Still 'Mento' after all these years

By Robert Kekaula / Special to the Star-Bulletin

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 27, 2009

Using a black Sharpie, David Maeva wrote "Jimmy" on the white towel that hung from his hip pad, penning his own football future.

It was Sept. 3, 1988, at Aloha Stadium. The season opener against ninth-ranked Iowa was Maeva's first game as a University of Hawaii starter. But the chicken skin he felt as the band played "Hawaii Five-0," quickly dissolved, turning him into a Rainbow running around like a chicken without a head. Scared, confused and lost at times, Maeva was left embarrassed by his play in the first half.

"I was sitting and crying in front of my locker," Maeva recalled. "I was all sick, just staring at the 'Jimmy' I wrote on my towel."

"Jimmy" was James Ferrigno, Maeva's Kamehameha Schools classmate who died in a car crash less than a month before the Hawkeyes flew into town.

"Jimmy would expect more from me," Maeva said. "I promised myself right then and there I'd never play like a wimp again. And I never did, for Jimmy."

Seventeen tackles later, the Rainbows upset Iowa, 27-24.

David was Goliath that season, earning a place on the All-Western Athletic Conference first team as a sophomore linebacker.

Maeva and safety Mike Tresler, both manini men by Division I football standards, played like the alter egos they created for themselves. "Mento" Maeva and "Psycho" Tresler were unforgettable personas.

Continue at HSB

Mouton, 3 others with isle ties drafted

Perhaps the anticipation made the waiting even harder.

Ryan Mouton had a pretty good idea he'd hear his name called when the Tennessee Titans' turn rolled around in the third round of the NFL Draft.

Still, the former Hawaii cornerback was "holding my breath," as the draft inched toward pick No. 94.

Then ...

"They called and asked how'd I like to be a Tennessee Titan," Mouton said yesterday from Houston. "I was overwhelmed. I really didn't know what to think."

Mouton was the second Warrior selected -- following defensive end David Veikune's second-round selection by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday -- and led a group of four players with Hawaii ties taken on the second day of the draft.

Veikune will be joined in Cleveland by Baldwin graduate and former USC linebacker Kaluka Maiava, the Browns' fourth-round pick.

Former Oregon State safety and Kahuku product Al Afalava was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round.

Former Hawaii long snapper Jake Ingram waited eight picks after Afalava before getting a call from the New England Patriots' special teams coach, who eventually put head coach Bill Belichick on the line.

"He said, 'We're about to turn your name in and welcome to the New England Patriots,' " Ingram said. "I'm trying to listen and just then everybody in my house started yelling and screaming."

Mouton's selection was the highest for a Hawaii defensive back since Jeris White was picked by Miami in the second round in 1974. He's the first since the St. Louis Cardinals drafted Kent Kafentzis in the ninth round in 1986.

Mouton had been hampered by a hamstring injury in the East-West Shrine Game, the NFL Combine and Hawaii's pro day. Officials from the Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers flew to Houston to meet with Mouton and watch a workout on Friday at Katy High School. Mouton said the Titans indicated they would take him with the 94th pick if he were still available.

"(Tennessee's) not too far from Houston and we play the Texans twice a year, so my family will get a chance to watch me at home," Mouton said. "The Tennessee Titans used to be the Houston Oilers, so they're still kind of the hometown team."

Maiava was the fourth USC linebacker taken in the draft and was caught a bit off guard by his pick. After watching some of the early-morning coverage, he had just jumped in the shower when his phone rang.

"It's a lot of stress off my shoulders," Maiava said. "My foot's in the door and like I told Coach (Eric) Mangini, I'm ready to go to work."

Maiava, a versatile linebacker with the Trojans, said he hadn't been told what his role in the Browns defense will be, and will leave Maui on Wednesday to report to a mini-camp that runs through Sunday, where he'll meet up with Veikune.

"He texted me this morning," Maiava said. "It's definitely going to be fun."

Afalava was taken with the 190th pick of the draft after recording 36 tackles and two interceptions with Oregon State last season. He had a visit with the Bears after his pro day.

"I had a feeling that I was going to come back to Chicago after my visit," Afalava said on the Bears' Web site. "I really enjoyed it. I got along with the coaches. I had that feeling. It's going to be a pleasure being a Bear."

Ingram will make his first trip to the Northeast this week after being picked by the Patriots, who have been to four Super Bowls since 2001.

"I thought if I got good at long snapping I might be able to get into a camp," said Ingram, who became a full-time snapper in 2005. "For this to happen is unbelievable."

Among those who went undrafted, former Hawaii defensive end Josh Leonard said he was headed to the Houston Texans as a free agent and will report in May. Cornerback Jameel Dowling is heading to the Arizona Cardinals mini-camp this week.

NFL ISLANDERS: THE NEXT GENERATION

Six players with Hawaii ties were taken this weekend in the NFL Draft, and two others signed free-agent contracts.

Player (school)	Pos.	Team	Round	Pick
Max Unger (Hawaii Prep/Oregon)	C	Seattle	second	49
David Veikune (Campbell/Hawaii)	DE	Cleveland	second	52
Ryan Mouton (Hawaii)	CB	Tennessee	third	94
Kaluka Maiava (Baldwin/USC)	LB	Cleveland	fourth	104
Al Afalava (Kahuku/Oregon State)	DB	Chicago	sixth	190
Jake Ingram (Mililani/Hawaii)	LS	New England	sixth	198

Free agents
Jameel Dowling (Hawaii), CB, Arizona; Josh Leonard (Hawaii), DL, Houston; Tavita Thompson (Saint Louis/Oregon State), OL, New York Jets

Maiava embraces new challenge

The Browns finally got their USC linebacker.

