Campbell Standout Likened To Polamalu
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.usFor all his physical attributes and football smarts, Campbell junior linebacker Sau Momoe burst onto the prep football scene this fall in part for yet another reason: trust in his teammates.
Momoe occupies an outside linebacker spot for the Sabers in their 4-3, next to middle linebacker Tyson Tynanes, outside backer Giovanni Stevenson and Mana Gaui, who plays on downs when Campbell shifts to a 4-4 alignment.
“It’s been great,” said Momoe.“If the play is up the middle, Tyson is always there. If the play is to the other side, I know that Giovanni will be there, and when we’re in the 4-4, it’s Mana.We’re all on the same level (skill-wise). We all have speed, and we play with our minds.”
Speed is power as football almost always shows, and Momoe is ideally suited to contact with a solid 5-foot-10, 210-pound frame. “The best part is the hitting,” he said. “We have a lot of options. We have the most opportunities to make plays and tackles. Linebacker is the best position to play on defense.”
Like the rest of its OIA Red West rivals, Campbell’s defense has had to move from game to game quickly in mind-set, given the varied schemes they have faced week to week.
“It has been a real challenge,” admitted Momoe. “With Waianae, we’d heard about their spread, power I and split-back formations.We had to learn to defend all of those just for them. You have to keep learning and adjusting.”
In Momoe’s case, the transition to varsity football after two seasons at the JV level was swift. He was a standout on the JV team that won the OIA for Campbell last fall and was on the Waianae JV team than won the title in 2007 before moving in with his brother, Feka, in Ewa Beach, so he could play for the Sabers.
“I wasn’t doing good there,” he said of Waianae, where his mom still lives.“Here, I’m an honor roll student, and there’s no favoritism at Campbell. If you’re the best, you’re going to play here.”
Momoe follows Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu closely and likens his own situation to that of the former Southern Cal standout.“He’s (of the) same race, and he had to leave his mom, too, to play football. I want to be like him. I like the way he plays. I’d like to go to USC and then play for Pittsburgh.”
Momoe has been a good fit for the Sabers’ program, according to Campbell assistant Wyatt Tau.“For a big guy, he has speed and great football instincts,” he said. “You can’t teach that. He has a nose for the ball and football smarts.”
The Sabers have been approaching their business with a sense of urgency lately, needing to win one or both of their last two games - last Friday at Kapolei or Oct. 9 at home against Nanakuli - to ensure a berth in the league playoffs.
“We’ll perform better under pressure,” he said. “We need to bring out our real defense for a whole game. In the first half against Leilehua, we dominated; then we got sloppy in the second half.”
Momoe was also a running back at the lower levels and isn’t ruling out returning to the offensive side of the ball next year, although he will undoubtedly be expected to lead the defense with Tynanes set to complete his eligibility.
“My brother would like me to switch to running back, so we’ll see,” he said.
Momoe hopes to play in the Pac 10 when his high school days are over.
“USC and Oregon would be my top two,” he said.
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
