER 8 Competitors.

Farani Tavu'i

Pacific people have excelled in the combat arena, representing New Zealand and the Islands with pride for many years. Men like David Tua, Maselino Masoe, Jimmy Peau (Thunder) have laid the groundwork for the current crop of exciting young fighters.

As a form of acknowledgement of our debt to the Islands, SUPER 8 is arranging a photo shoot and media opportunity specifically focused on our Polynesian athletes. We are hoping to include past legend including the likes of the Tua Man and Maselino Masoe in the shoot and then allow time for the athletes to speak to Polynesian focused media afterwards.

Participants:
1. Vaitele Soi: Samoa cruiserweight champion; WBA / WBO Regional Cruiserweight title challenger
2. Monty Filimaea: Undisputed NZ Cruiserweight boxing champion
3. Farani Tavui: Samoan Number 1 / Former Olympian and Oceania Champion
4. Hemi Ahio: Hot Heavyweight prospect; Super 8 undercard
5. Lolo Heimuli: Trainer of Champions
6. To’aletai David Tua: World heavyweight great and now trainer.
7. Henry Schuster: New Zealand’s leading boxing trainer.
8. Edwin Puni: Boxer Manager & Promoter (Managing Director, Event Polynesia).

Press Conference Details
• Date: Tuesday 24th March
• Time: 10:30am
• Venue: CITY BOXING, 348 New North Road, Kingsland, Auckland
• RSVPs: To Mike Angove; email: mike@findyourniche.co.nz; phone: (021) 608-904

Please note RSVPs are essential. Please provide the names and positions of all those attending and liaise with Mike regarding interviews or other requests.

Regards, The SUPER 8 team.

Marcus Mariota's heroics takes Tennessee Titans into the next round. By Albert Ainuu

A true leader. The Tennessee Titans Quarterback, Marcus Mariota celebrates their win against Kansas City.

No matter how many times you watch football there are only a few moments which define the legacy of a player and that was broadcast in living color for the world to see in the first round of the NFL Playoffs this year. The teams were the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans led by Samoan Quarterback, Marcus Mariota. This was his 3rd year playing in the big league as a highly drafted college player. He was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2014 and was drafted by the Titans in the next draft with high expectations.

Marcus has lived up to the hype in this game which is built on hype. But he has also been challenged. This year was not the year many had envisioned after the success he had in his first two seasons. His numbers declined and the injuries he suffered forced him from the game for a while. As he healed the team continued to win more than they lost. A testament to the resilience of the Defense and the coaching staff. The season ended on an up note as the Titans beat rival Jacksonville Jaguars who were rising steadily as the bad boy defense in the NFL this year. That victory secured their spot in the playoffs with a 9-7 record, which is not that outstanding, bu it gave them the opportunity to compete and that is all Marcus wanted.

Mariota played through a hamstring injury which severely limited his running ability and also affected his accuracy as he threw more interceptions than Touchdowns for the first time in his career. But these were all symptoms of his injuries and these were about to heal in time for the playoffs, the second season of the NFL.

For Tennessee it was their first trip back to the Playoffs for 14 years. The fact that Marcus was able to deliver a playoff spot for the team in 3 seasons spoke volumes of his consistency and mental toughness. One of the outstanding characteristics mentioned whenever Marcus Mariota is discussed is he keeps an even keel with his emotions. Whether they are winning or losing , his outward persona doesnt change much or vary. Although recently he apologized to the media for being terse with them after a loss where he threw for 2 interceptions that cost them the game. But the apology, which stemmed from an "earful" he received from his mother, endeared him even more to fans and media....and even some enemies. That he has been struggling this year is an understatement. Marcus has set such a high standard for himself and the team, which he has brought up from 2-14 the season before he was drafted (2014) to a spot in the playoffs. That is an amazing feat for someone who is 24 and still listens to his Mother.

But the game itself was one for the books. Kansas City had home field advantage in one of the loudest stadiums in the League. The crowd was loud on this day and it paid dividends as the Kansas City Chiefs exploded for 3 touchdowns in the first half. They exposed the youth of the Titan defense and Mariota and the Offense were unable to move the ball with any consistency. It looked bleak indeed for fans of the Titans as the teams came back out for the 2nd half. But this is where legends are made. Not in the sunny climates of peace and comfort. No, the real steel is delivered from the fires of contention and struggle. The struggle was real for the Titans but they responded.

It helped that defensively the Titans came alive under the leadership of the ageless Dick Lebeau, a man who has been coaching in the NFL for over 40 years. When he brought his team to the sideline after they allowed 2 touchdowns in one quarter he spoke to them and they settled down to the tune of allowing only 7 points after their first quarter. Their "Steel Curtain"esque play opened the door for Mariota to display what he had been unable to do most of the season. He played like Marcus Mariota.

In the second half it was no longer a hesitant Mariota. he called most of his own plays and the combination of the hard running by Derrick Henry and the decisive plays made by Mariota turned the game 180 degrees from what had happened 30 minutes before. This was the quietest stadium in America after the start of the 2nd half. The KC fans were unable to believe what was happening on their field. The Titans were destroying them. Play after play, Marcus provided the spark needed to extend drives. He ran for 1st down when the team was unable to move the ball, and those runs were not the smooth fluid runs we were used to seeing. He ran with the gait of an injured gazelle but he was still able to make the yardage needed to secure a 1st down.

Then came the first TD. This play will be remembered by Titans fans for many years to come. The first Mariota to Mariota play ever. As he lined up close to scoring a Touchdown for the Titans Mariota scrambled to avoid the sack and found himself all alone to his left but defenders were waiting for him to run so he passed it and Darrelle Revis of the Chiefs jumped high to block the pass and batted it right back to Marcus who caught it and launched himself into the endzone for the first Titaln score of the game and an amazing statistic. Mariota passing to himself for a touchdown. Fantasy Football fanatics were besides themselves trying to figure out the total points that play alone generated. Only one other person has done a similar play and that was a long time ago. Needless to say it sparked the Titan Offense.

The Titans went on a roll for the next quarter and scored 19 points to add to the 3 they had in the 1st half. They were p by one point 22-21 and they were driving with minutes left, but they had a crucial 3rd down which if they failed to convert would give Kansas City the ball back with enough time for Alex Jones to score or at least get them in place for a field goal and win the game. The crucial play was a third down and 10 yards to go. The play they called was a running play with Derrick Henry. As he started up field the Chiefs Linebacker made a run toward him that would surely stop Derrick from gaining 1st down, but then at the last moment Marcus Mariota, the quarterback of all people threw a block that freed derrick to run more than 15 yards and that was it. The game was over. Tennessee had won its first playoff game in 14 years.

When the dust cleared Marcus Mariota was the hero. There was no doubt this game was won due to the determination of Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota. He made sure the mistakes of the previous games were behind him. He put all the negatives behind him and carried the Titans on his back into the next round of the playoffs. This was a Herculean effort and one that was not apparent at the outset of this game. But by the end of the game what was apparent was Tennessee had seen greatness. They had witnessed the maturing of an athlete and leader. A man was born right before their eyes in the furnaces of Arrowhead Stadium, in the face of 60,000 screaming fans, most not supporting him, he dug deep into his soul and released victory. That was one for the ages indeed. He would enjoy this for maybe one day but now he faces an even tougher test as he goes up against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots
this weekend. We wish him luck and have confidence that the beast inside Marcus has awoken.

And it couldnt have happened to a nicer guy.

Juju Smith-Schuster has broken records in his rookie season with Pittsburg Steelers

Juju Smith-Schuster is an amazing young man who in his first season set records for rookies in the NFL.

laThe season of 2017 in the NFL was truly one that revealed how amazing some of the new talented "rookies", who recently entered the league, were. One of the most successful players in the NFL this season was a second round draft pick from USC in Los Angeles, California. A 6' 2" Samoan wide receiver came onto the scene in 2017 and now he is about to become a household name.

Meet Juju Smith-Schuster. He has blown everyone away with amazing feats of athleticism, speed and strength at such a young age, in fact he is the youngest player in the NFL. He began playing at 20 yrs old.

What was interesting was when he played at USC he was known more for his clutch receiving, being able to get the hard yards when they needed a 1st down. He was the reliable handed receiver who was not afraid to run those difficult routes in the middle of the field and get those yards when USC needed a first down.

He was known more for his physicality than his speed so when he was drafted in the 2nd round by the Steelers there were many who questioned using such a high pick on a player not known for his break away speed which the NFL values so much, especially in receivers. They are the speed merchants of the league and no one wants a slow receiver, If anything all teams are looking to add speed to their squad through the draft. However, the Steelers wanted him bad and they drafted him high. The accepted narrative on Juju was that he was not blazing fast. The EA Sports video game "Madden" only gave him an 86 level for speed. That is not very fast.

Well guess what? They will be upgrading that mistake in the new version of Madden due to Juju's fantastic year where he became the darling of the Steeler Nation (which is no small feat) by showing the fans he was reliable AND fast. In fact he left so many would be tacklers grasping at air when he would break long runs after catching the ball that they no longer consider him a slow receiver.

In two games Juju returned a punt and kick off for touchdowns. The last was in the season ending game against the Browns where the Browns had just scored a tying touchdown that was the highlight of their season, raising the possibility that they may win a game this year. Into the spoiler role stepped Juju. The kickoff from the Browns went straight to him and the poor Browns fans went from jubilation to despair in less than 11 seconds.

Juju caught the ball at the Steeler 4 yard line and then continued to sprint past all the Browns defenders and stiff arm the poor kicker who had the best chance at catching him, on his way to a 96 yard kick off return for a TD. The play took back the lead for the Steelers and they ended the Browns 2017 season: 0-18.

The 2017 Season was a memorable one for this Samoan kid because he brought such a breath of fresh air to a league fighting its own PR issues with players disrespecting the flag during the pre-game singing of the National Anthem. The protests and controversy surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement was casting a shadow over the league and many fans were turned off by this display of disrespect by the players and some coaches.

Into this scenario Juju provided relief. Juju himself is also part African American so the protests could have easily affected him as a player, but he was so excited about the opportunity to play in the NFL and it showed every time he stepped onto that field in his black and gold uniform. We can all safely say Juju was born to be a Steeler. He has the "blue collar" attitude and humility instilled into his muscular frame by his parents and family.

Juju was adopted by his real mother Sammy and her husband Lawrence Schuster when he was quite young. Juju changed his name to add Schuster while at USC to let his Step father know he was proud to be known as his son and that was quite an honor for Lawrence who was at Juju's side as he grew up. It was the right thing to do and Juju made it happen.

Now he makes it happen on the football field for his coaches, teammates and the fans of Pittsburgh who just cannot get enough of Juju.

Early on in the season Juju was brought in sparingly as a wide receiver. Remember this is Pittsburgh with perhaps the best receiver in the NFL, Antonio Brown. But Juju's playing time kept increasing to the dismay of Martavis Bryant the number 2 receiver. He was not happy when comparisons were made by some who said Juju was a better receiver than Martavis. He said some things which could have been taken the wrong way by Juju, but he did not allow these to be distractions to him or the team. He showed maturity by focusing on improving his play and being ready whenever he would be called on.

