Polo Manukainiu the latest in OU's Tongan pipeline with Euless Trinity

BEDFORD, Texas — After Euless Trinity finished off a 35-8 win over Haltom on Friday night at Pennington Field, University of Oklahoma commit Polo Manukainiu took his place in front of his team. Manukainiu led his team in the postgame haka, a Maori war dance made famous in sports by New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team and performed by Hawaii's football team as well.
Nila Kasitati, an OU freshman from Trinity, brought the haka to the Sooners during two-a-days.
As the players repeat the rhythmic movements led by Manukainiu, they yell out in Tongan in answer to the 6-foot-6, 256-pound defensive end.
Euless is home to more Tongans per capita than any other city in the country. More than two percent of the town of about 52,000 are Pacific Islanders with most of those coming from Tonga, a small group of islands in the South Pacific.
“This is just where a lot of people end up when they first come over here,” said another big, Tongan defensive end for the Trojans, Gaius Vaenuku.
Trinity's football team has certainly benefitted from the pipeline.
They've won three state championships in the last six seasons and made the state title game in each of the last two.
The Sooners have started to take advantage of that, first with Kasitati and now with Manukainiu, who committed to OU in early September.
“I've definitely been talking to the other guys about coming with me,” Manukainiu said. “Especially the other defensive ends.”
Vaenuku (6-4, 244) and Sam Tevi (6-5, 255) are also drawing serious looks from the Sooners.
The pair joined Manukainiu in Norman for the Missouri game last month.
“He always talks about OU like he wants us to go with him,” Vaenuku said.
The Trinity player the Sooners are after more than any other, now that Manukainiu has pledged to OU, is linebacker Brian Nance.
Nance considered committing to OU at the same time as his teammate but decided to take a step back and wait until after the season, saying he didn't want it to be a distraction. He's scheduled to visit OU, Baylor and USC.
“I'm about at the same spot,” Nance said. “I just want to take my time with is and make sure I make the right choice.”
Both Nance and Manukainiu have battled injuries. Nance came back from an ACL injury but looks 100 percent now, while Manukainiu played but had to be relieved often during Trinity's win Friday.
“I'm not full strength but I'm feeling OK,” Manukainiu said. “I've just got to get used to playing with it before the playoffs.”

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Opponents can’t ground Flyin’ Hawaiian

During a season in which the only consistency the Argonauts have shown is constantly failing to get into the end zone and continuously finding new and creative ways to lose, there is Chad Owens.

The Flyin’ Hawaiian has been the model of consistency.

Despite playing on a 3-10 team, the kick returner/receiver has 2,431 combined yards and is on pace to become the first player in professional football to amass more than 3,000 in back-to-back seasons.

When Owens passed the 3,000-yard mark last year, he joined former Argos Pinball Clemons and Rocket Ismail as the only players to cross that barrier.

But despite being ranked with such CFL greats and being on the verge of sports history, Owens says the record means little because of the team’s record.

“It may be something for my sons to talk about later on, but I’m not a real big individual stats guy — and we’re 3-10,” he said Wednesday as the Argos returned to the field to prepare for a Thanksgiving Day game against the first-place Montreal Alouettes. “I’d give all the yards up to flip that record.”

The 29-year-old, who parlayed last season’s performance into a healthy pay raise, says the accomplishments ring hollow in light of the team’s failings.

“Last year, special teams player of the year but no chance at a Grey Cup,” he said. “This year, there’s a chance to be a back-to-back 3,000-all-purpose-yards guy, but no playoffs. That’s the way it’s looking.

“It’s tough. It’s bittersweet.”

In less than two years, the 5-foot-7 speedster has established himself as the best in the CFL. His teammates say he’s the best they’ve seen.

“He’s the best I’ve played with,” said running back Jeff Johnson, who has also blocked for the likes of Bashir Levingston and Dominique Dorsey. “Dorsey was tough, but Chad is the most fearless. He hits the hole harder than anyone I’ve seen.

“As a return team, we know we can change the momentum of the game every time the other guys kick. Even if there’s no lane, he creates one.”

The only downgrade on Owens’ game this year has been in touchdowns. He returned four kicks for majors last year and only one this season.

But, as Owens points out, return touchdowns are down across the league, mainly because opponents are kicking out of bounds to avoid big returns. Last week against Hamilton, the Ticats punted out of bounds all night — giving the Argos 30 yards in illegal punt penalties.

“Coverage teams have done a better job kicking away and that’s just the fact of the matter,” he said.