After the three more celebrated members of the Trojans' talented linebacker corps -- Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews -- went elsewhere, the Browns used their fourth-round pick, at No. 104 overall, to get Kaluka Maiava on Sunday's second day of the NFL Draft.

"Those other three guys definitely had the spotlight," Maiava, the seventh Southern Cal player to be taken to that point in the draft, said on a conference call with the Cleveland media minutes after being chosen. "But it did not hurt me. Competing against them every day made me better. It helped me to up my game."

What he lacks in hype, though, he more than makes up for in belief in self-confidence. Asked by a reporter to describe himself as a player, Maiava said. "I compete all the time. I refuse to lose. I have a nose for the ball. I'm fast, and I made plays every game."

He's right, especially on the last part. Starting all 13 games on the weak side last year, he made 66 tackles, 7.5 of which were for a loss, and had five pass breakups and an interception.

Not bad for someone who, at 5-foot-11 and 229 pounds, appears smallish at first glance, especially in comparison to his linebacker teammates in college (Maualuga is nearly 6-2 and 255, Cushing almost 6-3 and 243 and Matthews 6-3 and 240).

For Maiava, size doesn't matter. Not a bit.

"There are all kinds of guys who played in the NFL and are considered small and still make plays," he said. "You can't let that stop you. I'll never let that stop me."

What may be more important is the fact Maiava is cut from good stock. He said his father, Scott Mahoney, a former offensive lineman, briefly spent time in the NFL. His grandfather, Neff Maiava, was a pro wrestler. His brother, Kai, is a junior offensive lineman at UCLA.

And then there's the fact "The Rock" is his uncle. We're talking about Dwayne Johnson, the pro wrestler/actor who played football at Miami.

"I don't know 'The Rock' personally," Maiava said. "But he is my uncle."

No problem. That, and everything else in his past and on the periphery, won't mean a thing soon. He will be judged by the Browns solely on what he can do on the football field for them.

But where? On the inside or the outside in the Browns' 3-4 defense, the same alignment the Trojans ran?

"We (he and the coaches) have not gone over the details yet," Maiava said. "I'm just excited to be on the team. Whatever the coaches want me to do, I'll produce."

Yes, Maiava, the 16th USC player drafted by Cleveland and the first since cornerback Daylon Mutcheon in that expansion season of 1999, is excited to be with the Browns -- and surprised, too.

"I know they were looking at linebackers, but I was shocked when I got the call that they had picked me," he said.

Though traveling from the West Coast, where he played in college, and from Hawaii, where he played in high school, to the shores of Lake Erie will be a shock weather-wise -- "I'll have to get a few extra sweaters, and I'll have to leave my slippers (sandals) behind," he laughed -- he'll still find a familiar face when he gets to Cleveland.

It will be that of first-round pick Alex Mack, the Cal center he battled in the PAC-10.

"He's a very strong player," Maiava said of Mack. "He's real smart and very athletic."

And now a teammate. And his former linebacker teammates at USC are now the opponents.

Funny how things change when you get to the NFL.

Digging deep

While their teammates headed toward the locker room after practice, the Hawaii linebackers were still sweating through a set of sprints on the turf at Ching Field.

The extra running wasn't punishment so much as preparation."Coach Cal (Lee) said the LBs have to be the most in-shape guys on the field," Mana Lolotai said.

"Coach expects a lot out of us as linebackers so we have to make sure we push ourselves."

Lolotai put in a solid day's work last Saturday and alternated with senior Brashton Satele at middle linebacker in yesterday's practice.

Lolotai has been working primarily with the second unit during the spring, but got a few repetitions with the first unit after an impressive performance in last Saturday's scrimmage.

"We have to know how to play with each other," Lolotai said. "Playing with the ones, I get that more fast-paced tempo."

Lolotai (6-foot, 240 pounds) grew up in Kahuku and attended Hawaii Pacific University after graduating from Kamehameha in 2006.

He transferred to Hawaii before the 2007 season, seeing action in four games his first season. He registered four tackles while getting into 13 games last year and could push for more playing time in the fall with his showing this spring.

"They're two of our best players so we just have to find a spot for them," UH head coach Greg McMackin said of Satele and Lolotai. "They're probably two of our top five players this spring."

Both middle linebackers will probably have to be in shape for Saturday's Warrior Bowl at Aloha Stadium. McMackin said the coaches will divide the team evenly for the spring game, which probably means Satele playing for one team with Lolotai on the other side and not many breaks for either.

Lolotai's conditioning was tested last weekend when he didn't get many breaks in the Warriors' offense vs. defense scrimmage played under a draining afternoon sun.

"It was a mental gut check, you have to dig deep," Lolotai said.

While he gets more repetitions in practice, Lolotai has enough to keep his hands full after he leaves the locker room.

When Lolotai's not in classes, meetings or practice, keeping track of 2-year-old daughter, Zaiah, fills his time away from the field.

"It keeps me more grounded, I have to be more focused," Lolotai said of balancing family life with school and football. "Not only do I have football, but I have responsibilities at home, too. It kind of works hand in hand."

