Kailua's Samson Satele
The Indianapolis Colts kicked off a new era at home against the Rams on Sunday afternoon. The first overall pick in the 2012 draft, Andrew Luck, flashed the accuracy, pocket presence, and arm strength that had many scouts bill him as the best quarterback prospect since John Elway.
Luck threw a 63-yard touchdown pass with his first attempt, a screen to Donald Brown. He finished 10-16 for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Luck hit on many impressive throws outside of the hash marks, as well as deep down the middle of the field.
Former Hawai'i team captain and All-WAC center Samson Satele made his debut with the Colts, starting and working as Luck's battery mate. Satele, in his sixth NFL season, had previous stints with the Dolphins and Raiders.
Other former Warrior stand outs Greg Salas and Aaron Brown saw limited action for the Rams in the fourth quarter. Salas recorded one reception for a yard, and was targeted once. Brown finished with a single tackle for no gain.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Manti – The Legend of Notre Dame
August 12, 2012
Chad Springer
Manti with his biggest fan.
17-year old Manti Te’o traveled 4,976 miles to visit the University of Notre Dame campus in late November 2008, with the hopes of getting a feel for the Irish football program, the campus, and how he might fit in here. Saturday was Senior Day at Notre Dame Stadium and the Irish were hosting the Syracuse Orangemen, who arrived in South Bend with a horrid 2-8 record, and a lame duck coach in Greg Robinson. After losing to Syracuse, Manti watched as disgusted and belligerent Notre Dame fans and students pelted players and coaches with snowballs having just witnessed Notre Dame’s most recent “new low” (a 24-23 loss to the Orangemen).
Making the nearly 5,000 mile trip back to his hometown of Laie, Hawaii, Manti began sorting out his thoughts. He could attend any college in the country, but there were two that stood out to him, USC and Notre Dame. USC was still on top of the world and after the debacle on Senior Day in South Bend, followed by a 38-3 drilling at the hands of USC the following week, Irish faithful had all but conceded Te’o to the Trojans. Why would he want to come to South Bend?
Fast forward to February 3, 2009. Manti was still torn between Notre Dame and USC. Te’o and his family went through all of the positives and negatives about each school, they also prayed about his decision. In the early morning hours of February 4, he and his family decided that he would attend the University of Notre Dame. In a show of class that Notre Dame followers would soon know all to well, Manti called Pete Carroll and informed him of his decision, he was going to Notre Dame and this was final.
Manti was coming to Notre Dame and his legend was off the charts before he had ever stepped foot on campus as a student athlete. He had endeared himself to the Notre Dame community by making a decision that most of us may not have been able to make. He had decided to be a trail blazer and lay the groundwork for which many others would reap the benefits of.
Manti has made it OK again for elite defensive players to come to Notre Dame. Since Manti’s pledge in 2009, Notre Dame has landed blue chip standouts like Louis Nix, Stephon Tuitt, Ishaq Williams, Aaron Lynch (transferred), Alex Anzalone, and Jaylon Smith. Would these players have come to Notre Dame otherwise? Maybe. Anzalone and Smith specifically mentioned Manti in their commitment press conferences and the former will wear number 5 when he arrives at Notre Dame.
Following the 2011 season, it was all but a foregone conclusion that Manti would skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft as a certain 1st round pick. Ahead of Notre Dame’s Champs Sports Bowl game, Manti shocked ND Nation and the college football world by staunchly declaring that he would be coming back to Notre Dame to play his senior season. The memories of his senior year as a student athlete were worth more than the millions he would instantly have in his pocket. Again, he had made a decision that most of us only wish we would make given the same circumstances.
While you will likely find many Irish fans that will argue this point, Manti is in fact, human. This writer witnessed Manti call out an autograph seeker at the Blue/Gold autograph session this past Spring. The gentleman had just gone through the line for the 3rd time with his 3rd helmet, which was certain to find its way to eBay, or a memorabilia store near you. Manti angrily reminded the guy that “my mom can’t afford to fly here for a game, but you’re making thousands of dollars off of me”. His attention quickly shifted to the youngster who was next in line to meet him and he was suddenly “Manti” again. He spent so much time with the awe-struck 6 year old that someone had to remind him to keep the line moving. If that’s the worst we get from a 21 year old who lives in a bubble 5000 miles from home, Notre Dame fans will take it any day of the week and twice on Tuesday.
No doubt, Irish fans will be talking about Manti for generations to come. As you enjoy one more Fall of Manti roaming the field, remember that his touch goes far beyond it. He is a Notre Dame man off the field as much as he is on the field, if not more.
