Falekaono out to prove ‘size don’t matter’
Maui High senior LB enjoying his time on and off field ahead of Polynesian Bowl
Ofa Falekaono is in his element this week at the Polynesian Bowl.
The senior linebacker from Maui High School is just the second Maui Interscholastic League player to participate in the prestigious prep all-star game that will be televised on the NFL Network on Friday at 4 p.m.
“Oh my gosh, I’m having so much fun over here, meeting a lot of the legendaries, the coaches and players, too,” Falekaono said via phone after practice at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama on Wednesday. “Just having fun, getting to know everybody.”
Falekaono is not letting his 5-foot-10, 215-pound frame hold him back. He had 112 tackles this season in eight MIL games, one season after being The Maui News MIL Defensive Player of the Year as a junior when he had 108 tackles. He led the league in tackles each of the last two seasons.
“We’re proud of Ofa, I mean, how many players lead your team in tackles as a sophomore?” Maui High coach Aylett Wallwork said. “And then led the league in tackles as a junior and I believe he led the league this year as a senior. … He’s a really good kid and that says more than him playing football, he’s a really good kid. Whatever school picks him, he’s not going to give them a problem off the field.”
Falekaono said his goal this week is “to prove to everybody that size don’t matter. That’s all it is, size don’t matter to me.”
Former NFL coaches Mike Zimmer and Marvin Lewis are the head coaches of the game and All-American players are all over the place. Falekaono is one of just 15 players in the game who are uncommitted on their college decisions, out of 108 who are on the bowl rosters.
“Oh my god, it’s an honor to play with them,” Falekaono said. “Those guys are all committed to D-Is, it’s an honor to play with them, to compete with them during practice every day.”
His enthusiasm for the game is never-ending. When he decides on a landing spot, he will be the first from his immediate family to attend college.
“I was born ready, I’ve been ready ever since before I came up here,” Falekaono said. “Just keep that confidence of being born ready, staying ready to play the game. Football is my game.”
The game — and week of practices and cultural experiences — is more than just football.
“At the end of the day, we have activities outside of football,” Falekaono said.
Those activities have included a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor on Monday and a trip to the Polynesian Cultural Center and Kahuku High School on Oahu’s North Shore on Tuesday. Wednesday after practice, the players headed to the beach.
The schedule is similar to what college football will be like for Falekaono, who has received interest from Hawaii, Oregon State, Fresno State and BYU, among several others.
“I’ve applied everywhere,” Falekaono said.
The game has a little extra meaning for Falekaono, who is Tongan and Samoan. Game week also features haka practice of the traditional Polynesian dance.
“Yesterday we went to Kahuku to practice over there,” Falekaono said. “Man, their community is full of love over there. Everybody is into it … they cooked lunch for us and then we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and we watched the ‘HA: Breath of Life’ in the theater that they put on last night.
“It doesn’t even feel like a high school football game, it feels like a college football game. It feels like a college operation or a sneak peek of what college will feel when you come out here.”
Falekaono is determined to make the best of the week.
“It’s giving me the opportunity to get the lights out for everyone, giving me the opportunity to have a chance to go to D-I or to any college and to move forward with my academic and football future,” Falekaono said.
Former Saber linebacker Feleti Afemui played in the inaugural Polynesian Bowl in 2017 before playing at Vanderbilt University, where he was the first MIL graduate to receive a football scholarship from a Southeastern Conference program straight out of high school. Afemui helped coach Falekaono during his junior season.
“He told me a little about what to expect, that things get a lot faster, bigger, stronger in a game like this,” Falekaono said. Some of the coaches he has run into this week are taken aback when they find out he has not been signed to a scholarship agreement anywhere yet.
“Oh yeah, they know that I’m uncommitted,” Falekaono said. “They said I still have talent in me and I can prove Friday what I can do.”