When he did get a chance Juju made the most of it. During one game he amassed the most points for a receiver in that week of fantasy football. He scored 2 touchdowns receiving and a third touchdown when he ran a punt back for over 9o yards and scored a TD. He set the record as the youngest player to ever amass over 1000 all purpose yards total offense in a season.

Juju also showed why he is not your normal receiver. He loves to block. This has been a boon for Steeler running back Laveon Bell, who has become Juju's partner in crime when they celebrate Touchdowns which happen frequently when assisted by Juju's blocking. In one game the Iga ve'a celebration was unveiled. It caught the attention of the fans and from that point on Juju's TD celebrations were a subject of discussion and analyzing for Sports Reports.

Perhaps the most controversial thing Juju did all season was knock out Bengal Linebacker Vontaze Burfict with a big hit, who Juju hit as he was trying to tackle Laveon Bell. The hit was so hard it took Vontaze out of the game. It was a serious hit and the fact that Juju stood over him after the hit was not acceptable to many including Juju himself who apologized after. Juju was fined and penalized for that, however Juju became even more embraced by teammates and fans for that hit.

The main reason so many were estatic with that hit was because Vontaze is known as a dirty player on a rival team and he had intentionally sought to hurt Steeler all star Antonio Brown in a dirty play the prior season. The hit he took from Juju was seen by many as payback however, Juju was just playing physical ball which he has been known for from SC.

The records Juju has established in the NFL are impressive when it is taken into account how young he is. Rookies do not rise into the top contention for receiver in any team much less one with talented receivers as Pittsburgh is blessed with. That has set Juju apart, and while doing his thing, the skill players on the team are not threatened by his exuberance.

Steeler quarterback Ben Rothlisberger is a big fan of Juju's and he has fun trying to keep him in check during practice, but during the games Ben has shown great faith in the rookie with throws to him when they need those crucial yards like USC used to do and Juju usually responded with a game changing play.

Its hard not to like Juju, He is so full of energy and when he smiles the whole world feels good. Its contagious and when he plays something good always happens. Lets wish the Steelers much success during the playoffs this year.

And who knows there maybe another ring for the Steel City coming soon. If it happens then they made the right choice drafting Number 19 in the second round.

Summarizing the NFL Draft. 7 Polynesians drafted in 2016.

Highest selected Polynesian in the Draft, Ronnie Stanley and his mother Julia, pose before his selection as Number 6. Julie is Tongan.

By Namulauulu Alapati

The 2016 Draft has come and gone. Unlike last year there was no fanfare and debate as to who was the best Quarterback in the nation, as was the case involving our own Marcus Mariota and eventual number 1 pick, Jameis Winston. That draft, 2015, was pivotal because it was when Samoans became synonymous with Superstardom on the highest level in professional sports in the USA.

The draft is such an over-hyped event which seems to bring out the worst in many a young man trying to impress the public. It also exposes the individual to the storms of media and journalistic extravagance. For a young man unfamiliar with the almost overwhelming attention it might cause stress and mishaps which have caused slips in the draft for some very highly touted athletes.

This year's NFL draft was not immune to such an outcome for several athletes whose stock suffered by virtue of videos that were posted which revealed drug activity, or injuries which were cause for teams to back away unwilling to take the risk. The Draft is a beacon for the league and those in college trying to enter the lucrative NFL. With contracts entering the ridiculous amount of $100 million over the course of the contract (some 7 years, others longer) the magic term now is guaranteed money and that amount has reached the 70 million dollar mark. With Andrew Luck's contract about to be renegotiated, the consensus is that we will witness a contract unlike any seen before for a NFL player. The business side of this sport is now becoming extremely difficult for teams to make a stupid choice. The business side of the game has become as important as the Combine when evaluating the potential of prospect prior to the draft.

In this year's draft there were alot of Polynesian players who benefited by the demise of one of the top draft picks. Ronnie Stanley an Offensive Lineman from Notre Dame whose mother is Tongan, was selected Number 6 by the Baltimore Ravens and Deforest Buckner of Oregon who is Samoan, a Defensive Lineman was selected number 7 by the San Francisco 49ers.

Deforest Buckner went number 7 in this years NFL Draft to the San Francisco 49ers.

They were slotted to be taken in that area but with the fall of the projected top pick Laremy Tunsil after a video of him smoking pot emerged on line, they moved up in the process. These moves in the first round are measured in millions of dollars. Tunsil's fall cost him probably $10-15 million since he was projected to be the number one pick at one point.

Both Ronnie and Deforest were considered in the top of the Draft after great collegiate careers, and they were smart enough to know the ramifications of any misstep this close to the draft. Having Marcus Mariota's extraordinary example to follow did not hurt as they kept their focus on having great seasons prior to the draft and impressing the pros with a combination of size, dedication, humility and work ethic. This seems to be the winning formula which is working for our Samoan and Polynesian football players.

Other Samoans who were taken in this years draft include Su'a Cravens of USC taken by the Washington Redskins in the 2nd round and then Isaac Seumalo of Oregon State who was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 3rd Round.

Polynesians as a whole were well represented. Kamalei Correa from Hawaii joined Ronnie Stanley at Baltimore as a 2nd round pick, Bronson Kaufusi a Tongan also went in the 3rd round to Baltimore. Halapoulivaati Vaitai, another Tongan was selected by the Eagles in the 5th round.

Other notable free agents who were selected but not drafted included Ian Seau of Nevada taken by the Los Angeles Rams, Alex Fifita to the Falcons, David Moala and Kyle Peko to the Denver Broncos, Manoa Pikula to the Green Bay Packers, Ka'imi Fairbairn to the Texans, Sione Houma to the Saints, Destiny Vaeao to the Eagles, Jay Fanaika to the 49ers and Lene Maiava to the Seahawks.

The numbers are pretty intimidating when looking at how many collegiate players are vying for the less than 2000 positions in the NFL every year. The rookie class is coming in with a desire to unseat those already established in the league. The turnover has to happen because the cost of keeping older players does not match their productivity. Players who are lucky enough to make the team must step up to the level of these top notch athletes and show they belong. Unseating a veteran is not an easy job. This is why this class of Polynesian football players is so blessed and must make the best of this opportunity.

We here at Le Malae salute this 2016 class of NFL rookies of Polynesian and Samoan descent and wish them well as they compete for a position in the game.

SHAKE 'EM OUT OF THE COCONUT TREES
One of the first articles in Sports Illustrated that identified Samoans as the next wave of Football talent (1976)

College coaches say that is the smart move in Samoa, where palm groves are full of young monsters with tongue-twisting names and unquenchable pride
By Richard W. Johnston

AUG. 16, 1976

In the '20s and '30s, white Anglo-Saxon Protestant football fans were stunned by the emergence of a generation of players whose antecedents were mysterious and whose names—Nagurski, Wojcie-chowicz, Oosterbaan, Skladany—when they first appeared in newspaper headlines, seemed to be the products of a berserk compositor. Nothing quite like it has happened since (the black boom in the college game was cushioned by familiar names—Buddy Young, Jim Brown, Lenny Moore). But this fall a comparable cultural shock could be in the making.

What is coming on is a swarm of Polynesian warriors—not your run-of-the-reef, gin mill flamethrowers, but strong, fierce men, six to seven feet tall, who seem to have stepped into the 20th century from some secret museum of oceanic antiquities. As, in fact, they have. The museum is a tiny (76 square miles) island cluster in the deep South Seas called American Samoa. Not only is it the least known and most remote of U.S. territories, but, together with Western Samoa, it also is the only island group where the Polynesian culture—and the Polynesian race—has survived virtually intact.

Until the 1950s, few Samoans ever left home, but among those who did a good many made their mark—some in football. Packard Harrington, for example, starred for St. Mary's of Moraga (Calif.) in the late '30s and Al Harrington (no kin) made a name for himself at Stanford two decades later. They both said they were Samoans, but what was that? Even if Al had abided by Samoan custom and gone by his matriarchal name—which is Taa—he would have been lumped with Charley Ane, an All-Pro center for the Detroit Lions, Famika Anae, a varsity center for Brigham Young, and Al Lolotai, a Washington Redskin guard in the Sammy Baugh era, as just another "Hawaiian." Lolotai reluctantly surrendered to this cultural disfranchisement by wrestling professionally under the name of "Sweet Leilani."

But this time there will be no ethnic surrenders. The new Samoans are coming in sufficient force to command attention, and in a half-dozen Western colleges and universities—USC, UCLA, San Jose State, Brigham Young, San Diego State and Hawaii—are proudly proclaiming their true identity.

Nearly all of these Samoan players were born in California or Hawaii, or were brought there as young children. Many Samoans emigrated after the U.S. Navy closed its Pago Pago base in 1951, not because they wanted to leave but because the loss of the Navy payroll created an economic crisis. Few could speak English and most brought little with them except their kids, their physical prowess and their Polynesian pride. Condemned to the slums by poverty and the language barrier, the Samoans had a rough time. But the pride never wavered, the kids are college age now and they are out to beat what Al Harrington calls "the great white race," not truckle to it.

The young Samoans preparing for the coming season are acutely aware that they are more than football players—they are missionaries for fa'a Samoa, the Samoan way of life. As their coaches already know, if you ask a Samoan to run five miles, he'll run 10; if you ask him to take out an opponent, he is apt to take him clear out of the stadium.

The man cast for the Billy Graham role in this football crusade is a 225-pound, six-foot USC fullback named Mosi Tatupu, out of Pago Pago by way of Honolulu's Punahou High School. Tatupu became the Trojans' starting fullback last fall after Dave Farmer broke his leg, and he not only carried the ball 416 yards but also did most of the blocking that enabled Ricky Bell to assemble a near-record 1,875 yards rushing. "In South Bend last fall," Tatupu recalls, "the people put signs up in our hotel that said RING RICKY'S BELL. Well, they didn't ring it." The Trojans, in the midst of a lackluster season, whipped Notre Dame 24-17, partly because of Samoan Power.

If the way to catch a thief is to be one, the way to stop a Samoan may be to put another Samoan, or better yet, two Samoans, against him—or so the Rose Bowl champion UCLA Bruins hope. When UCLA confronts USC this November, new Coach Terry Donahue will have Linebacker Manu Tuiasosopo and Defensive Tackle Pete Pele waiting for Mosi and Ricky, and a third Samoan, Anthony Paopao, to carry the ball after the defense has done its work.

Although most of the other Pac-Eight schools have tried to make Samoan connections in recent years, none of their acquisitions was significant. But the WAC and the PCAA had better luck—or made better offers. Long Beach State will field Joe Paopao (Anthony's older brother) and Long Beach City College has a promising freshman named Samoa Samoa. Wilson Faumuina is ready for another big year at San Jose State and Ed Imo will be in action for San Diego State. Even an occasional Western Samoan finds his way to U.S. football, e.g., Mekeli Ieremia, who will join Neal Ane (youngest son of former Detroit Lion Charley) and other American Samoans on the Brigham Young squad. Arizona State Coach Frank Kush, who knows all about Samoans, made a strenuous effort last year to recruit Honolulu high school star Tom Tuinei, but Tuinei was captured by the University of Hawaii (which has awakened to the treasure in its midst).

