Challen Faamatau is often seen zooming past defenders on the field, breaking away and scoring touchdowns like it’s nothing.

As effortless as the Farrington senior makes it look, not much has come easy to him.

He started playing football in the fifth grade. As one of the self-described “big” kids on the team, he played linebacker and fullback in middle school. It wasn’t until his freshman year that he realized his potential at running back.

“I told myself I gotta put my mind to it and train. I had to cut some weight, work on my speed,” Faamatau said. “That’s when I realized running back is how I’m gonna further my education and take my football to the next level.”

He’s established himself as the biggest threat in the Governors offense for consecutive years. Through six games this season, he has run for 11 touchdowns and caught three. Last season, he rushed for 1,289 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching eight.

“Being able to see him grow into the player he’s become has been a joy,” Farrington coach Randall Okimoto said. “He knows how to practice. He gives good effort. He understands that every rep that he takes is important. He doesn’t jog through.”

Practice and preparation are two of Faamatau’s key values. It’s how he got to where he is today, and it’s how he plans to punch his ticket to the college level.

“I come to practice with a game-like mentality,” Faamatau said. “I’m not one of those athletes that comes to practice and slacks off and then expect to make big plays. That’s not how I work, that’s not how I was raised or coached to be.”

Other things have challenged Faamatau in ways he couldn’t have prepared for.

In April, his close friend and teammate Wesley Sula was stabbed to death.

“Wesley is a guy that we’re gonna miss so much,” Faamatau said somberly. “He’s a guy that we don’t stop thinking about. We still got his locker. Nobody touches his locker.”

Faamatau was brought up at Kuhio Park Terrace, the same place where Sula was killed.

The Kalihi native is very much aware of his town’s reputation. At the same time, he understands that he can only control so much.

“I just look at it as a situation where anything can happen in any place — it’s the decisions that you make,” Faamatau said. “People say Kalihi is a rough neighborhood, I don’t believe in that. It’s just people who made my brother Wesley’s life short, who affect the environment.”

Witnessing gangs, gunshots, and home and car robberies have hardened Faamatau, who stayed away from all of those things. They’ve also solidified his vision for the future.

Faamatau’s recruitment could heat up in the next couple of months if he gets a high enough SAT score, making him an NCAA qualifier. So far, he has garnered interest from Boise State, Hawaii, Washington and Washington State.

“I wouldn’t care who would offer me — if it’s a scholarship where my mom and dad don’t have to spend a penny on anything, I’ll take that,” Faamatau said. “They bust their butts and sacrifice. And to me, I couldn’t have done it without my team.”

Though Faamatau acknowledges his past made him who he is today, he knows how to keep it in perspective.

“He doesn’t have that attitude of ‘you need me’ and ‘listen to me.’ You can get on him. He understands that we’re trying to make him better by doing those things. That’s what stands out,” Okimoto said.

“He’ll congratulate his teammates and be appreciative that they are the ones paving the way so he can run the ball.

“The humility of that is what we try to teach to everyone on our team to understand.”