Red Raider A Good Fit For Beavers
By Jack Danilewicz
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Noisemakers aren’t limited to the stands in Oregon State University’s Reser Stadium on football Saturdays. On the field, Beavers’ safety Al Afalava has been known to turn up the volume all by himself.
“I don’t need to look; I can tell by the sound of the hit,“coach Mike Riley likes to say of Afalava, who is a junior from Laie.
Afalava’s reputation as a heavy hitter is well-earned, beginning with his Pop Warner days and continuing at Kahuku High School, where he was also a standout in the secondary. “It’s what I like to do,” he said of making a crunching hit.
But if playing Division I football has taught Afalava anything, it’s that speed conquers all. Speed, after all, is power, and Afalava was clocked at 4.51 during an August fall camp that also saw him delve out his now-customary share of punishment.
“Coming out of high school, at my first (OSU) practice, I was like, ‘man,this is a lot faster,‘“said Afalava, whose 45 tackles tie him with line-backer Joey LaRocque for the team lead. “But I adapted quickly. I thought I’d red-shirt as a freshman, but throughout fall camp (in 2005), I was No. 2 on the depth chart. When they put me in (a game), I made a few plays, and soon I was starting.”
In fact, Afalava burst onto the Beavers’ scene like a meteor in that freshman campaign. Having been inserted in the third quarter of a game against Washington State, Afalava made a game-saving tackle on OSU’s 1-yard line and also forced a fumble that the Beavers recovered - plays that helped to drive his team across the finish line in a 44-33 win. He’s been making plays ever since and had started 21 games for the Beavers heading into last weekend’s game with Stanford.
“I was nervous, but I got over it and just went out there and played,” he said of his breakout game against the Cougars.
In Oregon State’s win over then-No.2 California Oct.11,Afalava had one of the best games of his career, tallying a team-high seven solo tackles, including one for loss as the Beavers posted a 31-28 victory to deny Cal a chance at No. 1 ranking in both polls. (No. 1 LSU had lost hours earlier that day, clearing the way for Cal.)
A bye week followed on the heels of that win, allowing Afalava and the team to rest up. Down time is hard to come by for Afalava. He and wife Jerrell are raising a son, Darius, who will celebrate his first birthday next month, in addition to playing big-time college football and being a full-time student.
“The only time I get to spend with my family is right after practice - about 5 o’clock,” he said. “That’s hard,but I thank the heavenly Father for blessing me every day.”
Afalava was raised by grandparents Kesi Sr. and Nanavale Afalava in Laie. When he was 9, Kesi signed him up for Pop Warner. By that time, he was already well-schooled by his grandfather when it came to how to conduct oneself.
“He was the main man,” Al Afalava recalled fondly. “He was a hard worker. He taught me to be respectful and disciplined. They’ve both passed away, but before games, I picture them watching me, and it motivates me to play harder.My dad (Donald) and my wife have also helped me a lot.”
Back on the playing field, there is often no time to think, only to react. Afalava and the Beavers visit L.A. Coliseum this Saturday for a game with USC (2 p.m., television TBA). It was Oct. 28, 2006, in Corvallis that the Beavers ended the Trojans’ 27-game Pac 10 winning streak, a signature win in the Riley era.
“It’s going to be a good experience and a great game,“Afalava said. “They want revenge, and we just have to be ready. For a lot of our (younger) guys, it will be their first time playing in the Coliseum. Everyone’s looking forward to it.”
Corvallis stands in stark contrast to L.A., but Afalava likens the small college town to Kahuku where 12 of his teammates also are from Hawaii, in addition to his cousin Camilla Ah-Hoy, a former Kahuku standout who is a sophomore on the Beavers volleyball team.
“It’s nice having her here,“Afalava said.“Sometimes it gets a little boring here, and I just call up Camilla and she and her friends come over.
“Playing at Kahuku had a big impact on me - it’s a big football town. Out here reminds me of Kahuku. It’s a small town, where everyone supports the team.” (On game day, most of Corvallis is at Reser Stadium.)
“My first time running out into our stadium, I said to myself,‘wel-come to college football.‘For a smaller stadium (by Pac 10 standards), it’s crazy and it’s loud.”
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