Solomona Tapasa to coach Defensive Line at Southern Utah

Tapasa Joins Staff As D-Line Coach

CEDAR CITY, Utah, March 23 – Southern Utah University head football coach Wes Meier has named Solomona “Taps” Tapasa to the Thunderbird football staff. Tapasa will coach the defensive line. He replaces Vince Taunuu, who resigned last winter to pursue other interests.

A 1992 graduate of Portland State University, Tapasa comes to SUU from Western Oregon University, where he spent the past three seasons coaching the defensive line and working with the Wolves’ punters. Prior to WOU, Tapasa spent eight years as an assistant at Sunset High School in Portland, Ore., serving as special teams coordinator while working with both the offensive and defensive lines.

“We interviewed several good candidates,” Meier said. “After going through the process we felt Taps was a good fit. He has the personality to fit in well with the staff and the knowledge we thought we needed on the defensive line. He’s been here a week and he’s done a great job.”

Southern Utah is in its first full week of spring drills. The team will hold a limited scrimmage Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. at its practice facility. Two more scrimmages are on the spring schedule, the first is slated for 10:00 a.m. March 31, at Pine View High School in St. George, while the annual Red/White Scrimmage will be held Friday, April 6, at 6:00 p.m. at Eccles Coliseum.