When choosing where to play, Mormon recruits face unique issues

Manti Te'o refrained from mincing words each time he met a college coach. Te'o, one of the nation's highest ranked linebacker prospects, told every coach who recruited him that, after his freshman season, he might leave the country for two years.

"I basically told them, 'This is me,'" said Te'o, from Laie, Hawaii. "I'm LDS. I'm thinking of serving a mission, and I want that to be available to me. If that's not in the cards for your university, I have to respect that, but I have to consider others."

Te'o is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints -- more commonly referred to as the Mormon church. When male members of the church turn 19, they are encouraged to embark on a two-year mission to proselytize in parts of the world that may not have been exposed to the 189-year-old faith. Te'o would like to serve that mission, even if it means leaving college for two years. A pronouncement like Te'o's might end most players' recruitments, but Rivals.com ranks Te'o as the nation's No. 12 overall prospect. Because Te'o has so much potential, almost every coach who recruited him consented to the mission.

The mission question is just one of a set of issues LDS players face when they look outside the small group of schools that are accustomed to signing Mormons. LDS players also must consider how their faith will mesh with the campus environment at either a secular school or one run by a different faith, and they must prepare for a backlash from some in the LDS community should they choose a school other than Brigham Young, the Provo, Utah, university run by the Mormon church. Te'o and Provo offensive lineman Xavier Su'a Filo (No. 63 by Rivals) each have faced these issues during the past few months, and each will weigh them carefully in the next few days as they decide which school they'll sign with on Wednesday.

Te'o will sign either with a state university (UCLA), a secular private university (USC) or the nation's most prominent Catholic university (Notre Dame). While starring at Punahou -- President Barack Obama's alma mater and SI's No. 1 high school athletic program in 2008 -- Te'o piqued dozens of schools' interests. He had 29 scholarship offers before he stopped counting them. His sideline-to-sideline speed and penchant for gut-rattling hits brought recruiters in droves, and, somewhat to Te'o's surprise, his request that he be allowed to go on a mission didn't drive them all away.

Te'o worried especially about USC, which had a reputation for discouraging players from going on missions. He had good reason. DeAnn Longshore, whose son, Nate, just finished his career as a quarterback at Cal, said that when her son was being recruited for the class of 2004, USC coaches told Nate, an LDS member, that they would offer a scholarship only if he promised he wouldn't leave for a mission. So, in a phone conversation about a year ago, Te'o asked Trojans coach Pete Carroll pointblank if his scholarship would be waiting for him when he returned from his mission. Te'o's father, Brian, said Carroll explained how his opinion of mission trips has changed in recent years. Brian Te'o said Carroll answered all questions when he said, "Once a Trojan, always a Trojan."

Su'a Filo, who narrowed his finalists last week to BYU, LSU, UCLA, USC and Utah, also met with less resistance than he anticipated when he brought up the mission. "The coaches have been really good at understanding," he said. Two of Su'a Filo's finalists, BYU and Utah, are accustomed to signing future missionaries. BYU encourages the mission trip for all its students, so the coaching staff is adept at juggling scholarships and the depth chart as players depart and return. Ditto for Utah, a state school only a few miles from LDS headquarters in Salt Lake City. Utes coach Kyle Whittingham is an LDS member and BYU alumnus so familiar with the Book of Mormon that he has a standby passage to fire up Utes fans ("And the Lord shall be red in his apparel"). "See," Whittingham told Yahoo! Sports last month. "It was right there in the Doctrine and Covenants the whole time."

LSU, on the other hand, is the flagship university in a state that allows gas stations to sell hard liquor. (The LDS church forbids members from drinking.) On Su'a Filo's official visit to LSU in November, Tigers coaches and players worked hard to make their guest comfortable. It didn't hurt that Su'a Filo's main recruiter was offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, a former BYU head coach who served his own mission in South Korea from 1979-81 while playing football for the Cougars. Su'a Filo said having LDS members as recruiters at some schools made discussions easier. "They understand everything about my values and my standards," he said.

That isn't entirely necessary, though. Te'o bonded with Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who is Catholic. "Charlie Weis is a great man," Te'o said. "On my official visit, he took me to the LDS church over there. They're very welcoming of athletes from different faiths." It may seem odd that the most highly sought-after Mormon recruit in the nation is considering a Catholic school, but Brian Te'o said he isn't surprised. Manti's mother's family is Catholic, and Manti enjoyed the small-town feel of South Bend. "I've noticed with Manti that those environments that are faith-based are the ones he feels more comfortable in," Brian Te'o said.

What Te'o won't know until later this year is how he, his teammates and the coaching staff at his chosen school will react when it comes time to decide whether to go on a mission. DeAnn Longshore explained that pressure will come from unexpected sources. Her son, Nate, signed with Cal out of Canyon (Calif.), fully expecting to serve a mission after his freshman year. Longshore redshirted as a freshman, and after the 2004 season, he moved to the front of the line to win the starting job in 2005. Even though Cal coaches had said nothing to discourage him from serving the mission, Longshore found himself torn.

"I don't know that the pressure came from the school," DeAnn Longshore said. "The pressure came more from just knowing that your team is counting on you. You are in the mix of things. You have been practicing with them every day. They know you. You know them. So to all of sudden say, 'I've got to leave you for a couple of years' gets really hard for the young man to do. ... The pressure to stay once you've gone there is tremendous. BYU expects their boys to go, so they've worked it into their program. Most of the other schools don't work that into their program quite as much."

