The pause button is about silence.

Refresh. Reload. Then destroy and conquer.

Kaimuki’s Evangelist Elisama “Sama” Paama likes his quiet time at home. A chance to play his guitar and ukulele. Jam on the piano. Play Fortnite long enough to annoy his mother, Ana. It is on the gridiron, though, where Paama the pulverizer makes the most noise.

Kaimuki is in the midst of a quest for the state championship. The Bulldogs are 4-0 in OIA Division II play. Their 46-6 win over Waialua over the weekend came just six days after a 28-26 loss in Nevada to Sierra Vista, the lone blemish on their overall record. The last four games of the regular-season slate include a Saturday showdown with the ILH’s top D-II squad, unbeaten St. Francis.

Through five games, Paama has 31 tackles, including nine for loss, along with 3.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. The standard set by Kaimuki coach David Tautofi and his staff requires much commitment. Much work. The expectation is a championship.

“To us players, we don’t really look at it as pressure,” Paama said. “Knowing Coach David, if you were one of his players, you know his expectations are high. It’s not really pressure. It’s a challenge. Every day, he challenges us, especially because we don’t have that many players, so it’s all in the mind. Practice is conditioning. Conditioning is Kaimuki football.”

MOBILE, NIMBLE AT 355

Paama, at 6 feet, 4 inches and 355 pounds, is tremendously mobile and nimble. Stamina isn’t a question. Kaimuki began the season with 21 players, which meant major ironman duty for each Bulldog. Paama plays left tackle on offense, plays defensive line and was, for one game, their kicker.

“That’s Kaimuki. We’ve always been the underdogs. Not a lot of players, but we live with it,” Paama said. “I liked doing kickoffs, but Coach wanted me to get some rest.”

Paama projects as a defensive tackle at the next level. He committed to Washington in April, and says the decision is locked and done. He is close to qualifying academically; he needs to elevate his SAT score. He took it a second time on Saturday.

After attending Jarrett Middle School, then Damien as a freshman, Paama moved to Samoa for a year, then returned and went to Kaimuki as a sophomore. Tautofi wasn’t familiar with the new kid.

“You’ll always see size, but it doesn’t always pan out. What makes him different was the five-man sled. I was standing on one end and he literally lifted me off the sled. I’m looking at my brother (Darrell) and said, ‘Have him do it again,’ ” said Tautofi, who was 265 pounds when he suited up for UCLA two decades ago.

The bond between the head coach and the lead ‘Dog in the trenches, Paama, is tight.

“Thanks to Coach T, he helped me a lot. He has a (SAT) prep class,” Paama said. “He looks at our grades every day. If he knows you need help, he’ll help you. He’s always on us. You can’t get away with bad grades.”

There’s only one thing Paama would change about high school.

“Freshman and sophomore year, I was slacking a lot. If it wasn’t for Coach T, I would never have grown up,” he said. “At first, it was hard. Coach David teaches us more than football. He’s been through what we’ve been through, just a regular Palolo boy trying to make it out of the Valley. As time went by, I trusted him.”

Tautofi relishes his role, a human bridge between youth and the future. The ultimate life coach.

“A lot of our kids come in with different, not too positive life experiences and we had to break him down, get down to basics, to his own perception of himself,” Tautofi said. “He wasn’t the strongest, positive kid out there. That’s where the relationships that coaches and players matter. Not so much X’s and O’s.”

Technique and drive are honed year-round. Kaimuki’s linemen went to the Ultimate Lineman event in Concord, Calif., in May.

“We took 12 of our linemen and took third,” Tautofi said. “I think we were one of the top two teams there. Until the semifinals, we and Hawaii Select were undefeated. We got them exposed to tough competition. Everyone in the media was asking for Sama. They handled it well.”

The comparison for Tautofi? He doesn’t hesitate.

“Sama reminds me of Haloti Ngata at Oregon (now with the Philadelphia Eagles). He single-handedly would just demoralize the offense, manhandling people, blocking kicks. That’s what Sama is doing right now in high school football,” Tautofi said.

MOTHER KNOWS BEST

The son has learned a lot from Ana, a single mother. Since moving back from Samoa, they settled in Waipahu, which means Paama commutes to school on TheBus daily with a friend. In the offseason, the work doesn’t stop.

“He’s worked hard on his get-off,” said Allen Fortson, Kaimuki defensive line coach. “He’s a hard, hard worker.”

“Two years ago, I knew he was special,” Tautofi said. “It’s the team and coaches who support him, his mom keeping him accountable.”

Paama is grateful his mother kept him focused.

“Schoolwork. Every time, it’s always been, ‘Sama, do your work! Sama, do your work!’ She always pushes me in school. I’m glad she did,” he said.

He never argued with mom about academics. The giant on the gridiron knows better.

“No,” he said. “I’m scared.”