Maui News feature on Maui's Warriors

MN = Maui News

MN Note: "I spoke to Kaniela Tuipulotu, a 290-pound defensive tackle, Andrew Faaumu, a 315-pound offensive guard, from the University of Hawaii football team after practice this morning."


About leaving Arizona for UH after he was injured, Kaniela Tuipulotu said:
"After my first year there was when I wanted to leave, but I was in a good position to start, so I stayed. Once my injuries started to pop up, I injured my right triceps before what would have been my junior season, I just thought to myself, 'If I am going to have to sit out a year here, I might as well be somehwere I wanted to be.' I had two shoulder operations (earlier) and a partially torn triceps after my sophomore season. ... both of (the injuries) started in high school and just got worse over the years." (MN)


About how he could lead UH to a bowl game, Tuipulotu said:
"That would be great it would be great, we have so much pride on this team. I haven't ever got butterflies since high school, but I do here. To accomplish that here would be a good accomplishment for us all — there is nothing better than accomplishing one of your goals and doing it with you brothers." (MN)


About sitting out a year after he transferred, Tuipulotu said:
"I forgot why I play the game. We are not wasting time here, there is a real difference from last year team and this year team. A big difference from the guys that played last year and this year. Sitting out last year, it was hard but good at the same time. I was pretty much getting burned out from the sport. Getting ready for college and getting ready for football, being away from the game showed me how much I missed it. Getting back in the weight room and helping this team be the best it can be has renewed the sport for me." (MN)


About Faaumu's progress at UH, Tuipulotu said:
"He always was a big kid, always real hard-working and athletic. There were not many Division I college football players coming out of Maui and Lahainaluna in those days. Kaluka (Maiava, currently of the Cleveland Browns) and Kai (Maiava, a center at UCLA) and a few other Baldwin kids, but we started getting attention when the colleges saw the Maiavas. Andrew is one of the few to get out of Lahainaluna. There was Stanley Malamala at Arizona State and Tevita Finau is now at Utah. Andrew went the long road and then walked on. When I wasn't here, he has come 360 (degrees) in his capabilities and he is getting reps here and there." (MN)


About how he doesn't pay much attention to how Arizona is doing, Tuipulotu said:
"If I come across a score and see Arizona, I will pay attention, but not much. I send text messages to my boys there sometimes, wish them good luck." (MN)


About facing Nevada when both of them are undefeated in the WAC, Faaumu said:
"Yeah, it is pretty big for us. Nevada is coming in and they are ranked, so it is another chance for us to prove ourselves." (MN)


About how it was hard to imagine playing at D-IA when he was at Lahainaluna, Faaumu said:
"Yeah, I kind of had that as a personal dream of mine to get to this level, but it took me by surprise to actually do it. I just see setting goals for myself to achieve every year. My goal this year for our team is to get better every week and my personal goal is to get better every day as a guard and long snapper. Just focus on one game at a time." (MN)


Asked what advice he might give current Luna players, Faaumu said:
"I would just tell them that, you know, keep pushing. Every time that they succeed, another greater challenge will be ahead. There are going to be doubters, but they just gotta push through. There are 11 guys on the field and everybody has to do their part. Just focus on getting everything done." (MN)


About wanting to see the new multimillion-dollar Matrix field, track, lights and scoreboard at the on-campus field where he used to practice, Faaumu said:
"'I hear it is unbelievable. I'm planning on going home for Christmas and I already can't wait to go over there and check it out. I remember how it used to be when I was in high school. You didn't just have players trying to get you, you had to watch out for holes all over the place and mongoose. You had to watch out. I have seen pictures and I really like how they have the Lahainaluna logo in the middle (of the field). It is bigger than the 'H' at Aloha Stadium." (MN)


About what he remembers from his sophomore season as an OL blocking for his cousin Tuipulotu (a freshman FB), Faaumu said:
"'Watching him come in as a freshman, I wanted to be somebody to guide him in the right direction. I said to myself then, 'This kid is going to go far.' When I heard he was thinking of transferring to UH and I was almost about to reunite with him when I was already over her at UH — I was always watching him do his thing at Arizona — I was all for it." (MN)

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