The Samoan surge has been in the making for a decade. In the mid-'60s Bob Apisa tore up the Big Ten for Duffy Daugherty at Michigan State, but he was linked—in the headlines and the public mind—with his Hawaiian teammate Dick Kenney as "The Hawaiian Punch." Although Apisa was an All-America as a sophomore, only two schools seem to have attached much importance to the fact that he was born in Pago Pago. The University of Montana recruited Tuufuli Uperesa (who in 1968-69 made All-Conference in the Big Sky and for the past 3/2 years has played in the Canadian Football League) and, in 1968, the aforementioned Frank Kush pounced on the star of Honolulu's Kahuku High team, a 6'2", 218-pound holy Mormon terror named Junior Ah You. Nobody looks more like a Polynesian warrior than Junior—he has a body-builder's physique, smoky eyes flanking a hawk nose in a high-cheekboned face, a Fu Manchu mustache embracing a mobile mouth full of flashing white teeth—and nobody's name sounds less like one. Ah You? Junior Ah You? A waiter, or a busboy, maybe, helping out in his father's Chinese restaurant?

"My father is half Chinese," Junior said recently. "My mother is pure Samoan." Does that make Junior one-fourth Chinese? No, sir! "That makes me all Samoan!" Junior declares, proudly and loudly. Junior Ah You asserted his racial heritage throughout his career at Arizona State—he was an All-WAC defensive end for three straight years—and he has been declaring it in Montreal ever since he graduated and signed with the Alouettes of the CFL.

The notice Samoans are now getting in the West may help Junior Ah You gain belated ethnic recognition; and it won't hurt Bob Apisa, now a management consultant to the Office of Economic Opportunity in Honolulu, in his campaign to be the first Samoan elected to the Hawaiian legislature. But does it really mean, as many think in Honolulu, that the Samoans are about to do for U.S. football what oil did for Oklahoma? How many Samoans are there, anyway?

The population of American Samoa is less than 30,000, and there are some 50,000 more Samoans overseas—30,000 in Southern California and 20,000 in Hawaii. But even if this minuscule total of 80,000 is cut in two (Samoan girls are good athletes, but none so far is playing college football), there is no reason to believe the pool will run dry or diminish in richness. The population has been exploding for 40 years.

"We are all Polynesians," says Al Harrington, who majored in history while playing football at Stanford and who taught at Punahou and the University of Hawaii before electing to exploit his warrior body, chiefly mien and dramatic skills as an actor in Hawaii Five-0 (he plays Ben Kokua) and as the star of a Waikiki luau show. "But Samoans have not been watered down as the Hawaiians were by the Boston missionaries and the Tahitians were by the French. So we not only tend to be bigger, but we retain a fierce sectional, cultural and family pride. The soul of Samoa still is competitiveness."

That is at least a partial definition of fa'a Samoa, a cultural structure that has endured for 2,000 years and flourishes just as vigorously today in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oceanside, Honolulu and—yes—Montreal as it does in Pago Pago. The heart of the culture is the so-called "extended family" system, in which a man's family includes his most remote relatives, all organized into a unit that resembles a Scottish clan—or a Marine regiment. Like Scots and marines, the families delight in fighting each other (centuries ago they did it with spears and clubs; more recently, in American Samoa, such games as rugby, soccer and—since 1968—American football have been substituted), but let any outsider challenge a Samoan and all the families become one.

Famika Anae, the BYU center who was the first Samoan to become head coach of a Honolulu high school, says, "It is very hard on a Samoan kid who doesn't do well, or what his father thinks is well. He is felt to have disgraced the family, and when he gets home he is likely to get a two-hour lecture that may end in a beating. This is especially true of immigrant families. They see everything the kids do as an important part of promoting the culture. A loss reflects on the parents, the chiefs and the race."

Fa'a Samoa is no more acceptive of failure in academic fields than it is of physical shortfalls. "My objective at Michigan State always was to get a degree, even beyond football," Bob Apisa says. "When I went to Michigan State it was a matter of pride for me. I was representing not only myself, my family and the Samoan community, but Hawaii, too. I had three knee operations in college and it was my responsibility to all the people back home that inspired me to get up mornings when it was 20° below zero in East Lansing and walk half a mile on crutches to an 8 a.m. class. It brings a feeling of shame on your family if you don't accomplish what you set out to do...a Samoan is going to see something through, right or wrong."
This pride and dedication—combined with the frustration that inevitably besets immigrants at the bottom of the economic ladder—has led some Samoans to choose wrong over right. "In Samoa," says la Saipaia, a native-born basketball star, "you've got only two ways to go—to the gym and school, or to become a thief. You have to make the decision." (A Samoan incursion into mainland basketball may be also in the offing: Muliufi Hannemann, at Harvard on a scholastic scholarship, played for the Crimson three years, and Saipaia, now a freshman at San Diego State, was offered basketball scholarships by two other mainland universities.)

"Samoans are very physical people," Famika Anae says. "They simply can't stand losing—either in sports or in life. They resent it when they see Caucasians or Japanese-Americans getting the best jobs, or sometimes the only jobs, and some take advantage of their physical strength to try for success along any avenue that seems open—even if it is crime." One who did take the latter route is Alema Leota, who played football for Hawaii's Iolani High in the '40s. The son of devout but very poor Mormon parents, Leota parlayed a career as a "terrorist" (a judge's description) into temporary control of a Hawaiian crime syndicate. While Samoans regretfully concede that Leota has provided both a role model and employment opportunities for a good many youths, and has been partly responsible for giving Samoans a "violent" image in Honolulu, they do not disown him.

Hawaii's Samoan Council of Chiefs and Orators is proud, however, that more acceptable models have been created by men like Apisa, Harrington, Anae, Ah You and Uperesa. "We believe in the American dream," says Al Harrington. "We think hard work and merit will pay off. Thus far for Samoans, football and other sports have provided a way toward fulfillment of the dream." Backing up Harrington are the Samoans who have finished their schooling and are beginning to appear on pro rosters, men like Terry Tautolo, who graduated from UCLA last spring and is now in the Philadelphia Eagles' training camp, and Charles Ane (another son of Charley's), who joined the Kansas City Chiefs after Michigan State.

But Harrington also notes, "Many Samoans are now moving up through scholastic scholarships—in law, history, accounting and political science." If the past were the only guide to the future, it might be safe to assume that as more and more immigrant Samoans go into the professions or business, the domestic pool of athletic talent will shrink. Consequently, college and professional scouts who are just awakening to the potential of Samoan high school players are likely to be taking even longer trips in the future—to Pago Pago itself. A lot will depend on the performance of the University of Hawaii's prize recruit, a 280-pound, 6'4" defensive tackle named Nofo Tipoti. This giant is not quite direct from American Samoa, but almost—he came to San Francisco in 1973 after his graduation from Faga'itua High School near Pago Pago and spent two warmup years at San Francisco City College. A number of universities that had overlooked the more accessible Samoan talent were attracted by this exotic import. "The competition for Tipoti was ferocious," says Hawaii Coach Larry Price, "and so is Nofo when he takes aim at a ballcarrier."

Tipoti's presence on a U.S. college roster is a tribute to the efforts of three men—one an Idaho Mormon, another an educator from Hawaii, and the third a native Samoan, Al Lolotai, the erstwhile "Sweet Leilani" (who has a son, Tiloi, on a football scholarship at the University of Colorado). The man from Idaho is Rex Lee, appointed governor of American Samoa by President Kennedy in 1961. Lee rebuilt the schools, instituted educational TV, arranged for the opening of two fish canneries to replace the lost Navy payroll and persuaded Samoans to learn English. Moreover, he managed these changes without interfering with fa'a Samoa or trying to replace it. As they have in the past, the Samoans welcomed these "reforms" as additions to their culture, not substitutes for it. (They became nominal Christians—mostly Congregationalists, Catholics, Mormons and Methodists—in the 1800s because one chief noted that the missionaries sailed ships "while we paddle canoes—so they must have something.")

In 1968 the five high schools Lee had established and expanded on Tutuila, the largest island in the American group, were organized into an athletic league, and training films in American-style football were broadcast on the territory-wide TV station. The Samoans took to the game with all the enthusiasm medieval knights brought to the Crusades, but sometimes with ludicrous results. In the first two years both Samoan exuberance and the spirit of fa'a Samoa were on display. In one game, before the rules were understood, a ballcarrier was tackled by 21 players—the members of both teams. In another, the supporters of a losing team attacked the winners with cricket bats. (Cricket is another inheritance from the missionaries.)
Order was established in 1970 when Milton DeMello, deputy superintendent of schools in Honolulu, was made director of the Samoan educational system. An ardent football fan, DeMello brought Al Lolotai back to his homeland to take charge of sports. Now all the high schools have teams and the televised NFL Game of the Week holds Samoa spellbound. Lee's language and educational reforms have in no way weakened the physical power of Samoan youth—Tipoti is no bigger or tougher than a lot of kids a year or so younger than he is. They still grow up in the tradition of fa'a Samoa, and one of its mainstays is child labor—for the family, not for an exploiting employer.

Along with natural selection and racial purity (unlike the Hawaiians, few Samoans married missionaries, traders, sailors or marines, and no intruders ever got possession of Samoan land), hard work accounts for the Samoans' extraordinary size and strength. "A Samoan boy starts hard physical labor even before he reaches school age," says Famika Anae, who conducts a football clinic every summer in Pago Pago. "He must climb a coconut tree 100 feet tall, barefoot and carrying a machete, tear the coconuts loose and even cut away the fronds. These kids do this every day and, after school starts, every night. We have high school athletes in Hawaii who can climb only four or five trees a day. Little kids in Samoa climb 20, and they also hike into the mountains to help with the banana harvest, packing out loads that weigh 75 to 80 pounds. By the time a boy is ready for high school football, his muscles often are as defined as those of a weight lifter." Even in football season Samoan boys don't get clear away from coconut palms. "The sight of the Samoana High squad practicing is something to remember," says DeMello, who is now back in Hawaii as headmaster of Mid-Pacific Institute. "They learn blocking by hitting padded coconut trees."

Last summer Dan Stavely, freshman coach at the University of Colorado, assisted Anae in his Pago Pago clinic. "We timed kids down there in the 40-yard dash," Anae says. "Two ran it in 4.5 seconds, and five others in 4.6—and two of them weighed 215 and 220 pounds. A lot did it in 4.8 or 4.9, which is faster than many college players."

Contrary to Lee's hopes, the canneries have not provided sufficient employment opportunities to support the still-expanding population of American Samoa, and there just aren't enough coconut trees (or enough demand for copra) to fulfill job needs. In consequence, U.S. football looks like the rainbow's end for many Samoan teen-agers. But if Nofo Tipoti does as well as Price expects, the entire Samoan economy may benefit—from the new hotel that will have to be built in Pago Pago to house the scouts.

Junior Seau is inducted into the Hall of Fame

By Albert Ainuu
I remember the first time I met Junior Seau, my friend Daniel Sataraka had gotten media passes to cover Junior Seau's game at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and we were allowed to go on the field and so we were there on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in San Diego on the field and I saw this man emerge from the tunnel to the roar of a crowd of over 70,000 people unified in their respect and excitement as he ran onto the field. Junior Seau was one of the premiere linebackers in the NFL at that time. The year was 1995 and I had never been to an NFL game yet, much less been on the field of a real live NFL game so I was mesmerized by the grandeur and magnitude of the event. The noise, smoke, energy and number of people there was extremely intimidating as was the fact that actual living NFL stars were like mere inches away from me. So when the San Diego Chargers announced their starters I was keenly aware of the building excitement as they announced each player for the home crowd to cheer onto the field. The crescendo of excitement and cheers built to a peak just as the name "Junior Seau Number 55!!", was announced.

