Casa Grande's Makana Garrigan (left) and Maria Carrillo's Sam Atoe (right) with a Polynesian All-American Classic football game opponent.
Published: Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 4:07 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 4:07 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 4:07 p.m.
Makana Garrigan and Sam Atoe stood there at midfield Saturday, facing the stands at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles with 59 other Pacific Islanders, all of them in a single line, in football uniform, the game just moments away, when they began the Haka.
In unison, they stomped their feet, vigorously crossed and uncrossed their arms, chanted, stuck out their tongues in an exaggerated style, opened their eyes wide. As pregame shows go, it doesn’t get any more distinctive or personal. Think of the baritone voice of James Earl Jones propelled with great vigor through a megaphone.
“There was so much energy,” said Garrigan, a wide receiver/safety from Casa Grande. Now, days later, Garrigan admitted, he still gets goose bumps just from the re-telling of it.
The Haka is a posture dance, its origins from the Maori of New Zealand. It can be used as a welcoming gesture or as a ceremonial rite. Most commonly, it is displayed before a football game by Polynesians.
“To intimidate our opponents,” said Atoe, the running back/linebacker from Maria Carrillo.
This time, however, it was done not to intimidate but to celebrate a culture. This was the First Annual Polynesian All-American Classic football game, a collection of the best senior high school talent in America with Pacific Island heritage. And it was quite a collection, 61 players from nine states. At least 23 of them have verbally committed to Division I NCAA universities.
Atoe was one of them, having verbally committed to San Diego State on Sunday before last.
Garrigan has been offered a full ride to both Fresno State and UC San Diego, is being pursued heavily by others, and will wait just before National Letter-of-Intent Day on Feb. 2 to make a decision.
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