STEVE WILSON/ UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Chris Kemoeatu (68) provided pass protection for quarterback Alex Smith in a game earlier this season.
13 is a lucky number
for UtahThat's how many former Hawaii
high school standouts chose to
leave the islands and play for
the Utes' football team
Tavo Tupola was a 6-foot-3, 192-pound all-state free safety -- playing in the same Kahuku High School secondary with Hyrum Peters -- when he signed for a football scholarship from the University of Utah in 1999.
Yesterday, Tupola -- now 6-4 and 296 pounds -- was one of three players from Hawaii in Utah's offensive line as the Utes won their first outright conference title in 46 years by beating BYU 3-0. As the Mountain West Conference champions, they were immediately invited to the Liberty Bowl.
Tupola started at left tackle and junior Chris Kemoeatu (Kahuku '01) started at right guard. Senior Sean Souza (Saint Louis '99 of Kaneohe) rotated at right tackle.
In addition, junior Brady Parkhurst (Leilehua '99) is Utah's long snapper and junior Tevita Kemoeatu (Kahuku '00), Chris's brother, gets significant playing time at nose guard.
There are 13 players from Hawaii on the Utah roster, more than at any other NCAA Division I college on the mainland.
Tupola, a redshirt freshman, grew from a free safety into a tackle while on a two-year church mission to Arizona after high school.
"When I started my mission in Tucson in March 2000, I weighed 190," Tupola said.
"I returned two years later at 290."
Tupola explains: "I worked with Hispanic people in Tucson. They didn't want me to leave (the table) until all their food was finished. I love enchiladas and Spanish rice."
When Tupola reported to Salt Lake City in 2002, then-Utah coach Ron McBride "looked at me and lifted up his pinkie finger and said I looked like that when they signed me."
Tupola was converted into an offensive lineman in spring practice and redshirted last season while he continued to learn his new position on the Utes' scout team.
Learning to play offensive line "took a lot of hard work and effort and coaching" mainly by John Hevesy, Tupola said. Rush blocking was harder to learn than pass blocking, he said.
"We didn't think he was going to be ready to play this season," Hevesy said.
"He had to go in for 10 plays at Cal (Sept. 11) because someone was hurt. He hasn't left the field since; he's been there for eight games.
"He has the athletic ability of a free safety but weighs 296 pounds," Hevesy said.
Tupola said he has maintained most of his free-safety speed. "I do 5.1 (seconds) in the 40 now and I get out there pretty quick" when he is leading plays to the perimeters, he said.
He was credited with eight knockdowns (when the defensive player is knocked off his feet) in one game this season.
"For a younger kid, he has good football sense and understanding of the game," Hevesy said.
"He has three years left -- he will be a helluva player."
This is the final season for Sean Souza at Utah and he has been "a helluva player," Hevesy would say.
He has started 28 games in the past three years at right guard or right tackle and in the spring game last April, he even caught a touchdown pass.
This year, Souza has been the Utes' "utility" lineman.
"Sean has had to move from inside at guard to outside at tackle," because of injuries to others, Hevesy said. "In preseason he even played center for a week."
Souza started the first three games this season at right guard, the next three at right tackle and the next two at right guard.
"He jumps in wherever we need him," Hevesy said.
Souza, who is 6-5, trying for 305 pounds, is consistently among the highest scorers when coaches grade game tapes, especially in the hustle category, and he has the offensive line's best time in pro-agility tests (4.47 seconds).
But Hevesy said enthusiasm is Souza's greatest asset.
"He flat-out loves to play the game," Hevesy said. "He's a football kid, a very passionate player with motivational skills."
Chris Kemoeatu was Hawaii high school defensive player of the year on Kahuku's state championship team in 2000. By 2002, he was starting all 11 games at offensive left guard for Utah and registering double-digit knockdown (de-cleater) blocks in five games.
He missed the first three games this season because of surgery to repair damaged knee ligaments, but has started six of the last eight games at right guard
Kemoeatu is Utah's biggest lineman at 339 pounds "of pure power," Hevesy said. "Our offensive line is a different offense when he is in the game. He moves their people around and opens big holes for our people."
Hevesy predicts Kemoeatu "should have a long career after college." His brother Ma'ake is a defensive tackle with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.
Notes: Utah's last outright conference championship was in 1957. Jack Curtice was the coach and Lee Grosscup the quarterback. They drew nationwide acclaim when they introduced the shovel pass to college football. Hawaii's Timmy Chang is one of the play's most accomplished practitioners today. ... Junior Aaron Francisco (Kahuku '01 of Laie) starts at a position called Cougarback in the BYU defense. He leads BYU and is third in the MWC with 105 tackles. Francisco's interception in overtime sealed BYU's last victory, on Oct. 25 against UNLV. On Nov. 1, he ended Boise State quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie's string of 173 passes without an interception. ... Junior Hanale Vincent (Kamehameha '98 of Kailua) is the No. 2 center for BYU. Freshman offensive lineman R.J. Willing (Kamehameha '03 of Kahuku) has redshirted. ... Utah improved to 10-2 with yesterday's victory but is not on the Bowl Championship Series' radar. Utah will play the Conference USA champion in the Liberty Bowl on New Year's Eve. ... BYU fell to 4-8, its second losing season in a row and its worst winning percentage since 1970. BYU lost five of its last six. ... It is the first time since 1970-71 that BYU has had two losing seasons in a row. ... The head shot of Tavo Tupola on this page was taken before the season began. A senior Utah athletic department official, who declined to be identified, said that "He has since changed his hairstyle and died it some obnoxious color of red/orange. It looks terrible!"
Hawaii Pipeline
There are 13 players from Hawaii on the Utah football team, more than at any other Division I school.
* Out for season with injury. # Played in at least five games.
Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. High school Daniel Bukarau OL 6-1 315 Fr. Kailua '03 Kawika Casco * DB 5-10 184 Jr. Lahainaluna '00 Chris Kemoeatu # OL 6-4 339 Jr. Kahuku '01 Tevita Kemoeatu # DL 6-2 294 Jr. Kahuku '00 Elia Laeli # DL 6-2 275 Sr. Roosevelt '99 Siuaki Livai OL 6-1 296 So. Kahuku '99 Loma Olevao WR 6-0 175 Fr. Kahuku '00 Brady Parkhurst # LB/LS 6-2 225 Jr. Leilehua '99 Patrick Porter WR 5-9 171 Jr. Maryknoll '00 Willie Sao # DL 6-3 275 Fr. Kahuku '99 Chris Sokugawa QB 6-0 204 Fr. St. Louis '02 Sean Souza # OL 6-5 283 Sr. St. Louis '99 Tavo Tupola # OL 6-4 296 Fr. Kahuku '00
Source: University of Utah Sports Information Dept.