Keep an eye on Stephen Paea
By Brian, Thursday at 9:10 am
Training camp is the time when players win their jobs. Those who perform get the reps with the first team, while others work with the 2nd and 3rd string. One player who looks like he will make a impact in his second year with the Bears is defensive tackle Stephen Paea. Paea was a 2nd round pick, 53rd overall, in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Bears traded up at the time to select Paea who played for Oregon State. The 6'1" 300lbs defensive linemen is looking to grab the starting nose tackle job.
Paea has come into camp this year stronger and quicker than last. Last season, Paea started most Sunday's on the inactive list. Slow progress in practice left him watching from the sidelines the first half of the season. Paea did final make it on the field in 2011 playing in 7 games. He had 14 tackles and 2 sacks in his limited playing time. Paea did show flashes though of the talent he possessed.
In his second season, Paea could be a player who has a tremendous impact on the season. The defense the Bears play requires the defensive line to put pressure on the quarterback. In training camp he has looked good enough to take over the starting nose tackle roll. The Bears as a organization also need him to step up. Paea is a second round pick that they traded up for. He needs to be a impact player on the line. Paea alongside of Henry Melton should give the Bears the necessary interior pass rush that they require. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli wants to see his line continually attack the opponents quarterback. Marinelli explained what he is looking for in his pass rushers.
"I'm really looking for initial quickness and that's instinct and awareness to get off on whatever move. Then I look for change of direction, short-area quickness. I probably favor quickness over speed. From there, it's power and quickness of feet. When your feet are quick, you have power. When you're slow, you have no power. And then I want to see a relentless guy and a guy with toughness of mind.''
Paea hopefully will show Marinelli that quickness and power during camp and in the preseason games. If Paea remains healthy and seizes the starting job, I expect him to have big impact on the field this season. The Bears as a team ranked 29th last season in sacks per pass play. That is one stat the Coach Smith and Marinelli would like to see improved. The time is here for Paea to help create a devastating interior pass rush for the Chicago Bears. Will he take advantage of it?
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Cardinals sign former Warrior Reagan Maui'a
By Associated Press
TEMPE, Ariz. >> The Arizona Cardinals signed fullback Reagan Maui’a, a former University of Hawaii running back.
Maui’a, 6-foot and 265 pounds, played in three games last season for the Cardinals after appearing in 15 games and making four starts in 2010. The former University of Hawaii player from American Samoa has four carries for five yards and five catches for 37 yards in 36 career games in three seasons with Miami and Arizona.
Mauia was a sixth-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2007. He earned the starting blocking back job in training camp his rookie year, but was one of the final cuts the next year.
He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Former Lions draft pick Fred Matua dies at 28
Posted by Michael David Smith on August 5, 2012, 2:31 PM EDT
Getty ImagesFred Matua, a 2006 seventh-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions, has died at the age of 28.Several of Matua’s former teammates posted messages on Twitter last week indicating that Matua had been hospitalized as a result of either a heart attack or an aneurysm. Although Matua needed emergency surgery, the news initially appeared to be positive, as some of his teammates wrote that they had heard he was going to pull through. The news came today that Matua had passed away.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who was Matua’s college coach at USC, confirmed on Twitter on Sunday that Matua had died.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Mark Story: Ex-UK football great Still helping bring sports to Samoa
Former UK great Art Still made the "Y" in the spelling of KENTUCKY as UK defeated Vanderbilt 70-60 on Saturday January 10, 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky.Photo by Mark Cornelison | Staff 7295
Recent Headlines
Mark Story: Ex-UK football great Still helping bring sports to Samoa
By Mark Story — Herald-Leader Sports Columnist
How many 56-year-old men could wear a sarong — and pull off the look?
If plans work out, former University of Kentucky football great Art Still will spend much of the upcoming school year in Samoa doing just that.
This fall, if the details come together, Still, a married father of 11 and grandfather of 11, will spend six to seven months in the Independent State of Samoa. He will be there as part of an effort to install sports programs — with emphasis on the American staples of football, basketball and baseball — in the island nation.
"There are still a lot of details to be worked out," Still said last week in a phone interview. "But if things go as planned, there will be nine or 10 of us, the vast majority of the guys of Samoan descent, going over there. We'll be teaching them sports, the ultimate goal being to develop football, basketball and baseball."
For my money, Still is the most dominant football player to play for Kentucky in the Commonwealth Stadium era.
In 1977, the 6-foot-7 defensive end was the cornerstone of a stifling Kentucky defense that held foes to 10.1 points a game. That year, Fran Curci's Cats compiled a 10-1 record that included a perfect 6-0 SEC mark. Still was a consensus first-team All-American.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected the UK star with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft. He went on to make four Pro Bowls in Kansas City before finishing out his pro career with the Buffalo Bills.