And there he was, strutting, running, prancing, raising both arms at the crowd to incite more noise and he worked that crowd like a master. He entered with an intensity I had never witnessed before. This was his stage and he moved like an Alpha lion surveying the Savannah. He knew he owned every square inch of turf in the stadium and the Charger fans were his pride. The fans roared approval at his every gesture. This was the man they had paid good money to see. Junior embodied all the hopes and macho reflections of the thousands of number 55 Jerseys that were all over that stadium. The crowd truly loved this man. This warrior. This larger than life embodiment of male athleticism. The man from Oceanside was definitely in the building.

But what few people know is that Junior Seau's roots are actually from the smallest island in American Samoa.

Junior's family are from a small populated island, Aunuu, which sits less than a mile off the coast of Tutuila in American Samoa. Its not big, but it is beautiful and is the kind of location many dream of as a resort for the rich and famous. Junior Seau definitely fit that description at one time. When we met him that year in San Diego he was at the pinnacle of his playing career. He was making good money as perhaps one of the highest paid Linebackers in the league, he had inverstments, a charity foundation, homes in San Diego and a restaurant simply called Seau's. This was the result of his football prowess. He had married a beautiful caucasian woman, had 3 children and was living the good life.

What I remember most was his very calculated relationship with members of the media. He was a big guy with charisma oozing out of every pore, but he wasnt arrogant. If anything he was businesslike and preoccupied being the star that he was, he came by and acknowledged Dan and I and made sure we had all we needed for the story we were there to cover for Samoa International. It was a professional persona that we met. Later I would see his "island style" love for his people especially those whom he enjoyed like the entertainer Fiji. However, his family was another thing entirely.

While Junior was the professional who was somewhat inaccessible and busy with other more important matters, his father and mother were the epitome of Samoan down to earth hospitality and island style love. After the game against Cleveland we left the stadium and came into the large parking lot. We went to this large tent next to the stadium where there was a Barbeque grill going non-stop, even though the game was done and people were coming to the tent where Junior's parents were supervising a free BBQ for the fans. And it was real food: BBQ Chicken, steak, rice, mac salad and drinks. I was amazed at the number of fans who would come by say hi to Papa and Mama Seau, discuss the game and eat like this was their own family's tent. I asked one of the Junior Seau fans, Is this normal? And they responded, "For every home game, Mama and Papa Seau throw a BBQ for the fans" and they all loved them for it. Noone was turned away including Clevelnad Brown fans. I quickly saw how the City of San Diego had a love affair with this family. Not only because of Junior and his play, but the family had inserted itself into the fabric of this community with such a display of unselfish love and mutual respect.

Junior was always involved with various community functions that were beneficial for all races. He made sure that his foundation helped all San Diego and Oceanside people, not just Samoans. As a result he was not considered the Samoan icon many were hoping he would be. The Samoan community had a rather interesting love-hate relationship with Junior. There were those who said Junior was too Palagi. Junior was also cautious of the Samoan community whom he felt had "let him down." In an article Sports Illustrated reported Junior as saying: "I was labeled a dumb jock. I went from being a four-sport star to an ordinary student at USC. I found out who my true friends were...... my parents got an earful at church: 'We told you he was never going to make it.'" Junior may have held a gurdge at first, but as the years came and went and his star rose to amazing heights, the need to be recognized by his Samoan peers became less important and he was quite the opposite when dealing with his "people."

In the NFL the athletes know they are lucky if they make it past 5 years in the league. Its a brutal league that is built on violence and mayhem. Junior was one of the few to make it to 20 years of playing as a starter. Junior came out of USC after 3 years and was drafted in the first round by San Diego. This was like too perfect a script for the young man from Oceanside. He was from Charger country and now he was drafted by his home team. He would have family, friends and the entire San Diego community on his side. He did not disappoint.

Junior made 12 Pro Bowls, most of them as a Charger. He was the heart and soul of the defense and the ferocity of his play was legendary among the locker rooms from New York to Miami to Seattle. Junior was known as the Tasmanian Devil for the speed and chaotic style he pursued the opposing players. Junior never gave up on a play and was seen often chasing down a runner on the opposite side of the field from where he was supposed to be. Offensive Coordinators knew when they played San Diego their priority would be to stop Junior on defense.

Junior took the Chargers to their only Super Bowl appearance with a defensive Player of the Year performance that was one for the ages. He has been close two times, but the man of Aunuu would not enter the promised land of owning a Super Bowl ring. After he was picked up by New England the Patriots went on one of the most impressive runs in football history when they went undefeated for the entire season until they lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. It was not to be for Junior, but he was not one to hang his head even tho he was all so close.

When he finally retired Junior was seen on the shores of Oceanside surfing and playing his ukulele. He seemed to be in peace and finally able to relax. But the 20 years of pounding, tackling and physical play in the NFL, not to mention the years of College and High School football took a toll. The physical and emotional concussions were all together more than any normal human should be able to bear.

The final years of Junior Seau's life were marked by uncertainty and depression. When he finally ended it in his home in Oceanside, Junior Seau made a final tackle. The issue of player concussions was prominently brought to the forefront after he died and the effects of CTE on players became an issue that is still now the topic many players are able to confront because Junior spoke volumes with the act which deprived San Diego of one of its brightest lights.

I clearly remember the day Junior died. I was listening to Talk Radio in San Diego and they were talking about Junior, his death, his career and his family. They had broadcast Mama Seau's cry for her son and the listeners and Disc Jockeys all felt the pain of her sob ridden lament about her son who had just the day before had committed suicide and she echoed the entire city's broken heart as she asked, "Why?" I walked out side and witnessed the entire city crying. People were calling in to share their favorite stories of Junior. All races: white, black, oriental, latino, even middle eastern were just crying like their own family member had died and talking on this radio show. Men, women, teens...I had never seen a city so much in love with a person like San DIego was with Junior Seau.

When the NFL at first decided to prevent Junior's family from speaking at the NFL Hall of Fame induction, this was primarily to prevent any attention from being brought to the court case between the NFL and the Seau family. However, Sydney, Junior's daughter released a version of her speech for her father and it touched the officials of the NFL who then changed their position and allowed Sydney to speak on behalf of her father at the induction of Junior into the Hall of Fame. It was an emotional speech which left no eyes dry in the Hall as well as for viewers nation wide. The words spoken by the daughter of this magnificient athlete were the highlight of the evening where many top athletes including "the Bus", Jerome Bettis and others were inducted, but Junior alone was the First Ballot Inductee voted in unanimously.

This testament to his greatness is both touching and amazing to the world. Junior was a true Samoan and he played the game of football with an intensity that will rarely be duplicated. He now has his bust in Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The world has come to accept what San Diego has long know. Junior Seau was a super man among men. He was true to his roots and when he spoke he always promoted the values which his father and mother instiulled in him as part of the Samoan culture. Be Humble. These were his words of advice for all those willing to hear. Be Humble. From Humble beginnings he rose to the peak of success. God bless the Seau family. God bless Samoa.

Samoans in elite 2017 Army All Star Bowl by Albert Ainuu

There are those who are uncomfortable with comparisons. Parenting experts say that you should never compare your child to another child because it will make your child lose confidence and feel inferior. Well Im sorry I cannot help it when watching this year's U.S. Army All Star Bowl game which features the top High School football players in the nation. This game elevates the top prospects for College football to a level of stardom and expectation that rivals the hoopla for players entering the NFL Draft. As children go it will be hard not to feel inferior to these athletes who are so talented they are considered almost a lock to play in the NFL within 3-4 years. In the USA where football is king, millions of young boys start playing football around the same time they start elementary school, to them High School football players are like superstars but the truth of the matter is they belong to an exclusive fraternity which creates the most millionaires every year. To become a member of this fraternity requires a unique combination of physical, mental and emotional traits. This is where the reality becomes stranger than fiction. Samoans, inhabitants of a small island archipelego in the South Pacific seem to have cornered the market when it comes to football genetics.

Which brings us back to the US Army All Star Bowl. Every year this is the premiere game highlighting the best High School seniors or College prospects in the country and only the top football players are invited to participate. What is amazing is that every year there are a number of Samoan athletes playing in this game. And here is where the comparison begins. Samoans by virtue of their total population on this planet have no business playing in this game. Why you may ask. The answer is simple, because the numbers do not support this kind of representation. If you were to play the Lotto and win every 20 times you played, that would suggest some kind of cheating or favor from the Lotto Gods. It simply is not normal. Our numbers are not adequately large enough to provide the right combinations to get the number of players excelling at this level on such a regular basis. The unique blend of skill and ability necessary to play in football in the top college football programs in the world is considered very difficult to achieve and usually in a population of 1 million you may find 1 indivudal with that combination. Samoans consist of less than .0001% of the world's population. However when it comes to football we consist of .5% of the total population. There is no logical explanation for this phenomenon...its as if the football Gods favored us. The Samoan athlete comes from a small DNA sample and I am not preaching racial superiority of any form, (which is why comparisons are such touchy subjects) but I am presenting the facts and the stats found anywhere.

In this annual bowl game the roster of players includes 170 athletes consisting of the best of the best in High School Football. Out of 1,085,272 High School Football players these are the best 170. Of this 170, this year's roster had seven (7) players with Samoan, Tongan or Polynesian last names. Usually there are more who are part Samoan who have last names not Polynesian, but this year 7 are Polynesians and 5 of those are Samoan which confirms the conclusion made here that Samoans are over-represented. Here are the names of the Seven.

Those identified as Samoan/Polynesian are AJ Epenesa, Tua Tagovailoa, Chuck Filiaga, Sampson Niu, Jay Tufele, Ariel Ngata and Marlon Tuipulotu. Further examination of this group reveals the true nature of how dominant tjese individuals are.

AJ Epenesa is considered the top Defensive End in the country. He resides in Illinois and is committed to play for Iowa this fall. At 6' 5" and 270lbs, he not only is an all star in Football but in Basketball as well as track and field. He is one of only a few thousand point scorers in the history of High School basketball in Illinois where he dunks and rebounds with ease and he also holds the record for the State in throwing the discus. His athleticism has college recruiters salivating at the prospect of what he can achieve in college football. Rated the 6th best prospect out of High School by all the prospect rating organizations like 247 Sports, Rivals.com and ESPN, AJ has been recruited by all the major College programs including Alabama (currently No. 1), Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon or Southern Cal. He is a wanted man. However true to his Samoan nature, he went with where his father and mother attended and committed to the University of Iowa straight out of High School. Iowa are so lucky to get one of the top players in the nation which is unusual for them as they hardly are able to recruit this level of player. But AJ went to where he has roots as both his father and mother were athletes at Iowa where they met so he is continuing the family tradition of playing for Iowa. In drills against top Offensive linemen during preparations for the Bowl game he was dominant at both stopping the run and getting to the Quarterback. He has speed, strength and amazing quickness. The consensus is that AJ will be a starter as a freshman at Iowa. He may even play more than one sport, he is that talented and athletic.