DeAnn understands better than most mothers. Nate wound up staying in Berkeley and winning the starting job. Unfortunately, he broke his leg in the Bears' 2005 season opener and missed the remainder of the season. DeAnn's oldest son, Nick, signed to play at Cal State Northridge. When he returned from a mission to the Phillipines, Northridge had disbanded its football program. Nick finished his career at BYU. DeAnn's youngest son, Ben, took the same tack as Te'o during his recruitment, eliminating any school that wouldn't allow him to serve a mission. Ben, a quarterback who led Canyon to a state title in 2006, had interest from several BCS-conference schools, but wound up signing with Utah State. Ben recently began serving a two-year mission in Argentina.

Te'o and Su'a Filo drew interest from schools in every part of the country, but some in the LDS community would prefer to see them go to BYU. Te'o learned how passionate this portion of the community is last week when he eliminated BYU amid a minor scandal. According to Brian Te'o, Manti was in tears last Saturday morning when he called Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall to inform Mendenhall that he wouldn't sign with BYU. On Monday, former BYU player Hans Olsen reported on his Salt Lake City radio show that BYU had rescinded Te'o's scholarship offer weeks earlier for an alleged violation of the school's honor code that took place during Te'o's official visit from Jan. 9-11. The alleged incident involved alcohol. BYU's honor code bans students not only from consuming alcohol but also from being present when others are consuming alcohol. Brian Te'o refuted that report. He acknowledged that Mendenhall questioned Manti about the incident, but Brian said his son was not involved and that the scholarship offer remained on the table. On Thursday, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that two BYU freshmen, Shiloah Te'o (Manti's cousin) and O'Neill Chambers, were under investigation for an alleged honor code violation.

Brian Te'o, who holds a degree from BYU's Hawaii campus, said Tuesday he was disappointed BYU hadn't publicly cleared his son's name. BYU coaches are forbidden by the NCAA from publicly discussing prospects. Even before the honor-code story broke, Manti Te'o faced criticism for dropping BYU. In Sunday's edition of the Provo-based Daily Herald, columnist Darnell Dickson wrote, "It really is a slap in the face that BYU wasn't even in Te'o's top three" and suggested that Te'o gave up a chance to become a BYU legend by choosing schools where he might get lost in the shuffle. Brian Te'o looks at it differently. "For BYU to be on the short list, that shows the kind of impression the school made on Manti," he said.

BYU remains on the list for Su'a Filo, but so does rival Utah, an SEC power and two Pac-10 schools. Su'a Filo said religion will play a role in his choice, but, like Te'o, he believes his faith will remain unchanged no matter the environment around him. "It definitely plays a factor because I am LDS," Su'a Filo said. "But I think I can live righteously anywhere I go. I think you can have spiritual experiences anywhere."

Disappointed Trojan

Three days after winning the Super Bowl, safety Troy Polamalu of the Steelers had a reason for dismay Wednesday.

"Of course I'm disappointed," said the former USC great. "I was hoping he'd join our great tradition of Polynesian players."

Polamalu was referring to the decision by Punahou's Manti Te'o to sign with Notre Dame instead of USC, which was widely considered the front-runner for the nation's top linebacker prospect.

He wished Te'o success, except when the Irish play the Trojans.

"I hope he can start a tradition there," Polamalu said.

Te'o narrows college choices to three

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Punahou School senior Manti Te'o — perhaps the nation's most heralded football recruit still undecided about a college choice — has narrowed his list of prospective schools from five to three.

Te'o, regarded by many as the country's No. 1 linebacker prospect, called Brigham Young University coach Bronco Mendenhall yesterday morning to decline the Cougars' scholarship offer. Te'o had called Stanford's coaching staff on Wednesday to say he would not choose the Cardinal on Feb. 4, the first day recruits are allowed to sign national letters of intent.

That leaves Notre Dame, Southern California and UCLA as the finalists in the most highly anticipated sweepstakes ever for a Hawai'i recruit. Te'o is scheduled to make an official visit to USC next weekend.

"It releases some stress, gets rid of some of the pressure," Te'o told The Advertiser last night. "But the decision actually gets harder after this, because it's crunch time."

Te'o visited Stanford last weekend, though the Cardinal were considered by many to be a long shot. The decision to turn down BYU, however, may come as a big surprise because Te'o is a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with which BYU is affiliated.

Te'o visited BYU's campus in Provo, Utah, two weekends ago and was hosted by two football-playing cousins, former Kahuku standouts Shiloah Te'o and Malosi Te'o. Another fellow North Shore resident, Kahuku defensive back Jray Galeai, also was on the recruiting trip.

"My cousins are there, I have family there, the church ... ," Te'o said. "It felt a little too comfortable, and I think I just needed to go somewhere else."

Te'o, who plans to serve a two-year LDS mission after his freshman season, said he was confident he could maintain his church ties at the other three schools. He said the chances of him going to any of them are "pretty equal."

"I'm just going to take my time and think everything through," he said.

Maiava stands out in Shrine Game

Former USC linebacker Kaluka Maiava (Baldwin '05) tied for the team high with six tackles for the West squad in the East-West Shrine Game yesterday at the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium

The East won the annual college all-star game 24-19.

All three players with Hawaii ties in the game started for the West defense. Along with Maiava, former Hawaii cornerback Ryan Mouton and Oregon State safety Al Afalava (Kahuku '05) started in the secondary. Mouton finished with two tackles and broke up a pass. Afalava didn't record any stats.

