By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Punahou senior linebacker Manti Te’o hasn’t even graduated yet, but he already has established himself as a legend in Hawaiian high school football. The legend, in fact, goes far beyond the football field.
Here are a few eye-openers on the field:
* As a sophomore he broke his leg in the fourth game and missed the remainder of the season, yet still was named second-team All-State.
* As a junior he set a state record with a 99-yard touchdown run against McKinley, even though he was a defensive specialist. His father, Brian Te’o, who is a running backs coach at Punahou, told MaxPreps, “We had gotten backed up to our goal line. A kid had an equipment problem and we told Manti to go in (and run the ball) even though he had just come off a six-play stretch (on defense) where we had held them on our three. It was a blast play off the left side. He broke it and took it to the house. We were all just in awe.”
Manti, a powerful 6-foot-2, 235-pounder who runs a 4.7 40 and bench presses 315 pounds, claims the run “was wide open. They were all bunched up in the middle. Our fullback did a great job of opening that up.”
* As a senior, Manti asked to play on both sides of the ball against arch rival St. Louis because Punahou needed a revenge victory to win its league title and qualify for the state playoffs. All he did was record eight tackles, two sacks, force two fumbles and score two touchdowns – including a spectacular 47-yard run. In the earlier loss to St. Louis he had made a career-high 20 tackles.
The Punahou superstar described his clutch 47-yard scoring burst like a true surfer.
“It was like running a wave – like a perfect tunnel,” Te’o said. “I had to float to my left. I think my legs were ahead of my eyes and they knew where to go.”
Honolulu Advertiser sportswriter Stacy Kaneshiro, who has covered Hawaii preps for 20 years, noted, “I couldn’t believe how quickly he hit the hole and just beat everybody easily. He is right up there with the top two or three (he has seen in the state during his tenure). He might be the best because they used him at running back in two crucial games they needed to win (this season). Forget about his athleticism. He’s just a really good kid. He is hounded by the media, but takes everything in stride. Nothing seems to bother him.”
Manti’s best friend, UCLA-bound slotback Robby Toma, noted, “It wasn’t a big hole. Actually, he kind of found a little crease. How did he fit in there?”
* However, the play which may be remembered the longest was an amazing zig-zag run behind the line of scrimmage on which he broke nine tackles but gained only six yards.
“It was actually a surprise to me,” the humble Hawaiian said. “They had the wrong angles on me and I just happened to cut in the right direction. It was like street ball. I went a total of about 40 yards, but most of it was sideways. I was still three or four yards short of the first down.”
Brian Te’o called it “the most spectacular six yards I’ve ever seen.”
Toma recalled, “When we watched it on film, everybody else is just standing watching him. It was amazing.”
Manti received the coveted Dick Butkus Award – symbolic of being the nation’s No. 1 prep linebacker – and Butkus was on hand to see his amazing escape act.
* Toma says the biggest hit he ever saw Manti administer came against another high school All-American, Inglewood, Calif., wide receiver Shaquelle Evans, in the Hawaii Bowl (Hawaii vs. the Mainland).
“He ran a hitch and met Manti and Manti sent him into next week,” Toma colorfully described. “Shaquelle is a tough guy, but everybody was surprised he got up.”
Off the playing field:
* “He’s the most inspirational person in Hawaii,” Toma believes. “At our school we have a wide range of kids and Manti gets along with all of them.”
* He long has been the champion of the underdog. “I always stuck up for people who couldn’t stick up for themselves,” Manti explains. “I always pick on the bullies.”
* He is a superb role model. He says proudly, “I try to impact the lives of the younger generation. I sign shoes, arms, footballs – all to have an impact on the lives of little children so they can have an impact on others.”
He lived his role modeling to the full extent during his senior football campaign after befriending a nine-year-old girl named Micaela. She once asked if she could have his $60 pair of football gloves. During the wild celebration following Punahou’s first-ever state football championship, he sought her out and proudly handed over his gloves, thus making another friend for life.
Surprisingly, Manti’s brilliant career was slow getting off the launching pad. Brian Te’o started playing with his son in the backyard when he was just five years old. He pointed out,
“They start real early. Every dad wants his kid to play football on our side of the island. Football is a big thing. There’s a lot of pride and tradition on preparing your sons and I wanted to make sure mine got a head start,” Brian Te’o said. “He was average – right between coordinated and uncoordinated. We definitely had our frustrating moments, but he had the desire.”
“I was scared of contact – of failing,” Manti said. “I didn’t know anything about sports. I didn’t know how to compete and be good at it. It’s a main way of life, so I just followed the trend of everybody else. I rarely played with people my age until high school. It forced me to elevate my game. My dad always drove me and told me that hard work would pay off.”
He began organized football at age eight, playing in the shadows of two older, very talented cousins. At first he played tight end and defensive end. The second year, at age nine, he fell into the roles of linebacker and fullback – roles which he dominated in throughout his junior high and high school career.