Tua Tagovailoa is one of the top Quarterbacks in this current crop of High School seniors. Coming out of St.Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii he is continuing the legacy of Marcus Mariota who won the Heisman Trophy a couple of years ago. Marcus, the current starting QB for the Tennessee Titans set a such high level of achievement that its pleasantly surprising to see another Quarterback emerge from his shadows so fast. But Tua is no ordinary Quarterback. He was offered a scholarship by powerhouse University of Alabama as he completed just his Junior year in High School. That is very rare. Alabama not only took a leap of faith on a young High School junior but also showed their determination to try a secure this quarterback before anyone else tried to get him. Thats an extraordinary amount of faith and trust which Coach Saban has shown for this young Samoan Quarterback. And they appear to have made a great decision based on the play of Tua on the field during the Army All Star Bowl last week. He led an extended drive in the second half that resulted in a touch down which extended the lead of the East team. His control of the offense and his running ability confirmed that he was a dual threat, both running and passing and quite capable of running the Alabama style offense. He showed extreme composure under pressure as the best defenders in the nation were trying top sack him. Playing against speed he wasnt used to in Hawaii he still escaped being sacked and made throws to his receivers. We can assume that University of Alabama are very happy with their choice.

Chuck Filiaga is a massive Offensive lineman. Originally from American Samoa, his mother was told by none other than All Pro Troy Polamalu when he visited American Samoa that they should take young Chuck to the mainland US to play football while in High School so he could get noticed by Colleges before he graduated High School. At 6' 6" and 335lbs, he dominated opponents at the line of scrimmage in Aledo, Texas where his mother brought him to attend high school. That advice from Troy Polmalu led to Chuck being selected to the Army All Star Bowl last weekend. This behemoth is not only tall and strong, but has the athletic ability to create running lanes for his running backs and pass protection for his quarterbacks. His commitment is to play for Jim Harbaugh of Michigan who has made trips to American Samoa in his effort to recruit top Samoans to his program. Michigan has returned to the top echelon of the College Football programs. USC had a connection with Filiaga at first but by the time he was playing the All Star Bowl game he had decided to go to Michigan and the Big Ten will be a very competitive conferece because of Chuck.

Sampson Niu is from Madison High School, San Diego and he wears #55 in honor of fallen San Diego Linebacker Junior Seau. As a linebacker his style of play is comparable to Junior in that he hits anything and everyone who dares venture ibnto his area. Sampson has made a name for himself in the highly competitive San Diego High School Football league. Sampson committed to Oregon University which is Marcus Mariota's alma mater. There is some talk of Sampson contending for a starting spot as a freshman. That would be exciting for his father Sai who played at oceanside with Junior Seau. The father coached at Madison High as a linebacker coach and refused to put his son in the starting position when he first became a varsity player in order to avoid accusations of nepotism. But the one day he was away from practice the head coach elevated sampson as a starter and that was fine for Sai who preferred it came from someone else. Now his son is about to enter the Pac 12 which is where Polynesians are plenty. Its an exciting time for Sampson and his family.

Jay Tufele is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He played for Bingham High where he starred as a Defensive interior lineman at 6-3 and 280lbs, he has been placed as the #3 Defensive tackle in the nation. He is being recruited by rivals Michigan and Ohio State. Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh came to visit Jay in Utah and this seems to be where he appears to be most attracted to. He has not committed to any school yet but those in the running include Michigan rival, Ohio State, USC, Utah and BYU.

PREP FOOTBALL: Edwardsville’s Epenesa all Samoan, All-American By Greg Shashack - gshashack@civitasmedia.com

EDWARDSVILLE – They gather at a garage or driveway in a subdivision off Meridian Road. A summer morning ritual a few minutes away from fall’s Friday Night Lights at the District 7 Sports Complex.
The numbers vary, though often about a dozen strong, with boys ranging from elementary-school small to high-school large.
The biggest is 6-foot-5, 270 pounds. He is a prep All-America in football and track and an All-Stater in basketball. He is the possibility for the boys who gathered for workouts supervised by Eppy Epenesa.
He is AJ Epenesa.
“It’s amazing,” AJ Epenesa said. “When I first started doing all that with my dad, I was like in sixth or seventh grade, I think. It was literally just me, by myself, and occasionally my brother. From what it’s grown to now, everyone is seeing the big picture and how it pays to put in hard work on your off days, there’s proof.”
AJ Epenesa is the proof. Eppy Epenesa is the motivator.
The first player ever a starter for Edwardsville football since his first game as a freshman, AJ Epenesa opens his senior season with the Tigers on Friday night at Quincy as one of the nation’s top-ranked players.
The accolades did not come by accident.
“All the off days we have, I work out in the mornings with my dad,” AJ said of his summer routine. “We stay busy because we like it and we do it just to get better every day. We have more and more people coming to this, all my brother’s friends and some of my (football) brothers come, and we’re out there working to get better and have the best season we can.”
The workouts feature stretching and running and the old-school obstacle course in the Epenesa’s backyard that includes flipping of tires weighing up to a quarter-ton. Eppy Epenesa spends time with the kids, talking and encouraging. He chronicles the workouts on Facebook and has built a large following.
The range of talent, strength and skill is wide, but all are welcome.
The sermons center on faith and family. The sweat is for fitness and football.
AJ’s dad played college football as a 6-4, 260-pound defensive tackle at Iowa, where his son will sign a national letter-of-intent to play for the Hawkeyes in February. Eppy Epenesa is the youngest of seven children and a product of Pago Pago, where dishes and laundry were done under an island waterfall in the South Pacific more than 4,500 miles from mainland USA.

AJ Epenesa of Illinois is an athletic "Freak" whose future is with Iowa's Football plus Track and Field teams, not to mention Basketball.

Eppy is proud of his heritage and a Samoan culture he is passing on to his daughter Sam and three sons AJ, Eric and Iosefato.
Sam once called her father, “Football Dad, 101.” There is a long list of nephews and cousins the played Division I football, including former Rams linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa.
If you are counted as a friend of the Epenesa’s, you are “Aiga.” It is Samoan for “family” in a sense beyond the traditional American parameters of mother, father, sons and daughters. It is about community.
“A lot of people don’t really understand it, but the culture is built on respect for people,” said AJ, whose upper right arm is covered by a coming of age tattoo honoring family, God and culture. “And I have a lot of respect for my parents and my family. You have to show your respect to them and it’s also based on being humble and staying steady-minded to take on anything.
“You’re not selfish when it comes to being a part of the culture. When it comes down to it, you have to help yourself out. But whenever it’s time to do what’s right, you do what’s right. It’s humbling to know I’m a part of that and it helps me throughout my life.”
Eppy, a former defensive lineman and still an imposing figure, keeps AJ grounded despite plaudits that will make him the most decorated multi-sport athlete in Edwardsville history. AJ is quick to remind it’s not all dad.
“And my mom,” AJ said of Stephanie, also a college athlete and Edwardsville native who met her husband while both attended Iowa Wesleyan. “My family as a whole, does a good job keeping me level-headed and reminding me where I came from and how I started. It helps me to keep working harder, to get better every day, to have people like that around you to not only push you, but let you know that you haven’t arrived yet, you still have a long way to do.
AJ is not the family’s first All-American prep athlete. Sam Epenesa, a 6-foot outside hitter, was a three-time Telegraph Player of the Year with the Edwardsville Tigers and went on to a stellar four-year career at Purdue. She graduated in May.
“She was a big influence on me,” AJ said, “My sister worked very hard and had a bunch of huge achievements in her high school life when it comes to volleyball. She is a great person to look up to. She’s definitely a person you can put up as a role model for yourself and something to aim for.”
He speaks with great admiration for his sister. But there remains an athletic competition between the siblings, at least on the brother’s end.
“When I first started high school, I always wanted to better my sister when it comes to that,” Epenesa said. “I feel like I’m getting close, but I have some big shoes to fill when it comes to being in that position. I look at Sam as a role model, but also someone to compete with.
“Sam’s great. She’s an awesome sister and an awesome role model and she helps me out with a lot of things, in life, in school and sports. She’s a sister, a competitor and she’s always there when I need her. There’s no one better to look up to than my sister.”
Now, people look up to AJ Epenesa, whose Twitter following is approaching 6,000. He stayed true to his roots by picking the Iowa Hawkeyes over a long list of suitors from a who’s who of college football. And he stayed true to the Tigers by pledging to remain with basketball and track as a senior despite a future that many football experts believe could lead to the NFL.
“I want to be out there with my brothers,” he said. “I just felt like it wouldn’t’ be right to leave my boys hangin’ in our senior year. I think we can do great things.”
Greg Shashack may be reached at 618-798-1486 or on Twitter @gregshashack

A.J. Epenesa, by every definition of the word, is a freak.

The five-star 2017 defensive end explodes off the line of scrimmage, he regularly throws down rim-crushing dunks and he hurls the discus really, really far.

That last part can’t be emphasized enough.

The Iowa commit reached new heights away from the football field. On Saturday, he uncorked a discus throw of 206 feet, 5 inches, which is the longest throw in the nation in 2016.

The mark was the second-best distance ever recorded in Illinois history. Epenesa was already one of the nation’s best discus throwers, but he had never reached the 200-foot mark.

Amazingly enough, Epenesa didn’t even realize what he was on the brink of.

“It just felt like another normal throw when I let it go,” Epenesa said to stltoday.com. “When you saw it land you could tell it was going to be pretty good. It was a good day for me. I PRed in both (discus and shot put). I feel good and I’m going to try and keep it going.”

Epenesa is only in his third year throwing discus at Edwardsville High School (IL). He picked up the sport after he became an instant success on the football field and on the basketball court. The state’s all-time record of 208 feet, 11 inches will certainly be in his sights.

Not surprisingly, Epenesa has already talked to the Iowa athletic staff about the possibility of joining the track and field team about throwing discus and playing football.

“They have told me if I am good at it, do it,” he said to edgelandtoday.com. “I am going to have to talk to them about it after I made this big jump. We will just have to see how it goes.”

Epenesa is at the center of Iowa’s already-loaded 2017 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 13 nationally and No. 3 in the B1G. The No. 14 player in the 2017 class is already All-State in three sports, and he has an impressive track and field accomplishment under his belt.

By the time he gets to Iowa City, it’s safe to say everybody will know about Epenesa’s freakish athleticism.

Tony Finau completes his Farmers Insurance Open in great fashion tied for 24th and top 4 in driving distance.

By Albert AInuu

Yesterday we were one of many at the Torrey Pines Golf Course who endured the rain and wind for a glimpse at the action happening on the golf course. The weather had turned sour over the last 24 hours and the Farmers Insurance Open which had begun with such great weather became a victim of a powerful El Nino storm racing in from the Pacific with cold air and alot of rain. Granted San Diego could use the rain, but this was the final day of the Golf tournament and we were getting soaked. Many who were there from the early morning finally gave up and left, which was appropriate because the tournament officials decided to postpone the tournament after 1pm and complete it on Monday.

That being said the few who were able to make it through their final round included Tony Finau, the only Samoan-Tongan pro golf player in the PGA circuit. His final position of tied for 24th was amazing considering that this his first year in the Pro Circuit. He actually had moved up 3 spots with this result. His final score was +2 after hitting a consistent 3 rounds of 71 but the weather on the last day set him back to a 77 which was better than many of the more seasoned pros who had a hard time with the rain, and cold wind.