Still's interest in Samoa dates back to his NFL playing days. One of his teammates with the Chiefs was Frank Manumaleuga. "My Samoan brother," Still says.
Because of that connection, Still has visited Samoa before. "When I was over there in the '90s, I sort of fell in love with the lifestyle," Still said. "It's very, very family oriented. Young people there still show a lot of respect for their elders. It's all about family there. And I like that."
As has been well documented, there are a surprising number of football players of Samoan descent in both the NFL and American major-college football. When 60 Minutes did a story on the phenomenon in 2010, it reported that there were more than 30 players of Samoan descent in the NFL and more than 200 in Division I college football.
Most of those players have ties to American Samoa. An unincorporated U.S. territory, American Samoa forms the eastern part of a South Pacific island chain that is often referred to as Samoa.
The Independent State of Samoa — where Still is potentially going — is a separate entity in the western part of that island chain. From 1962, when it got its independence from New Zealand, until 1997 the country was known as Western Samoa.
According to the Central Intelligence Agency's World Handbook, Samoa is located roughly half way between Hawaii and New Zealand and has a population of some 194,320 (American Samoa has a population of some 65,000).
If the journey comes to fruition, Still said he expects to get settled for a few months, then have some members of his family join him.
The plan, Still said, is for grants to subsidize at least part of the effort to start the sports programs in Samoa. "We're also hoping we can get donations of sports equipment and stuff like that, if companies have some surplus stuff around," he said.
Should he end up teaching American sports in Samoa, Still will be living in a time zone some 19 hours ahead of his normal residence in the Kansas City suburb of Liberty, Mo. Yet part of the appeal of going there for him is that life in Samoa moves at a pace far more tranquil than here, he said.
"People talk about 'Samoa time,'" Still says. "Economically, there it is not like it is over here. Society there, it's like 25, 30 years behind life here."
Back when Still and his fellow Camden, N.J., product Derrick Ramsey, were the faces of the UK football program in 1976 and '77, Kentucky beat Penn State, LSU, Florida and Tennessee each in back-to-back seasons.
Still was such a defensive stalwart that, by the end of his Kentucky career, opposing teams literally stopped running plays to his side of the field. Old-school UK fans still remember Still rumbling 52 yards with a blocked field goal for a touchdown in Kentucky's 33-13 pasting of LSU in Baton Rouge in 1977.
The last time I saw Still, a few years back, he still looked fit enough to play. Or to rock a lava-lava.
If the Samoa excursion comes through, Still says he will wear the traditional Samoan sarong when appropriate.
"I still get up early and do my workouts," he says. "I'll look good in my lava-lava."
LesLyne Satele Western Oregon Volleyball
Position: Setter
Height: 5-10
Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii
High School: Punaho
AS A FRESHMAN (2011)
Ranked 35th in Division II with 10.52 assists per set…Ranked third in the GNAC in assists…Started 20 matches…Had 21 kills and 12 aces…Also averaged 1.76 digs and 0.35 blocks per set…Recorded two double-doubles on the season...Posted 53 assists and 15 digs against Western Washington on Sept. 17…Set a career-high with 56 assists against Alaska Anchorage, in the first GNAC match of her career…Set a career-high with three services aces against Simon Fraser.
PRIOR TO WOU
2011 graduate of Punahou High School…Lettered three years in volleyball…Played setter, outside and opposite.
PERSONAL
Born in Honolulu…Undecided on a major…Parents are Leslie and Wayne…Has three younger siblings, Lexis (16), Lacey (14) and Wayne (11).
Wildcats sign in-state volleyball transfer Mariah Katoa
Courtesy: Weber State
OGDEN, Utah - The Weber State University women's volleyball team is pleased to announce the signing of Mariah Katoa to a scholarship for the 2012 season.
Katoa, a versatile 6-foot hitter/blocker, joins the Wildcats as a transfer from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she redshirted as a true freshman. Katoa will have four seasons of eligibility remaining for the Purple and White.
"Mariah was one of the most sought after recruits in her class from the state of Utah," Weber State coach Tom Peterson said. "We are very fortunate that she has chosen to transfer to our program. She comes from a wonderful family that also has a rich athletic background."
A 2011 graduate of Layton High School in Layton, Utah, Katoa was a four-year starter and three-time All-Area selection by the Standard-Examiner while playing for the Lancers. She was a two-time all-state selection. Katoa was recruited out of high school by Texas A&M, Washington State, Colorado State, Oregon, Maryland, Utah, UNLV, and others, before originally committing and signing with the Cougars.