Shrine Bowl lets NFL teams see Maiava

The agent decision has been made, the practices are behind him, and Saturday is game day.

The East-West Shrine Classic in Houston might be the last game Kaluka Maiava plays as a collegian.

Or that might be in next week's Senior Bowl.

Whenever he plays his last game before turning professional, the stage is set for the 2005 Baldwin High School graduate to get to that next level.

Maiava, who finished his career as a Southern California linebacker by being named the defensive player of the game in the Trojans' 38-24 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, said Friday that he was interviewed by ''at least 25'' NFL teams this week and that practices went well for Saturday's game.

''It was real strong from the first day on,'' Maiava said. ''We did one-on-one pass coverage every day and I did real well in that. That is what the scouts want to see, how you match up against other people. I was confident. I met all the scouts and they really liked me.

''The whole week of practice, I felt they really liked my stock, my stock went up, and it really helped me for playing on Sundays.''

Soon after the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, Maiava signed with agent Kenny Zuckerman of Priority Sports. Zuckerman also handles NFL veteran offensive linemen Olin Kreutz and Dominic Raiola, both from Saint Louis School.

Maiava received an invitation to the NFL scouting combine about a week ago.

''I was real happy about that; that is a lot of stress off my shoulders,'' he said.

He expects to hear about the Senior Bowl, one way or another, after Saturday's game.

''The Senior Bowl, it should be no later than right after the game (Saturday),'' Maiava said. ''You are supposed to report for the Senior Bowl by (Saturday), so I have to know soon. I heard a couple big-name linebackers aren't going to play there, so that is just more opportunity for me to be in it.''

When he was measured this week, Maiava checked in at 6 feet, 232 pounds.

''That was actually heavier than I wanted be - during the season, I was 225 and then last week I was 228,'' he said. ''I guess I drank too much water, but I am not the tallest linebacker, so I need to be a little heavier - 232 was good.''

Maiva is looking forward to the game after an intense week of practices.

''It is all about the practices, thinking about what the scouts want to see and being noticed,'' Maiava said. ''The game itself is a benefit for the Shriners hospital and a lot of the scouts leave before the game to get to the Senior Bowl. They can dictate how practice goes - for me, looking at offensive-line defense and those one-on-one matchups. In the game they can't control it, so the practices are really the key. Practice, just like during the season, is what makes the game a party on Saturday.''

Maiava said he had interviews of 30-45 minutes with almost all the NFL's 32 teams.

''It is just getting to know what kind of person you are, stuff like that,'' Maiava said. ''It was just reassuring knowing they know who I am and they watched me play and they are interested. I got caught in the lobby or they called me. I met most of the NFL guys, met a lot of general managers and defensive coordinators and guys like that. I met with at least 25 different teams. I would forget what room I was in sometimes.''

His one complaint this week?

''It is really cold right now,'' he said. ''It is about 40, too cold for me.''

Kaiser Iuta: KS-Hawai'i

by Kevin Jakahi
Tribune-Herald Sports Writer

Published: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 9:26 AM HST

Football brings two Iuta brothers, their uncle together

Kaiser Iuta's family connections stretch across the ocean -- 2,500 miles away to American Samoa, a place he had never seen.

He went there for a football game, the 6th annual Samoa Bowl on Jan. 2, which the Samoa All-Stars won 42-28 over the Hawaii All-Stars.

The Kamehameha-Hawaii senior received a nice koa bowl for winning the game's defensive lineman award. The middle linebacker finished with 10 tackles.But it was much more than a postseason football game.

It was a family reunion for Iuta. And his dad George Iuta. And his uncle Kaiser Iuta (the younger Kaiser was named after his uncle). And his cousin Isaiah Iuta.

The Samoa Bowl was played at Veterans Stadium in Ili'ili, where his family is originally from.

The younger Kaiser's grandparents moved from American Samoa to Oahu in 1960. They died young and George Iuta never got a chance to visit his relatives, who number nearly 100, including an uncle, Misi Iuta, 82, on his dad's side still living in the village of Ili'ili.

And it was football that brought the two brothers and cousins together. George is an assistant coach at Kamehameha-Hawaii and Isaiah is recent graduate of Farrington High School, where he played linebacker.

The family -- especially the two Iuta brothers -- traveled across the ocean not only carrying anxiety but also prestige. On the paternal side, there's a Methodist minister. On the maternal side, the generations go back to a high chief in the village of Malaeloa.

All their life George and his brother Kaiser knew they had family in American Samoa, one last direct link to their deceased father. Their dad's brother -- the closest of family blood bonds -- an uncle they've never seen or touched.

Then, it happened. Far-away family members in the same place. After years of seemingly forever apart. All together. Finally.

Misi Iuta and his two nephews, George and Kaiser, saw each other for the first time. An unshakable memory.

Eyes moistened. Emotions overflowed. Joy filled the air. A lifetime of wondering disappeared with a hug.

"My dad's uncle gave my dad a hug," the younger Kaiser Iuta said. "My dad's uncle looked really, really happy. My dad was pretty emotional, same thing with my uncle."

The aim of the Samoa Bowl is to provide student-athletes, particularly those from Hawaii, an opportunity to visit the territory, play a high-caliber football game, and restore pride in their Samoan heritage.

It does more.

"Most of the family came to the game," George said. "We got a chance to see how they live. They live off the land, trading bread fruit for chicken. They've got another McDonald's. Now they've got two. The people are nice and it's very humid."

