This is an article in Sporty Seniors, a bi-weekly column celebrating M-A senior athletes’ dedication to their sport.
“My dad was like me. He tore his ACL in high school at Hillsdale High School, so he didn’t really get to fulfill his dream,” senior varsity football captain Sione Pahulu said. “That’s why I want to continue the dream.”
Pahulu started playing football in eighth grade for the Menlo-Atherton Vikings, a local nonprofit youth football program that practices and holds games on the M-A field. It was his first time playing any sport.
Pahulu was inspired to play football by his dad, who played at Hillsdale.“[My dad is] my role model. He’s my hero, and watching the NFL just inspired me a lot,” Pahulu said.
During his freshman year, Pahulu was pulled up from the freshman team to JV to play as one of the team’s linebackers. This jump was arranged by Coach Luis Valdez, one of the team’s assistant coaches and defensive coordinators. Pahulu was nervous about the change, saying that he wanted to stay on the freshman team to remain within his comfort zone, but Coach Luis pushed him to do it.
“I see [Coach Luis] as more than a coach of football,” he said. “I see him as a coach of life.”
Since then, Pahulu has played on the defensive and offensive lines for the varsity team. He looks back fondly on his year as a linebacker and wishes that he were still able to play the position.
In his sophomore year, Pahulu tore his ACL during a second-round playoff game. Once he recovered, he unfortunately tore his other ACL during his second game back. “I’m a pretty unlucky guy,” Pahulu said.
Despite these setbacks, Pahulu has kept a positive attitude. His favorite memories with the team are the moments before every home game when the team makes its entrance onto the field. “The butterflies you get before running out in your home stadium, and everybody cheering for you guys,” Pahulu said. “It just warms my heart.”
Pahulu believes that what truly distinguishes football from any other sport is the brotherhood. “You can’t really build a bond like this through, no offense, like swimming or nothing. These are guys you trust. You trust them on the field,” Pahulu said. “That trust just builds on the football field into real-life stuff, and the brotherhood is just amazing.”
As his final year on the team continues, Pahulu hopes to grab the attention of college scouts. “I hope some college is looking at me, whether it’s a JUCO college or if it’s a four-year college, any attention really helps me,” he said. He wants to play in college to live out the dream that his father wasn’t able to.
His advice for younger and aspiring football players is simple: “Keep moving forward. Whether you’re a starter or not a starter, injured or not injured, keep moving forward. I think I went through enough in my high school career to give this advice, and just keep moving forward, man. You never know what’s gonna happen.”