As we stood there awaiting the weather to calm down, a tall young man walked up from the 18th hole to where the media were gathered to sign in as he had completed his round. I immediately recognized him and called to him, "Tony" and added a "Sole" to get his attention. Sure enough he turned and looked at me with his hand reaching out to shake mine. I noticed how large his hands were as they enveloped mine. However, I was more surprised by how young he looked and his clean-cut image was emphasized by his tall and slender build. It was like looking at a Hollywood star. Although he is 26 yrs old he looks like he was just called to be a missionary for the LDS church at 19.

At 6' 4" he has the height to play Quarterback or point guard if he wanted but the fact that he has chosen golf is quite an amazing choice which as is described below, one that he dedicates to his mother. Playing golf also sets him apart as far as Polynesian athletes go. Most Samoans or Tongans are making a name for themselves in American Football or Rugby. Tony has chosen a different path and one that is sure to bring him greater rewards as he progresses. However, in our short time spent interviewing him it was evident that Tony had found his niche.

In the 10-15 minutes we were able to get from him Tony revealed much about his personality and character. After talking to me he went out in the rain where fans had gathered with items for him to autograph and he signed them all before running off to get out of the pouring rain. He had no poncho or rain coat on, he was just being a Polynesian who ignored the weather and was accommodating his fans.

The entire time he was talking to me he was smiling this big smile that is really noticeable because his face has this natural glow of joy which makes one feel comfortable even though this is a rising star in the game. He spoke with a confidence I rarely see among Samoan athletes his age. He was articulate and seemed to be comfortable in his own skin. He was gracious enough to do an interview with me even though the rain was starting to come down harder and the wind blowing in from the ocean was cold. But he seemed oblivious to the weather and answered each question carefully and without any indication of discomfort even though he had just completed 18 holes of golf in the bad weather.

Tony seemed very comfortable to be in this elite selection of golfers who are the best of the best. At his age to be among these giants of the game and be competitive is an amazing feat in and of itself. It was a reflection of who he is as a person and the dedication that he has for his craft. There is no doubt that he has the talent and the gift to play at this level. He had the longest drive of the tournament at one point with a drive of 362 yds. He ended up averaging 320.10 yards driving for the tournament which was top 4. That he made it to the final round of this Open is also a testament to his ability being this is his first year in the Pro Circuit. San Diego great Phil Mickelson did not make the cut.

The future is bright for Tony as he looks ahead and evaluates his coming year. He has the physique and apparently the determination to become a force in this circuit. The cold weather yesterday was not the norm for San Diego and as we look at Tony Finau, we can visualize him as becoming an anomaly of stardom in this game as he continues to gain experience and improves. His stats were Driving distance average 320.1; Driving accuracy 50.4; Drive total 4; Greens in regulation 58.0; putt average 1.729; save percentage 46.4.

Tony Finau, encouraged by mother, poised for PGA Tour breakthrough

Fitness 360: Raynor Whitcombe, Samoan Strength

By Dustin Lapray
Last updated: Jun 10, 2015
BodySpace spokesmodel Raynor Whitcombe wants to inspire his fellow Samoans—and the world—to live fit. Read his story and get his full fitness plan! Raynor Whitcombe didn't get into fitness because he wanted to change the world, but winning the 2015 BodySpace Spokesmodel Search may provide him with the opportunity to do just that.

Whitcombe started lifting to build size and strength growing up in Samoa, but he now hopes to inspire his fellow Samoans—and everyone around the world—to reap the benefits of a fit and active life.Watch the video below to learn more about Whitcombe's upbringing, message, and fitness mission, and read on to get his full training, nutrition, and supplement plan!

FITNESS 360 2015 BODYSPACE SPOKESMODEL RAYNOR WHITCOMBE
WATCH THE VIDEO - 5:48

ISLAND-MADE DREAMS
Every bodybuilder's physique tells a story, but there's always more than hard work and consistency behind the body. As a child in New Zealand and Samoa, Whitcombe played baseball, soccer, basketball, and football.

VITAL STATS Name: Raynor Aden Whitcombe
Age: 26
Height: 6'2"
Contest weight: 214 lbs.
Occupation:Cinematographer, personal trainer
Education: Liberal arts degree, American Samoa Community College; exercise science certificate, Weltec Institute

A shift to heavy weightlifting as a high school senior got him ready for the field. But Whitcombe's sports dreams were not meant to be. He was destined for a different sort of championship.

The Whitcombe brothers—Tulaga, Terrence, and Raynor—moved to Samoa with their mother, Ruta Peleti Thompson, from New Zealand following their parents' divorce. Their grandparents were pastors in Samoa, an island nation in the South Pacific of about 200,000 people. It was there that Whitcombe really became immersed in sports and, later, bodybuilding.
"I grew up on the islands, learning the language and culture," Whitcombe says. "The obesity rate has skyrocketed in American Samoa. I want to be an example, a role model to my people. It doesn't have to be this way. My people must become aware of what's good for their diet, for them to be around longer for their children and their grandchildren."
The obesity rate in Samoa is terrifying. Since World War II brought Western culture to the Pacific Rim with its high-fat, processed diet, the island nations have seen dramatic rises in obesity and diabetes. The World Health Organization estimates that a staggering 80 percent of women in American Samoa are overweight, and 47 percent of its citizens are diabetic.1,2Cardiovascular disease, anemia, and hypertension are among the highest levels on Earth.
"It comes down to diet and exercise," Whitcombe says. "[My people] are aware, but choose not to eat better or exercise. It's really sad, but I hope to make a change in someone's life back home and create that chain reaction."

Whitcombe began working with his brothers, as well as personal trainer Eliu Paopao, who motivated him by breaking him down and instructing him in proper form. "Almost every day, Eliu would call me 'skinny bitch,'" Whitcombe says. "I hated to be called that in the gym. It started getting to me. I wanted to prove them wrong, and that motivated me to be better, to change, to make them realize I had potential to grow.

RAYNOR WHITCOMBE WAS DESTINED FOR A DIFFERENT SORT OF CHAMPIONSHIP.The group trained heavy, with high reps and constant variation of exercises and angles. "I knew nothing," Whitcombe says. "I had no form. The training with Eliu was brutal. He was the type of trainer who had you lift until you had to go throw up."
To reach his target audience, Whitcombe also educated himself formally. He earned a degree in liberal arts in Samoa, then attended the Wellington Institute of Technology in New Zealand to study exercise science. He landed a position as a personal trainer at Les Mills gym. For the first time, he was truly living his dream of helping people.
GIVING BACKRaynor's aims are lofty. Not only does he want to reverse the obesity epidemic plaguing Samoa and help Samoans become fit, he wants to help the entire world become a fitter place as well. Reaching a larger audience with his message of healthy living inspired Whitcombe to sign up for the BodySpace Spokesmodel contest.

NOT ONLY DOES RAYNOR WANT TO REVERSE THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC PLAGUING SAMOA AND HELP SAMOANS BECOME FIT, HE WANTS TO HELP THE ENTIRE WORLD BECOME A FITTER PLACE AS WELL."I want people to know it's not about me, why I am here," Whitcombe says. "It's about giving to others. Whatever I learn, I want people to know I am willing to offer that knowledge to them, to guide them to stepping stones, to get them in the right direction.
As a Bodybuilding.com spokesmodel, Whitcombe is excited travel the world, speaking at expos and representing not just Samoa, but the entire fitness culture. "I want to help people around the world make a change. It's not just about looks; it's about feeling good about yourself. It's about feeling healthy and taking care of your body, because we only have one body on this earth. If you don't take care of it, you're not going to be around very much longer."

HYPING THE ALL BLACKSWhitcombe isn't just about fitness. He also works as a freelance cinematographer with his brother Tulaga, who runs a media business in American Samoa. In thisNew Zealand All Blacks hype video, Tulaga did the music production and editing, and Raynor shot and edited the video.

Unfortunately, life expectancy on the islands has dropped as the health crisis has overtaken the people. "The food in my diet is not so great back home," Whitcombe explains. "Maybe back in the day it was, before all the fast foods arrived. The people back home are dying at such a young age. They are having heart attacks and wondering what's happening."
That's exactly what Whitcombe is here to change.

NUTRITION PLAN
Whitcombe's nutrition program is pretty basic. He follows this specific diet because it works for hisbody. He eats nutrient-dense foods to perform at his best when he trains.
"This is a great starting diet for the Samoan people," Whitcombe says. "It gives them an idea of what type of foods they should be eating for overall health and weight-loss goals."

MEAL 1: 6 A.M.
QUAKER OLD-FASHIONED OATS: 1 CUP
BANANA: 1
PROTOGEN COOKIES & CREAM PROTEIN SHAKE: 1 SCOOP

MEAL 2: 8:30 A.M.
WHOLE EGGS: 2 LARGE
EGG WHITES: 4
AVOCADO: 100 G
MIXED NUTS: 1 OZ.

MEAL 3: NOON
SWORDFISH: 200 G
RED BELL PEPPER: 100 G
MIXED NUTS: 1 OZ.
AVOCADO: 70 G

MEAL 4: 1:30 P.M.
PROTOGEN COOKIES & CREAM PROTEIN SHAKE: 1 SCOOP

MEAL 5: 4:30 P.M.
WHOLE-WHEAT TOAST: 2 SLICES
BANANA: 1
PEANUT BUTTER: 2 TBSP

MEAL 6: 7 P.M.
MIXED VEGGIES (PEAS, CARROTS, CORN): 1-1/2 CUPS
SWORDFISH: 200 G
SWEET POTATO: 200 G

TRAINING PHILOSOPHYWhitcombe has superb symmetry, but that took a lot of work. He stopped training legs and back when he finished high school football, and only did upper-body work—hest, shoulders, and arms—for several years. Once he started doing full-body training again, Whitcombe grew into the balanced bodybuilder he is today. "I like to feel strong from the ground up; it helps keep me explosive in my agility drills when I train," he says.

Weight training comes first, followed by HIIT cardio. Whitcombe keeps his rest periods short, and he incorporates plyometrics—plyo lunges, box jumps, squat jumps, and other explosive exercises— into his split. Those plyos come in circuits of 3 exercises, 20 seconds each, with 10-second rest periods.
He'll also cycle in two-a-days, doubling up his workouts three days each week. "I focus on my weak points, and increase the training sessions to help build and strengthen that muscle group. I don't have any specific on/off times. I like to just train and push my body until it gets tired," he says.

TRAINING REGIMEN

DAY 1: LEGS
1
BODYWEIGHT SQUAT
1-2 warm-up sets

2
LEG EXTENSION
Wide 4-5 sets of 15-20 reps, rest 40-45 sec.
Close 4-5 sets of 15-20 reps, rest 40-45 sec.
Alternate legs 2-3 sets of 40 reps, rest 40-45 sec.

3
WIDE-STANCE BARBELL SQUAT (BAREFOOT)
10-15 warm-up reps
6 sets of 15, 10-12, 10-12, 10-12, 10-2, 10-12, rest 40-50 sec.