The game is sponsored by the government, which provides three meals a day and transportation. There are also big-name sponsors such as Nike and Riddell, which donated shoes to the Samoa All-Stars, some of whom play football barefoot in high school.

"It was great to see the other side of my family," Kaiser Iuta said. "I got to meet up with new family and learn my culture. I learned how hard they work for the football game. They train most of the year for that one game."

That's what Iuta, who's 5 feet 11 and 205 pounds, is doing now. The University of Hawaii, Washington State, Idaho, Oregon, Colorado and Arizona have expressed interest in the scholar-athlete, who maintains a 3.67 grade-point average.

"I plan to wait for offers," he said. "I'd like to stay home and play for the Warriors. I've grown up and watched them play every weekend. There's no place like home."

There's also nothing -- as George and his brother Kaiser know -- like seeing and hugging a never seen family member for the first time.

2008 MaxPreps Football All-American Team

Long Beach Poly's Iuta Tepa and Punahou's Manti Te'o were named First Team All Americans by MaxPreps. Selected to the second team were Carson's Morrell Presley and Provo Timpview's Xavier Su'a Filo.

DL - Iuta Tepa, Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 6-2, 215, Sr.
Tepa was a key cog in one of the nation’s stingiest defenses; he had 14 sacks and 102 tackles for a Jackrabbits team that lost just once.

LB - Manti Te’o, Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii), 6-3, 233, Sr.
One of the most highly recruited players from Hawaii, Te’o was a force on defense, collecting numerous individual awards while leading the Buff N Blue to another state title. Teo registered 129 tackles, 11 sacks and three forced fumbles. He also had three interceptions and returned an interception and a blocked punt for a score this year.

TE - Morrell Presley, Carson (Calif.), 6-3, 207, Sr.
The extremely athletic Presley is a MaxPreps California Division 1 first team selection. He is on his way to UCLA in the fall. Presley caught 35 passes for 605 yards and five touchdowns for the Colts.

OL - Xavier Su'a-Filo, Timpview (Provo, Utah), 6-5, 290, Sr.
Su’a-Filo was named Utah’s 4A Offensive Player of the Year, an unusual feat for an offensive lineman. His presence on the line helped lead Timpview to a state title.

Hawaiian star makes big impression at Under Armour Game practices

ORLANDO, Fla. -- QB Matt Barkley grew up playing football in the pigskin hotbed of Orange County, Calif., an area annually teeming with Division I recruits. With the amount of talent the USC-bound quarterback has seen over the years, it understandably takes a lot to wow him.

But after just two practices for Sunday's Under Armour All-America Game (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET), Barkley couldn't believe what he'd just seen -- a 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker with such a freakish combo of size, speed and power you'd swear he was created by the mind of "300" writer Frank Miller.

Matt Barkley, this … is … Manti Te'o. "He's a beast," says Barkley, who is rated the nation's No. 10 overall recruit in the ESPNU 150. "When I first met him, he was a lot bigger than I thought he was going to be. He's impressed me. He's one of the best defensive players I've ever played with."

Thankfully for Barkley, he'll be on the same sideline with Te'o come Sunday evening. And he isn't alone in his effusive praise of the senior from Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii) who is rated the nation's No. 1 outside linebacker in the ESPNU 150 and plans to decide between USC, UCLA, BYU, Notre Dame and Stanford on national signing day (Feb. 4).

Anyone who has watched Te'o in person or on film can't miss the way he closes on ball carriers like he was being propelled by the turbo button on Xbox 360, or the hits he delivers with the force of a T.I. beat. If it seems like Te'o is always around the ball, it's because he is.

This year, he garnered Gatorade State Player of the Year honors for the second straight season after tallying 129 tackles, 11 sacks, three forced fumbles and three interceptions. He added scores on an interception return and a blocked punt and had five total touchdowns on offense.

Te'o's sparkling senior season at Punahou culminated in a 38-7 win over Leilehua (Wahiawa, Hawaii) in the First Hawaiian Bank State Football Division I tournament championship. Te'o had eight tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble in the game to help propel the Buffanblu to their only state football crown in 118 years.

"It's one thing to win a state championship, but it's another to set your mark in history for a school, especially a prestigious one like Punahou," says Te'o. "[President-elect] Barack Obama went to Punahou, and to be known as part of the first team to win a state championship in football for Barack Obama's school, to me that's a big thing."

OK, so Te'o isn't the most famous person to come out of Punahou when you're putting him up against the president-elect, but among the nation's top college football coaches, he's been their top candidate to head their 2009 recruiting classes. Why else would USC's Pete Carroll and Notre Dame's Charlie Weis make the long trek just to see him play?

Te'o credits his father and Punahou coach Kale Ane, both of whom will also help coach him in the Under Armour Game, for turning him into the player he is today.

He also says his exposure in recruiting circles wouldn't have been possible without his parents sending him to recruiting camps when he was younger. Te'o also realizes how fortunate he was to have an opportunity that a number of other young athletes from Hawaii couldn't afford, so he's taken it upon himself to use the megawatt spotlight shining down on him to promote some of the top recruits from his state.

"It is very humbling to have college coaches on your sideline, to know they're there to see you play, to watch you play," says Te'o. "I always took it that the greatest thing about them coming is that they get to see other athletes. My biggest thing with recruiting is that I took this opportunity to showcase not only how I played but how Hawaii plays as a whole. I think we've come very far in football."