"Mariah has what I call a ‘good arm,'" Peterson said. "She can hit the volleyball as hard as anyone around. I can already see her being a crowd pleaser because of her dynamic hitting ability. I believe because she is still a freshman that she has a chance to really be a standout for our team."
Katoa played club volleyball for Club V and Utah Elite, playing at the elite level for three years and participated in the Junior Olympics.
Her father, Fotu, was an All-American football player at BYU, and her mother, Elizabeth, was an All-American track runner for the Cougars.
"Mariah is such a good athlete, I hesitate to place her in any one particular position on the court," Peterson said. "We may look at her playing more than one position and see what benefits our team the most."
Weber State begins its 2012 season on Aug. 24, against the University of Portland, in Logan, Utah.
Jedidiah Teofilo CSU Rams Football
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
American Samoa
Last College:
New Mexico Military Institute
Height / Weight:
5-10 / 244
Position:
LB
Experience:
TR
George Maumau CSU Rams Footbball
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Denver, Colo.
High School:
Valor Christian
Height / Weight:
5-11 / 241
Position:
TE
Experience:
RS
2011: May have played as a true freshman, but injured his knee early in the year and wound up redshirting in his first season of college eligibility.
High School: A true fullback expected to fit well in CSU's NFL-style offense, served as a key component in helping Valor Christian, one of Colorado's most dominant programs, to consecutive state championships in 2009 and '10...Played just one full season in south suburban Denver at VCHS, after overcoming a broken leg his senior year and state rules that forced him to sit out his sophomore campaign after transferring from Regis Jesuit High School, his home as a freshman...Was a first-team all-conference defensive lineman as a junior in 2009, before playing mostly on offense as a senior...A solid yet unsung lead blocker, helped pave the road for an offense that totaled 3,361 yards and 42 touchdowns on the ground, and averaged 7.1 yards per carry in 2010, the program's first in Class 4A...Sustained a broken fibula in Valor Christian's 2010 opener, and missed the ensuing four games, before returning for the balance of the regular season and run to the Colorado state title...Without him in their backfield, the Eagles (11-3) were just 3-3, losing three of their first four, then went 8-0 after his return...An excellent short-yardage ball-carrier, had 212 yards on 43 totes (4.9 avg.), with six TDs in 2010... Broke open a close Broomfield game to help propel VCHS into the state championship contest, scoring back-to-back touchdowns, a 3-yard run and an 8-yard reception, his only catch of the 2010 season...Also scored the first points of that state title game, against Wheat Ridge at Invesco Field in Denver, with a 4-yard run to snap a scoreless tie in the second quarter...As a junior in 2009, started on both sides of the line and scored nine touchdowns, seven on the ground, one on a reception and one on defense...In his first year at VCHS (14-0), the Class 3A state champion, started the entire year at fullback and defensive line, where he garnered first-team all-Metro Conference honors...Had five sacks - second on a defense that exasperated the state in 2009 -- and 45 tackles (20 solo)...Also flashed his speed as a junior, scoring on a 73-yard touchdown run, one of his 86 carries for 442 yards and seven scores...Caught two passes for 12 yards in 2009, with one TD...Head football coach was Brent Vieselmeyer...Also lettered in track for the Eagles, throwing the shot and discus...A competitive weightlifter with exceptional strength, received first-team All-America honors in the sport from the National Collegiate Scouting Association...Top bench press as a prep was 330 pounds...Did not receive recruiting interest from other schools, primarily because true fullbacks generally don't see serious attention until late in their senior years, and also because of his broken leg.
Personal: Full name is George Talanoa Maumau...Born Aug. 7, 1993, in Honolulu, Hawaii...Has taken the surname of his uncle and aunt, the legal guardians that raised him, Vili and Michele Maumau...Has two younger brothers and one younger sister...Uncle and guardian, Vili Maumau, played defensive tackle at Colorado in the mid-1990s, was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the 1998 NFL Draft, and spent two years in the NFL...Another uncle, Chris Maumalanga, played defensive tackle at Kansas, was drafted in the fourth round of the 1994 NFL Draft, and played for several teams...Cousin, Sam Tai, is a defensive end at UCLA...Another cousin, Mario Fatafehi, was the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and a first-team all-conference defensive tackle at Kansas State, played in the NFL with the Cardinals, Panthers and Broncos, and finished his career in the CFL...Spent time at Children's Hospital in high school during a celebration of World Down Syndrome Day...Plans to major in sociology at Colorado State, with an eye on a career in law enforcement...Hometown: Denver, Colo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)