KA LEO O HAWAI‘I: THE VOICE sports@kaleo.org @kaleosports
Nick Huth Sports Editor
MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015
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SPORTS
David McCracken Associate Sports Editor
Four lives for one man MAGGIE MORRIS STAFF WRITER
As he approaches the end of his college career at the University of Hawai‘ i at Mānoa, balancing the roles of student, athlete, husband and father has been a difficult but rewarding experience for Rainbow Warrior football player Harold Moleni. Four years ago, Rainbow Warrior football starting tight end Harold Moleni left his hometown of West Valley City, Utah and entered his freshman year here at UH at the age of 22 with not only a wife, but also a son. From the start of his college experience, Moleni has consistently dedicated his time and efforts to succeed and overcome the obstacles that come with being a student-athlete, as well as a family man. “Harold was self motivated and he had his eyes on the prize from MATHEW URSUA / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I the beginning,” said Jim Gillespie, In 2014, Moleni caught 10 passes for 74 yards, scoring a team-high academic advisor for the football three touchdowns. team. “He’s playing full time stu-
dent, full time worker, full time dad, full time husband, and to be honest, I’ve never seen him without a smile on his face. He has the things you can’t teach, the intangibles that makes him a special person.” As a business major maintaining grades well above the Dean’s list (3.5 GPA), Moleni remains humble in having achieved a threetime academic all-MWC selection. When facing the reality of having to spend a great amount of time and effort into school work alone, Moleni shared some of the challenges he had to face. “The hardest thing for me is to separate each role. Sometimes emotions from one aspect will seep over into another and it’s a constant battle. When it does seep over and I make a mistake, I just go on to the next thing and move on. You can’t focus on the past, you have to move forward,” Moleni said. “But it’s an experience that you can’t trade for anything else. I think the key for me has been managing my time wisely and then I try to
focus on one thing at a time” Outside of the classroom, Moleni also has a wife and son at home. “Just going home and being with my family is by far the favorite aspect of my life. They’re the reason I do everything. Playing football and keeping my grades up is for them,” Moleni said. “They’re the motive behind everything.” As an athlete, Moleni has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches through his maturity and hard-working mentality. “At first, I knew him as the old guy on our team who just came back from his missions when I moved to the tight end position, I just started getting help from him on how to play this position,” said traveling roommate Justin Vele. “He changed my perspective on a lot of things, on life, even on football. I can’t explain it, but we’re family.” After he graduates, Moleni plans on receiving his real estate license and then will move back with his family to his home state, Utah where he hopes to be an entrepreneur.
It’s a family affair DREW AFUALO STAFF WRITER
The phrase “blood is thicker than water” resonates deeply for sophomore Meffy Koloamatangi and junior Leo Koloamatangi, brothers and current teammates on the Rainbow Warrior football team. “Watching both Meffy and Leo, being brothers, get to play with each other is awesome,” fellow teammate and junior Simon Poti said. “You can see how they help each other get better because they play both offense and defense, so it’s just really cool to see.” Older brother Mafileo “Leo” Koloamatangi has played for the Warriors for two seasons so far, having started as a freshman in 2013. As a sophomore he appeared in nine games on the offensive line and made three starts as left guard in the 2014 season. As a freshman, Leo appeared in eight games as a backup offensive lineman and on special teams, as well as being named to the academic All-Mountain West team. “We always talked about going to the same school when we graduated,” Meffy said. “We went to different high schools, so getting to go to the same college and grind together is a dream come true.” A 2012 graduate from Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton, California,
he played on both the offensive and defensive lines. As a senior in high school, the northern California native registered 40 tackles and one sack. On the offensive end, he was selected to Cal-Hi Sports AllState Small Schools First Team, and
Getting out of our neighborhood was something we did for each other. – MEFFY KOLOAMATANGI SOPHOMORE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
the MaxPreps Division III All-State First Team. After seeing the success his older brother was achieving in Hawai‘ i, Meffy was ready to join the team and play for the Warriors as well. “I love seeing Meffy play,” older brother Leo said. “Watching him get better and better every day makes me so proud. That’s my boy.” Matthew “Meffy” Koloamatangi is no stranger to hard work on the field. Having redshirted in the 2013 season, Meffy did not appear in any games in the 2014 season, remaining a member of the scout squad. A 2013 graduate of Woodside High School in Redwood, California, Meffy was a Swiss army knife on his football team. He lined up
DREW AFUALO / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I
Meffy (left) lines up against his brother Leo (right) during every practice.
on defensive line as a senior and was also a wide receiver, tight end and safety as a junior. He also served as a kick returner during high school. Meffy was named to the 2012 All-Peninsula Ocean Division first team as a defensive lineman, was named all-Daily News honorable mention and lettered in basketball. According to the California-raised duo, their start in life was not easy. Coming from East
Palo Alto, the surroundings they were raised in were not always conducive to raising a child that would make it out of the neighborhood, let alone play football for a Division I school on a scholarship. The fact that both made it out of that environment makes their parents, Max Koloamatangi and Ofa Latu, both proud and grateful, according to the siblings. The Koloamatangi brothers made the most out of a tough situation
and have found a place to call home, thousands of miles away from where they grew up. “Getting out of our neighborhood was something we did for each other,” Meffy said. “We knew we lived in a bad environment so we had to keep chasing our dreams. We had to make it where we are today because we knew we never wanted to be on the streets, and that’s exactly what we did.” Ka Leo O Hawai‘i