His father, Brian, an assistant coach at Punahou, adds: "We wanted to use his recruiting as that tool to tell them, 'Hey, hang in there. What if we can get you an opportunity to get an education without taking money out of mom and dad's pocket?' And so I really appreciate him for accepting that challenge."

Te'o's selflessness during his recruiting process typifies the character of a young man whose life is a lot more than just giving nightmares to opposing ball carriers once a week. A solid student and an Eagle Scout, Te'o has participated in a number of volunteer activities, including helping out at the Special Olympics and at a local preschool through Head Start.

"We do it to stay grounded, we do it to remember where we're from," says Brian Te'o. "And we remember that life is meant to serve, bottom line."

Such a giving philosophy espoused by the Te'o family is derived from their faith. A devout Mormon, Te'o plans to take a two-year LDS mission when he turns 19, and he says his final five schools were cool with the decision.

Right now, though, his focus is on Sunday night. Te'o says it took him roughly 10 hours to make the trip from back home to Florida and wants to make sure he leaves satisfied with his performance.

"Everybody in Hawaii is watching and hopefully I'll make them proud, and hopefully I'll show America what Hawaii football is all about," says Te'o.

Matt Barkley quickly found out what Manti Te'o is all about -- and so too will a national TV audience on Sunday night.

Jon Mahoney covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com.

Manti Te'o USA Today Defensive Player of the Year

MANTI TE'O, LB, 6-2, 225

Punahou, Honolulu

Why him: He had 98 tackles, helping lead his team to its first football state title. He also won the Butkus Award as the nation's top high school linebacker. The state title capped a great year for his school. One alumnus, Barack Obama, did rather well, and an alumna, Michelle Wie, earned her LPGA tour card.

Where next? Considering Southern California, Notre Dame, UCLA, Stanford and Brigham Young. "I plan to announce on signing day (Feb. 4)."

Did you get to meet President-elect Obama? "No, he came on a day when hardly anyone was at school, because it was a weekend. I was playing basketball that day. We didn't find out that he had been to the school until we came back for classes on Monday, and we were all bummed."

Highlight of the year: "Winning the state championship. We had a lot of talent and a lot of returning starters and we were very close-knit. We knew that we were close to winning state last year, and we knew we could do it this year."

Best attribute as a player: "I'm not the fastest guy and I don't hit the hardest, but I have the intensity to make a play."

Favorite book: "The Book That Changed My Life."

Favorite teacher: "I've had a lot, but this year, it's my English teacher, Mr. (Timothy) Dyke. He's the one that got me to read that book."

If you're not in the NFL in 10 years, then what? "I would like to have something to do with engineering or in sports medicine."

Most overplayed on your mp3 player: "Vacation by Young Jeezy."

Punahou's Te'o gets national honor

Sporting News names football, basketball star its prep athlete of year

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Punahou School senior Manti Te'o's latest national honor is one in a million.

Actually, make that one in 7.4 million.

The Sporting News — America's oldest national weekly sports magazine — yesterday announced Te'o would be featured as its High School Athlete of the Year in this week's issue.

Te'o was chosen among the 7.4 million high school athletes playing at more than 38,000 high schools across the country.

"I'm just thankful," Te'o told The Advertiser yesterday afternoon. "I'm thankful to all of Hawai'i."

Te'o is a 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker/running back in football and power forward in basketball. He helped Punahou win state championships in both sports in 2008, a year in which the school was recognized by Sports Illustrated as having the No. 1-ranked athletic program in the nation.

On Dec. 5, Te'o was named the state's Gatorade Football Player of the Year, making him eligible for its national player of the year award. The next day, NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus announced in a ceremony at Punahou's Hemmeter Fieldhouse that Te'o would be the first high school player to receive a Butkus Award recognizing the country's best linebacker.

Though Sports Illustrated is widely recognized as the nation's leading sports weekly, The Sporting News actually predates SI by about 65 years and remains among the leading national sports publications.

"The only thing I knew about Sporting News was the magazine; I didn't know about the award," said Te'o, who was notified after Sporting News officials informed his father, Brian, last week. "I'm kind of oblivious to all this right now."

It certainly has been a whirlwind for Te'o the past five weeks.

He earned his Eagle Scout badge on Nov. 11, made an official campus visit to the University of Notre Dame the following week, played host to head coaches from Notre Dame, Brigham Young and Stanford the week of Dec. 1, met Butkus as he was announced as the Butkus Award winner on Dec. 5, then helped the Buffanblu defeat Leilehua, 38-7, for the school's first football state championship that night.

Te'o played in the inaugural Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl on Dec. 12 against a team of top college prospects, then hosted Southern California linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. at his home Monday night.

He is on Punahou's basketball team, which opened play in the Punahou Holiday Classic last night, but did not play. Te'o said he probably will not play basketball before the New Year.

Te'o has narrowed his college choices to five: BYU, Notre Dame, USC, UCLA and Stanford. He visited UCLA in September and has scheduled visits to BYU the weekend of Jan. 9, Stanford on Jan. 16 and USC on Jan. 23.

He said he does not plan to make a verbal commitment until completing all of the visits.

Punahou senior linebacker Manti Te'o receives Butkus Award

Punahou School senior linebacker Manti Te‘o became the first high school recipient of the 2008 Butkus Award today during a gathering at the Hemmeter Gym on the school's campus.The award is named for Pro Football Hall of Fame legend Dick Butkus and has traditionally been given to the nation’s top collegiate linebacker.