“I always knew I was going to be a defensive player,” Te’o said. “I had the mentality that it was better to hit than to be hit. I did always love to hit. Whenever I got hit hard, I wanted to go back and hit the guy.”
That mentality carried over to the offensive side, too.
“My dad always told me never to go down on the first hit and I never went down on the first hit,” Manti said.
Though he lived just four minutes from football powerhouse Kahuku High School, Manti was signed, sealed and delivered by his parents to attend Punahou, which he entered as a seventh grader – even though it was an hour and 15-minute drive. Brian Te’o explained,
“We were determined to send him to Punahou to academically give him the best start,” Brian Te’o said.
After two years at Punahou, however, Manti missed home and decided to attend Kahuku.
“Being young and immature and missing my friends, I started getting homesick,” he said. “After that year (freshman year at Kahuku), I got a big reality check about what I wanted. To get to the NFL, I had to get to college. Punahou had great people who would take me where I wanted to go.”
During his sophomore year at Punahou he finally began competing with players his own age and had five sacks in one game. He dominated until breaking his leg in the fourth game. It was a freak situation because an opposing lineman tripped and fell on his foot while he was still attempting to make a cut. He never reached 100 percent until the spring.
As a junior, Manti became totally dominant. He made 90 tackles and five sacks while rushing for 400 yards and 10 touchdowns. That also was the year he had a telephone conversation with legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who explained that his college was nicknamed “Linebacker U” and if he went there he would be considered for the Bednarik Award. After hanging up the phone, Manti bubbled to his parents, “If I go there, I’d definitely win the Bo Derek Award.”
As a senior his statistics rose to 129 tackles, 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, three interceptions and one blocked punt. He also rushed for 176 yards (5.3 average) and four touchdowns and snared two touchdown passes. And, of course, there was that coveted state championship.
“I knew he was a special kid,” Punahou coach Kale Ane told MaxPreps of his first look at Manti. “I knew he was the future of our program. I just didn’t know where (what position) he would play. He has such a special instinct for the ball. He creates tremendous havoc. He never got beat on a bootleg in three years and that’s pretty outstanding. He didn’t just dominate here. He was a factor in high school all-star games, too. He has such passion and just loves to compete.”
The oldest of six children, Manti is quite well-rounded. He also starts at forward in basketball. He carries a 3.1 grade point average with math and science being his favorite subjects. In addition, he enjoys fishing and dancing. He is especially proud of the Eagle Scout rank he earned in the fall. He noted, “I’m very relieved, because not very many people finish.”
A lot of his spare time – if he ever has any – is spent with Toma, his best friend since they were five years old.
“He’s scared of my two little dogs,” Toma chuckles. “They bark at him when he comes into my house. He always gets mad, because he says they should know him by now.
“We play Xbox 360 games. We play NCAA. If I win, Manti doesn’t speak to me for a day. If he wins, I don’t speak to him for a day. That game’s pretty intense. Everything is competitive. Life always is interesting with Manti.”
Toma is glad he doesn’t have to get hit by his best friend any more – unless they cross paths in college or beyond. The 5-10, 165-pounder used to play quarterback for the scout team.
“He’s hit me (more than) a couple times,” he says. “We’re friends, but when we’re on the field, he is an intense guy. He used to beat up on me pretty good.
“I believe he might be the best in our state in the last 20 years, maybe the best ever. Manti did it all. You always knew that he was going to make the play on the field and always had your back. I think he is going to win all three (defensive) awards – in high school, college and the pros. Everything he has, he has earned.”
The Te’o family has been quite overwhelmed by Manti’s senior-year honors. Manti concedes,
“As a little guy I didn’t even know of these awards,” Manti said. “I only knew of the state championship. That’s a big accomplishment for Hawaii – to have somebody represent our state on a national scale. I wanted to win the state – that was definitely my dream.”
The Punahou superstar will try to emulate his idol, NFL star Ray Lewis, at the next level.
“The thing I like most,” he explained, “is the way he gets his guys all pumped up for the game. He gets the attention and respect of grown men. He’s a great player and everything, but I focus on his passion and work ethic.”
That next level will be college, of course, and he says that on signing day he will choose from among Notre Dame, Southern California and UCLA. The linebacker coach will be just as important as the head coach, he emphasizes. He would like to major in “some type of engineering or graphic designing.”
It appears, though, that he will play only his freshman year, then take a two-year mission for the Mormon Church.
“I’ve had to miss things (social stuff) because I wanted to be the best,” he concedes. “But the price I was paying definitely was worth it. I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
Coach Ane summed up what he sees as Manti’s football future when he said, “A lot of terrific athletes (have come through Hawaii high schools), but the sky is the limit for him. He is great in class, on the field, off the field. I have no doubt he can play at the highest level. He’ll be an impact person and be remembered for a long, long time.”
