Tafuna Warriors head to Oregon Nike Football Camp

n preparation for the upcoming ASHSAA football season, the Tafuna Warriors are getting ready to head to the US mainland to attend the University of Oregon Nike Football Camp. The Warriors had a near perfect 10-2 season, losing once to the Samoana Sharks in the second round of the last ASHSAA football season and then again at the hands of Samoana in the title match last November. (Samoana won 7-6.) Tafuna hopes with the help of their summer football camp, they can achieve the perfect season next time around. According to Tafuna Warriors Head Football Coach Jason Magalei, the group of Varsity and Junior Varsity players, coaches and parents will depart the island for Oregon on June 17, 2010. “We will be leaving the island on the 17th of next month, and we will be attending summer football camp at the University of Oregon’s Nike Football Camp,” Magalei said, noting that their trip will last 10 days. He says after their summer camp at Oregon University, they will ride to Portland State University, where they will meet up with Samoan football coach Lolegi Suiaunoa. The PSU coach will give the boys a tour of the school, and teach them some basic fundamentals of the game from the NCAA’s point of view. “We will be going over to Portland State University after our summer camp, to meet up with one of our Samoan coaching friends who is coaching for Portland, and he’ll give us a tour of the school, and help the boys out by running through some skills and methods that they use [at] the college level,” added Magalei. He says after their PSU visit, they will drive over to Lewis and Clark University (LCU) in Portland, where they will meet up with the previous Tafuna Warriors JV head coach Kolose Ili, who is now coaching football at LCU. “We are very happy to say that we also have another stop in Portland after our visitation to PSU,” said Magalei. “We are really looking forward to seeing one of our old friends and coaching staff members, he was last years JV head coach, and Championship head coach for two seasons straight — coach Kolose Ili.” Of Ili, he says “we are so looking forward to meeting with him again, and since now he’s a coach for LCU, we planned that he would also run his JV players who are now in the Varsity squad, through some drills and methods that they use at LCU for the benefit of our boys.” Magalei also mentioned that when they get to Hawaii on their way to Oregon, they will drive to the University of Hawaii Manoa, and take a tour of the school while waiting for their flight to Portland in June of next month. Forty-one football players, a mixture of Varsity players, and Junior Varsity players are planning to make the trip. Eight coaches will also be on the same flight, along with five parents including the Booster Club secretary, treasurer, and members that have already paid and set reservations for June 17. Samoa News asked Magalei, how are they able to make the trip with the amount of players and parents going to summer camp in Oregon. “Well we planned this trip from last year, and we have been working very hard on fund-raisers throughout the past months,” said the Tafuna head coach. “If I can remember, I am positive that we started our fundraising project for this trip in January of this year, and now we have the amount we need to ensure the benefits of these student athletes of Tafuna High School, as we look forward to another challenging season.” The team of Warriors will depart on the 17th of June, and will arrive back on island June 27. The week they return from football camp, they will get back into working the kids summer football program to prepare for the next ASHSAA Football Season. The Tafuna High School Warriors Football team would like to send out a big fa’amalo and fa’afetai to all who have helped out with their fundraising throughout the weekends, and for supporting them while they prepare for the upcoming football season.