This year, the competition was expanded to include awards at both the high school and collegiate levels. The Butkus Award honors players who are both outstanding athletes and models of service to their community.

Dick Butkus and son Matt Butkus were present to announce that Te‘o would be the recipient of the award. Te'o will receive the award at the school's football banquet Sunday.

Te'o will help lead Punahou against Leilehua tonight in the state football championship at Aloha Stadium.

Te‘o, a multisport star from La'ie, has received a number of athletic honors in 2007, including Interscholastic League of Honolulu Defensive Player of the Year, Gatorade Hawai‘i Football Player of the Year, All-ILH first team defense selection, and All-State Defensive Player of the Year.

He also recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout and has been a dedicated volunteer at Hawai‘i Special Olympics and the Head Start Preschool Program.

Te'o is one of the most widely recruited athletes in the state's history. He said he narrowed his college choices to Brigham Young, Notre Dame, USC, UCLA and Stanford.

Punahou's Te'o picks up another honor

The accolades keep coming for Punahou senior Manti Te’o.The 2007 Advertiser all-state linebacker and the top linebacker recruit in the country was named 2008-09 Gatorade Hawaii Football Player of the Year, the company and ESPN/RISE Magazine announced today.
The award recognizes athletic performance, as well as academic achievement and co-curricular activities, the press release said. He is eligible for the National Gatorade Football Player of the Year award that will be announced later this month.

Te’o averages 10.1 tackles per game and has registered eight sacks and three interceptions. He also plays running back and receiver on offense. The release added he has a 3.02 grade point average. Described as a “devout Mormon,” Te’o also is an Eagle Scout, volunteer with the Hawaii Food Bank, and a youth spokesman for the American Lung Association of Hawaii. He also completed a service project at Brigham Young-Hawai‘i.

Besides preparing for tomorrow’s Division I state football championship game against Leilehua, Te’o has been busy with recruiting. Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis, BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall and Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh all made visits this week.

Te'o in line for Butkus Award

Punahou senior Manti Te'o appears to be a leading candidate to win the inaugural Butkus Award presented to the nation's top high school linebacker.Te'o is listed as one of 12 finalists from across the nation, and Buffanblu athletic director Tom Holden said NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus — whom the award is named after — visited the campus yesterday.An official announcement is expected today, Holden said.The Butkus Award has been given to the nation's top college linebacker for the past 23 years, but this will be the first time a high school player also will be chosen by a 51-person selection committee, including professional, college and high school scouts and sports journalists.Te'o, regarded by some recruiting services and Web sites as the nation's No. 1-ranked linebacker, averages 10.1 tackles per game and has registered eight sacks and three interceptions. He also plays running back and receiver on offense.

Irish toning down Te'o's visit

By Brian Hamilton
Chicago Tribune

Punahou School's Manti Te'o, a prized linebacker recruit in the Class of 2009, will be making a visit to Notre Dame this weekend.

And the Irish had to take action to ensure Te'o can make a return trip if he so chooses.

Notre Dame students hatched a plan to distribute about 8,000 lei outside Notre Dame Stadium at tomorrow's game against Syracuse in honor of Te'o's visit, posting that plan on a fan Web site.

The problem? A concerted, organized effort such as that could be construed as an NCAA violation in which Notre Dame is publicizing a recruit's visit to campus and encouraging that recruit to attend the school. Once the Notre Dame compliance office received a missive about the plan, it bid the idea aloha.

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Kahuku athlete will sign on

By Stephen Tsai
HawaiiWarriorBeat.com Editor

An athletic defensive player from Kahuku High School yesterday accepted a scholarship from the University of Hawai'i football team.

Kamalani Alo, who is 6 feet 1 1/2 and 190 pounds, is projected to compete at safety for the Warriors. He is an outside linebacker for Kahuku.

He also is a member of the track team — 100-meter sprint, 110 hurdles, 4x100 relay, shot put and discus — and a sweeper in soccer.

Alo received interest from Utah and Oregon State, but chose UH because "it's home. I want to play in front of family. I really like UH."

Alo said UH linebacker Paipai Falemalu, a 2008 Kahuku High graduate, is his mentor.

"He helped me become an outside linebacker," Alo said.

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An All-American in truest sense

By Wes Nakama

Advertiser Staff Writer

HAU'ULA — The nation's No. 1-ranked college linebacker prospect, Punahou School senior Manti Te'o, received his first official All-America honor of the season Tuesday night.

It came with letters and certificates of commendation, from U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

But this honor had absolutely nothing to do with football, and everything to do with what kind of person Te'o is beneath the jersey and shoulder pads.

"On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country ... ," Te'o said, reciting a pledge immediately after receiving his Eagle Scout badge in front of family and friends at the Hau'ula Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "To help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight."

Te'o may be the most heavily recruited Hawai'i high school football player ever — he had more than 30 offers from some of the top programs in the country — but it's not just because he is 6 feet 2, 233 pounds, covers 40 yards in 4.55 seconds and has tremendous explosiveness and pursuit.

It's also because he is a strong student in the classroom (3.2 grade point average), devout church member and an extremely personable, respectful young man.

"He's a gem, he has the total package," Hannemann said. "Whoever lands him as a recruit, that school will not just be getting a great football player ... they'll be getting a great person."

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