4
CLOSE-STANCE BARBELL SQUAT (BAREFOOT)
1 warm-up set of 15 reps
5 sets of 12-15 reps

5
BODYWEIGHT LUNGE
4 sets of 20 reps;
Set 1: walking lunge
Set 2: 1 pulse lunge at the bottom, then full single lunge
Set 3: 2 pulse lunges at the bottom, then full single lunge
Set 4: 3 pulse lunges at the bottom, then full single lunge

6
BODYWEIGHT SQUAT JUMP
4 sets of 10 reps

DAY 2: BACK
WARM-UP
1
PULL-UP
1 set to failure

2
DUMBBELL REVERSE FLY IN ROW POSITION
3-4 sets of 20 reps

3
DUMBBELL ROW
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

4
DUMBBELL SINGLE-ARM REVERSE-GRIP ROW
4-5 sets of 15-20 reps

5
UNDERHAND LAT PULL-DOWN
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

6
WIDE-GRIP LAT PULL-DOWN
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

7
BENT-OVER BARBELL ROW
4 sets of 12-15 reps

8
SEATED CLOSE-GRIP CABLE ROW
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

DAY 3: ARMS
1
EZ-BAR CURL
2 warm-up sets of 12-15 reps

2
HAMMER CURL
4-5 sets of 10-12 reps

3
SINGLE-ARM DUMBBELL CURL
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

4
EZ-BAR REVERSE CURL
3-4 sets of 10-12 reps

5
CONCENTRATION CURL
3-4 sets of 10-12 reps

6
TRICEPS CABLE PULL-DOWN (NO ATTACHMENT)
2-3 sets of 40 reps;
Perform 10 reps
Take 1 step forward, 10 reps
Take 1 step forward, 10 reps
Turn around, overhead triceps extension, 10 reps

7
STANDING OVERHEAD DUMBBELL TRICEPS PRESS
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

8
OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION (ROPE ATTACHMENT)
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

Rest 45-55 seconds.

DAY 4: SHOULDERS
WARM-UP SUPERSET
1
MACHINE SHOULDER PRESS
2-3 sets

DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS
2-3 sets

2
BARBELL MILITARY PRESS
Warm up 15 reps
4 sets of 15 reps

I like to come just under the chin and then back up. No pause at the top. Resist on the eccentric part of the lift.
3
CLOSE-GRIP BARBELL MILITARY PRESS
Warm up 15 reps
4 sets of 15 reps

4
DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISES
4-6 sets of 10-15 reps

5
SEATED REAR-DELT DUMBBELL RAISE
3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

Use light weight for this exercise to keep the rear delt isolated.
6
BARBELL SINGLE-ARM LANDMINE SHOULDER PRESS
4-5 sets of 15-20 reps

7
CABLE REAR-DELT EXTENSION
4-5 sets of 10-12 reps

8
SEATED SINGLE-ARM DUMBBELL PRESS
3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

DAY 5: CHEST
1
INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS
1 warm-up set
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

2
INCLINE DUMBBELL FLY
3-4 sets of 10-12 reps

3
SMITH MACHINE INCLINE PRESS
4-5 sets of 10-15 reps

4
CABLE CROSS-OVER
6-8 sets of 12-15 reps

5
SEATED CHEST PRESS
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

Rest 45 seconds.

DAY 6: LEGS AND ABS
WARM-UP
1
EXPLOSIVE JUMP
1 warm-up set

2
LEG EXTENSION
1 warm-up set

3
LEG PRESS (WIDE)
Warm-up set of 20 reps, 4 sets of 20-25 reps

4
LEG PRESS (CLOSE)
4 sets of 15-20 reps

5
LEG PRESS SINGLE-LEG
3-4 sets of 12-15 reps

6
SEATED HAMSTRING CURL
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

7
LYING LEG CURL
4-5 sets of 12-15 reps

8
AB CRUNCH ON BENCH
4 sets of 20 reps

9
OBLIQUE CRUNCH ON BENCH
3-4 sets of 15-20 reps

10
SLOW BEAR CRAWL WITH MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
3-4 sets of 20 seconds

When I get to the halfway point, I do mountain climbers.
11
REVERSE CRUNCH
3 sets of 10-12 reps

12
FLUTTER KICK
3 sets of 20 reps

Rest 45 seconds.

DAY 7: HIIT TRISETS
TRISET: 2-3 SETS
1
BURPEE
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off

FREEHAND JUMP SQUAT
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off

LATERAL STEP JUMP
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off

TRISET: 2-3 SETS
2
PLYO LUNGE
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off

BEAR CRAWL
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off

FROG LEAP
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off

TRISET: 2-3 SETS
3
SPRINT
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off

PLYOMETRIC PUSH-UP
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off

TUCK JUMP
20 sec. on, 10 sec. off

Rest 45-60 sec. after each triset.

SUPPLEMENT REGIMENUPON WAKING
CELLUCOR CINNAMON SWIRL COR WHEY: 1 SCOOP
CELLUCOR SUPER HD: 1 TABLET

PRE-WORKOUT
DYMATIZE M.P.ACT: 2 SERVINGS

INTRA-WORKOUT
BODYBUILDING.COM AMP'D RECOVERY: 2 SCOOPS

POST-WORKOUT
BODYBUILDING.COM COOKIES AND CREAM PROTOGEN: 2 SCOOPS
RAYNOR'S TOP 5 GYM TRACKS

Marcus Mariota, a Samoan phenomenon rarely seen

By Albert Ainuu

This was something that seemed to gnaw away at my sub-conscious as I went about my weeks of recovering from a bout with gout that prohibited me from writing the articles and stories needed for my website, Le Malae, leading up to the past weekend which is the most anticipated weekend in North America. The arrival of the 2015 NFL season is a weird phenomenon that wakes up the beast of sporting fanaticism in America and had me, my son and about 200 million other Americans fans of gridiron salivating at the prospect of a new season of American football to be watched, enjoyed and discussed with as much passion as those actually playing the game. Its almost as if the nation's life revolves around this sport which from September to next February will consume all of our spare time and weekends diagnosing, evaluating, debating and preparing our fantasy football squads as well as cheering on actual teams we support, both amateur and professional.

This is a ritual that has become more and more anticipatory with each passing year. After the Superbowl, we are gorged and full from a 6 month steady diet of football. Not only NFL, but College and High School football have been foremost in our weekly lives and are the preferred topics of discussion whenever two or more males (and sometimes females) are gathered. It is a religion. The transition from Football to normal life after the Superbowl is a painful and extracted process. The mind seems to wonder into areas of thought it would rather avoid, like family chores, work, school, taking care of the pets....all these necessary activities become prominent as we adapt to life after football. We wait and pine away like a lost lover waiting for the return of her sailor on the dull and lifeless shores of reality. Until that sail appears off the horizon and our hearts leap and eyes begin to come to life.

And thats just the Draft.

As crazy as it may sound, the USA, and the growing number of fans internationally, are addicted to the annual pilgrimage to the promised land: the Super Bowl. In February, 2016 we will witness the crowning of the Super Bowl Champion at SB50. Its going to be a special game. It always is.

As this years season begins there are a number of story lines which have a direct connection to our Polynesian and Samoan people. Its already a well known fact that Football Island exists in the small territory of American Samoa. 60 minutes, the TV show, has already verified the statistics of how Samoans from this small island have a 56% better chance of making it to the NFL than any other race in the USA. Its been a continued feature that is revisited every year at about this time, how Samoans and Polynesians have certain God-given natural abilities and body-types that make them better suited to this sport. They have also examined ad nauseum, the cultural aspects of our people that make them so adept at succeeding at the professional level. But then we watch the first game of Samoan Quarterback Marcus Mariota, a rookie starting for the Tennessee Titans, and it throws all of these prognosticator's speculative predictions out the window. The so called experts who were debating whether Marcus would adapt his game to the Pro game successfully, all were rendered inconsequential by his first NFL game performance which I can only compare to one other athlete's performance that I have seen in my life. That is Olympic Diver: Greg Louganis.

Lost in all of the hooplah and opinions of the media is a small known fact. Most of our Samoan athletes have played the game at a disadvantage. Most, meaning that alot of the Samoan and Polynesians playing this sport came into the game late or were not fully ready to deal with fast paced life in the American Sports arena. These athletes had the right opportunity but were adapting to a culture while learning the sport. Many were not academically ready. They came from the "rock" as we call Tutuila, and entered a world of stardom, bright lights and fame almost immediately and yet many had never experienced so much as a plane flight before heading out to play ball in America. And yet they were able to make the adjustment and succeed. Its a testament to our ability to absorb culture shock and keep going that so many of our young men have broken through this "fala" or pandanus mat ceiling to mingle with the elite of this sport, which is the number one sport in terms of money, in the world. They deserve a great deal of congratulations for making such a difficult transition and excel when all the odds are not in their favor.

But then there comes along this rare phenomenon when all the planets line up favorably for a Samoan athlete. I have seen what can happen when a Samoan athlete with great talent, is given the best opportunity to succeed and he takes it to the limit. Greg Louganis was a Samoan/Swedish boy born in San Diego and adopted by a family who raised him in fairly well off circumstances. He received the support from his family who recognized early his tendencies around the family pool, and they enrolled him into Diving instruction at a young age. Diving became his escape as a teen and the instructors who molded him saw a special talent indeed and were more than willing to push him further. So much so that one coach invited him to live in their home and receive daily coaching because the potential they saw in Greg was that he had a rare gift. In time Greg went on to win gold medals in 2 separate Olympics and his combined score of 710 is still considered one for the ages.

Watching Greg execute the most difficult dives in such an effortless manner reminded one of a dance rather than a sporting event. His technique was fluid and so natural that it was mesmerizing to watch. It never seemed like he was exerting that much effort or sweat in putting together his amazing performances. These were masterpieces and we were watching the master at work when Greg Louganis stepped up to the edge of the diving board. The Samoan phrase that comes to mind is Le Gaoia which interpreted means effortless or without exertion.

This was what I saw on Sunday when Marcus Mariota went to work as the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. It was pure magic, effortless, seamless choreography that was a testimony as to how ready he was. Every situation was taken into account and his response was like he was dancing around the behemoths who were plotting his demise on that field. If I squinted my eyes I could see a matador facing an enraged charging bull. His ability to sidestep danger and release passes in the midst of chaos which were on point and deadly accurate, seemed to mock the consensus from the experts that he would be mediocre at best as a Quarterback in the NFL because he was not NFL ready. They all surmised he had played for a college football system in Oregon that was nothing like the real world and thus would have trouble making the transition to pro football which was more a drop back pro style of playing. They went on to doubt he had the mental toughness to compete at this level. And these stinging comments were not only directed at Marcus, but indirectly at all our Samoan athletes as this was the epitome of the Football hierarchy we were trying to excel at. The Quarterback, a sanctified position only reserved for the elite and Samoans were now knocking at the door.

For a Samoan to compete at this level was not anticipated by the Football experts. This was a position that was more cerebral than anything. The latest superstar at that position was some kid out of Stanford. Thats a school known for its high tech programs and was as capable of turning out the CEO of Apple as it were an NFL Quarterback so they did not give marcus Mariota from Oregon much of a chance especially as he was an island boy. But there he was. Straight out of college, Heisman Trophy and all, smiling and yet quiet as he led Oregon into the College Championship game. But it didnt seem to be enough.

