Samson Anguay Commits To UH Warriors

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CJ Benedicto sends the pitch right over the plate during a Campbell practice. Photo by Byron Lee, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

When Campbell High slot-back Samson Anguay made his verbal commitment to play football for UH recently, he was sure of at least one thing - he would be joining another ohana.

“When I went to their Junior Day, I already felt like I was part of a family, even though we (participants) were from different schools. They care about their students there, and Coach Greg McMackin is a great guy. He’s like a father figure to me. He keeps in touch with me through e-mails all the time, and he calls me up. That makes me feel like I made the right choice - and I think I did make the right choice.”

Anguay also had considered Utah and Colorado, but has always wanted to play at UH.

“Those were my top three, but UH was always my first choice,” he said. “To be able to play in front of my family and friends is great.”

Anguay, who is the son of Darryl and Suzette Anguay, burst onto the prep football scene in Hawaii like a meteor in August of 2007, the onset of his sophomore season, when he scored four touchdowns in a game against Aiea. That set the tone for an riveting season that saw him reach the end zone 11 times in all, scoring in a variety of ways. Last season, he helped lead Campbell to a Division II OIA title and an 11-2 overall record in had coach Amosa Amosa’s first year.

That earned Campbell a promotion to Division I, a challenge the Sabers are eager to accept, according to Anguay. “The Red isn’t a pushover,” he said. “We’ll have to work twice as hard.”

For his part, Anguay, who has 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, also will move to the backfield for his senior year as a running back in addition to playing in the slot. He was a running back for the Ewa Saints during his Pop Warner days and also played there during his freshman season at Campbell.

“I told the coaches I’m willing to do whatever to help the team,” he said. “I’m excited to carry the ball again. We have a good set of linemen who can block - guys like Edward (Tuvale), Na’foa (Laulongi) and Cory (Pa). To me, it doesn’t matter how many touches I get.”

At UH, Anguay also will have a chance to continue playing in the spread offense. Campbell went to the spread last season under Amosa, who had been offensive coordinator for 10 seasons under Wendell Say at Aiea.

“They pretty much go hand-in-hand, and that’s a good thing,” he said in comparing the spread offenses at UH and Campbell. “I fit in well with the offense as a slot. Coach Amosa has been around the game for so long that he and the staff made it easy to pick up.”

With his big decision out of the way, Anguay said he can now concentrate more on his senior season at Campbell.

“I always wanted to play college football, and when they (UH) offered, it was a big relief off of my shoulders,” he said.“I can have fun now my senior year and help push the underclassmen and show them that hard work and dedication can get you places.”

The Sabers are currently going through summer workouts and competing in 7-on-7 pass leagues. The official start of fall camp for Hawaii high schools is July 28. Much will be determined in the Sabers’ early practices - most notably, who will line up behind center for Campbell, which must replace last year’s starter, Lalo Respicio.

“There are four right now (vying to be the starter), and they’re all good quarterbacks,” Anguay said. “The team is coming around real good. Everyone is becoming a family. We have some transfers from Waipahu and other places, too. For them to have picked Campbell is an honor for us.”