Mililani’s Lagafuaina Revving Up Post-season Defense
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usElijah Lagafuaina knows he can’t stop his eligibility clock from ticking, so he’s making the most of his senior year - and he’s changed his approach to eating as well.
“My goal for last year when I was 195 was to be at least 205, and I got up to 213, but it was unhealthy weight,” said Lagafuaina, one of Mililani’s defensive leaders. “I always liked to eat at Blazin’ Steaks. I had to give that up. I like putting butter on my rice. I don’t do that anymore, either.
“I eat a lot of apples and peanut butter and a lot of salads - especially from Jack-In-The-Box,” he added. “We don’t eat a lot of rice, anyway - we eat a lot of taro.”
Lagafuaina also stepped up his work in the weight room and with his conditioning under the guidance of Trojan strength-and-conditioning coach Jeff Cadiz. He’s now a chiseled 205 pounds and stands 5-feet-11. His play in the secondary is one reason Mililani positioned itself to play Kahuku last Friday in the OIA title game.
Toughness aside, his cat-quick instincts have made him one of the state’s better cover men. He enters the state football championships having posted six interceptions to go with the three he had last year. (Three have gone for the distance.) Playing in the secondary is a demanding task in the OIA Red West with the passing schemes used by most teams.
In Lagafuaina’s case, that means being assigned to the best receiver. “Sometimes, if the other team has someone like Hassan (Trojan wide receiver Hassan Richardson), they’ll put me at corner(back instead of safety),” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure being the last line of defense, but it’s a good feeling when you make a good hit.
“Having the coaches believe I can do it gives me confidence and makes me want to keep working on getting better. I give a lot of credit to our defensive line.”
Perhaps his best contribution this fall is leadership. He’s a captain, along with Brandon Tacadena, Trent McKinney and Chase Yamada, and his intensity is infectious.
“It’s about bringing it every night,” he said. “It’s about wanting to make a tackle and wanting to make a play. It’s been a struggle throughout the season for us (defense) to be consistent. Our game with Leilehua was big-time. We had to make a big stop.”
Mililani had won seven in a row heading into Friday’s OIA title game, and it avenged an earlier loss to Waianae with a 38-28 win in the post-season semifinals. Its 42-28 loss to Waianae on Sept. 4 was a wakeup call, according to Lagafuaina.
“We explained to the sophomores and juniors how important this is, and everyone is working hard now, pushing the first team. You never know when someone is going to go down. We’re close just like the offense. We all know what’s at stake.”
Lagafuaina started playing flag football at 6 and moved on to full-contact at 8 on the Waipio Panthers Termite team. His hard work was validated in eighth grade when he received an offer to go to Punahou. During his first two years on JV at Mililani he “played all over the field, wherever they needed me,” he said. “I’ve always loved it.”
If he has his way, Lagafuaina will play college football next fall, but that’s all in the future. For now, the right ending to his prep career is what’s in his sights. “I’ll wait it out. I don’t have any offers right now, and I’m more focused on grades.”
Pairings for the state football championships were to be announced late Sunday.
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