Consensus was he was just a little too timid to be the kind of leader the NFL players would respond to. The criticisms were not easy to listen to. First Take a popular ESPN show featuring two very passionate commentators, Steven A Smith and Skip Bayless, were both adamant that Jameis Winston would be a better Quarterback than Mariota in the Pros. And so they sat and watched as the silent assassin dismantled the Tampa Bay Bucs as if they were a Semi-pro team. They sat and watched Marcus make 13 of 16 throws for 209 yards and 4 touchdowns. The final score: 42-14. Against Jameis Winston the rookie quarterback for the Tampa Bay Bucs, Marcus showed a poise that belied his experience and age.

By the end of the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game Marcus was done the coaches saw no reason to keep him in the game, the score showed that the Titans were sprinting away in a blowout that emphasized the differences between he and the other rookie quarterback. Jameis Winston had been selected ahead of Marcus in the Draft by Tampa Bay who happened to be facing the Tennessee Titans last Sunday. Most of the prognosticators felt Marcus was not as game ready as Jameis Winston who played for Florida State University as a college player. Jameis had been very successful, infact he had won the Heisman trophy in 2014. But Marcus had won the Heisman this year so it was a battle between the top two College Quarterbacks of the last 2 years. Talk about pressure.

Marcus seemed cool in the face of the assault from Tampa Bay's defense. They tried hard to disrupt him and confuse him which was thought to be an easy task given this would be Marcus's first ever NFL game and surely he would be tight and nervous. But as they found out Marcus was not one to be easily flustered, nor was he bothered by the speed of the defenses in the NFL. He quietly set out to do his job. And he did it well. So well that he set a record for efficiency as a rookie in his first game. A QB rating of 158.3 is the highest you can go in the professional game. Marcus had that plus 4 TD passes to go with no interceptions. But more important than the stats were the style in which he made the passes and executed the plays.

It was as if he been playing the pro version of football for years. He was decisive. His throws were crisp and accurate. No wasted effort, no excessive celebration after the TD passes, no beating of his chest which he deserved to do considering all the negative talk he had silenced with his work ethic and efficiency. But it was one game and the talking heads said as much. However, what I saw yesterday was a sign. I saw the future and it was evident the NFL were not ready for this because normally a rookie in their first game would throw interceptions and become rattled not only by the other team teeing off against a "rookie", but by the magnitude of the stage he was now on. But that was not the case.

Marcus Mariota, after the game seemed unimpressed with the result. He was focused on the next game already. The fans however were esctatic. The Tennessee Titans had been looking for a good Quarterback to play for them since Steve McNair. The difference between the play of Mariota and Winston was evident in the level of comfort each felt with their game plan. Tennessee's coaches seemed comfortable with the idea of conforming their game plan to utilize the skills of Mariota. He was able to make the adjustment with little stress and that is perhaps the number one cause of erratic play for rookie starter quarterbacks, the level of stress they experience based on the level of players they face, as well as the new systems they must learn.

Marcus still has alot to learn and he will have bad games down the road. But if anything his play brought back memories of a Greg Louganis who came into the Olympics with a huge burden and seemed unfazed by the magnitude of the weight of a nation which he carried on his shoulders. The level of competency with which he executed the most difficult of dives was similar to how Marcus was so focused on his play that the game seemed rather slow for him as he anticipated teammates moves and defenders moves with precision to make the play and avoid both interceptions and sacks. This level of play is what is possible when the level of skill, natural talent and personality of a Samoan athlete are matched by the coaching and training of the organization. Its a thing of beauty when it happens and I am seeing this potential emerge as a long term proposition from Marcus Mariota who has been well coached and had the right attitude from High School, to College. Now that he has reached the NFL, all of these elements are coming together into a well choreographed dance that is seen perhaps once every generation. The value of being brought up right and having a foundation that is impervious to criticism and praise is going a long way to ensuring this Samoan Quarterback will succeed...... and if the signs are correct, his destiny is in the stars.

Door opens to USA for local Samoan Rugby players
from Samoa Observer

PROMISING FUTURE: Mahonri Schwalger, Junior Tagaloa and Dave Fisher.

The Rugby Academy Samoa’s quest to give promising young Samoan rugby players the chance to develop their talents and education overseas took another positive step.

This time, three young players will soon be making their way to the United States of America where they will study and play rugby as part of the scholarships provided by the rugby programme.

Dave Fisher, of Yale University, has been in the country for the past couple of days working with the programme and yesterday; one of the players chosen was named.

He is 18-year-old Junior Tagaloa.

“I am very humbled by the opportunity,” said the young player. “I’m looking forward to the challenge, it’s a big step for me and I’m extremely grateful to the guys here at the Rugby Academy for making this happen.”

Tagaloa will soon be joined by two others in the United States.

They make up the first batch of scholarship winners, that include two scholarship winners named for New Zealand last year.

During a session with the players yesterday, Mr. Fisher encouraged Tagaloa and the two would-be scholarship players to use the opportunity wisely.

“The first three new players to the States will open more doors and opportunities to many local players in Samoa,” he said.

“So it’s a must for these players to use the opportunity well for themselves but also for their country. My hope is to continue to work with many local Samoan players in the future.” Mr. Fisher encouraged members of the Academy to think big and work hard.

“There is always an opportunity for you when you work hard.”

The message was embraced by former Manu Samoa Captain, Mahonri Schwalger, who is behind the Rugby Samoa Academy. “Discipline and honesty will take you there,” he told the players, encouraging them to keep training hard and keep their focus.

Mr. Schwalger said the opportunities in America are among many doors that will open if they keep working hard. “Our focus so far is to continue to develop young players so that more opportunities like this will become available,” he said.

“I want to thank Mr. Fisher for stepping in to help the Academy and make it happen for these young ones.

We are looking forward to work with him in the future.” Mr. Schwalger said the two other players for the United States would be a prop and a lock.

They would be named soon.

The Rugby Academy is bring run by Mr. Schwalger, George Stowers, Robert Johnston with assistance from players and companies across the globe.

The AIGA Foundation's Polynesian All American Bowl brought together talent, experience and Faith in God

George Malauulu, (in red) on the sideline with members of the AIGA Foundation team.

By Albert Ainuu

On January 10, 2015 the AIGA Foundation held its 5th annual Polynesian All American Bowl at Oceanside High School. The game itself is the conclusion of a week of activities that included camps, seminars and entertainment. The athletes selected to play in the Bowl consisted of Polynesian football players from around the world. There were a number from American Samoa. Others came from all over the USA from Georgia to Alaska. Hawaii was well represented and football players from the Mid West to Pacific North West.

George Malauulu, the President and Co-Founder of the AIGA Foundation, was extremely pleased with how the event transpired. The AIGA Foundation is something he and his fellow former college and professional athletes of Samoan descent from the Carson, CA area, decided they would undertake as a means to assist student-athletes from across the Mainland United States, Hawai’i, and American Samoa in acquiring athletic scholarships in the sport of football.

Coach of the White team ex NFL player Luther Ellis.

George also understands the importance of academics and the role it plays in future employment and business opportunities. He envisions the AIGA Foundation as the apparatus that bridges the gap between raw talent and the opportunity for student-athletes who are willing to work hard for a successful future.

To date, thousands of student-athletes have attended AIGA events and have gone on to compete at the college and also the Professional level. A recent NFL draftee Levine Toilolo of the Atlanta Falcons went through the AIGA Foundation program and is a shining example where he attended Stanford University on scholarship and last year realized his dream to play in the NFL..

Families of the players came ready to cheer.

What impressed most in the aftermath of this very competitive game, was to hear the players all say how valuable it was to meet these other Polynesian football players from around the world. They were excited to be given this opportunity to be acknowledged as one of the best Polynesian High School players and to compete against each other. But what surprised us most was their universal acknowledgement that this was not just about football but most important it reaffirmed their faith in God. This is not what you would expect from a Football Camp but it was one of the most important outcomes that the founders of this game had intended.

George Malauulu made that clear when we spoke to him, that the goal of this event was not only to improve the boys ability to gain Football Scholarships, but to increase their faith in God. He specifically brought together coaches and staff who were active in their faith and were qualified to speak to these young men on matters from football to relying on God for their strength. Individuals like Coach Ray Toilolo and many others who have been involved since day one are great examples for these young men to follow.

Preparation was important to the game

The game began at 1pm at the Oceanside High School Pirates stadium. There was a large turnout of families and fans from all over the country there to support and cheer on their sons, cousins, nephews and grandchildren. And the game did not disappoint.

There were a number of college coaches there to evaluate the largest collection of Polynesian football talent assembled in one place. The game was not taken lightly by the coaches who came from professional, college and High School ranks. The Black team was coached by perennial Pro Bowl Center Kevin Mawae while the White team was coached by another NFL great, Luther Ellis. Other notables on the side lines of these two teams were Pisa Tinoisamoa, Joe Paopao, John Lauvai, Reno Mahe, Pulu Poumele, Sione Taufo'ou, Willie Tuitama, Gery Graham, Kani Kauahi, Andrew Paopao, Tyler Paopao, Moriuto Suesue, Steve Tafua, Damien Mama and Juju Smith.

The Black team Offensive Line and the Quarterback are ready to roll.

The game was won 27-21 by the Black team which came back from a first half deficit to snatch victory from the White Team. The Black team found success running behind Bailey Laolagi from Folsom, CA. He scored 2 Touchdowns including an 80 yard run as he showed a fluid acceleration that reminded one of the smooth running style of Laveon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defenses were extremely hard hitting and punishing. Logan Tago an Outside Linebacker from Samoana HS, American Samoa was outstanding on the defensive side of the ball where he was equally as adept at stuffing the run as he was covering a wide receiver. One thing can be said of this game is the Offensive Linemen are NFL size. Both teams had behemoths who averaged 6'4" and over 300lbs from side to side.

White team gets last minute instructions from their coaches

The crowd of over 3000 people were well entertained by the game and especially the opening by the Katina brothers who sang the National Anthem in acapella. The Katina brothers also performed at the AIGA Foundation concert the night before in Oceanside. After the game the athletes performed their exhilarating Siva Tau which was taught to them by Kiki Sotoa and Taupou Samoa.

The sidelines were like a who's who from Pacific Island celebrities. Jesse Sapolu, the 49er great was there with family members. Manti Te'o of the San Diego Chargers stood beside Jesse. There was also the Katina brothers and Joe Sav of the BBQ show among others.

The recipients of the AIGA Foundation special recognition. L-R the Katina bros, Leo Reed, Mama and Papa Se'au and the Egoscue representative.

As part of the event's program special acknowledgement was made of certain individuals and organizations who had made this event possible and were worthy of recognition. These included the Se'au family, Junior's father and mother received a special acknowledgement as the field where the game was held was where Junior Seau's legend was created. Also acknowledged were the Katina brothers, world famous entertainers. The representative of Egoscue who were instrumental in financing the event was also presented with an award. One of the special recipients of the AIGA Foundation' awards was Leo Reed, who was the head of Teamsters Union Local 399 for 25 years.

As the event closed there was a collective feeling from all there that they had witnessed a great event where the purpose of helping young men find their way in life whether it be through college football or other worthy endeavor had been achieved. The field where a legend was made, Oceanside High School, the home field of Junior Se'au, was now the field where a host of new Polynesian athletes were prepared to face the future with courage and determination thanks to the AIGA Foundation.