Warrior RB still lives the dream

Nearly six years and some 361 carries after his debut in Hawaii, Joey Iosefa remembers fondly his first opportunity to dig his cleats into Aloha Stadium’s artifical turf.

Iosefa just completed his senior season at Fagaitua High School in American Samoa and had been selected to play in the Hawaii/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl in December 2008.

A quarterback in high school and recruited as an athlete by the Hawaii coaching staff, Iosefa spent most of the game at safety and linebacker for a Hawaii/Polynesia team that included then-Punahou standout Manti Te’o.

When given a chance to line up behind center, Iosefa kept the ball on a quarterback draw and bolted for a 23-yard gain on his lone touch of the game.

"It was a blessing because not a lot of people out of high school get to play college football," Iosefa said. "Getting in that college stadium was something special, a dream that you want to continue playing."

Upon enrolling at the University of Hawaii, Iosefa matured into his role as a punishing running back. He enters his senior season as a focal point for the Rainbow Warrior offense.

He led the team in rushing two of the past three years, striving to open paths for others back home while churning out yardage for the Warriors.

"Coming into my senior year I told myself I’m going to make the best of every day," Iosefa said, "be a great leader and be a great example, not only for the team but for young guys coming up from American Samoa. That’s pretty much what I’m doing it for, and for my family."

As a youngster, Iosefa found inspiration in following former Warriors defensive lineman Isaac Sopoaga’s career at Hawaii and later in the NFL. Same goes for Domata Peko, whose journey took him from Pago Pago to Michigan State before landing with the Cincinnati Bengals.

In Iosefa’s view, it’s his turn to provide that motivation.

"They opened up opportunities for me to get scouted and get blessed to come here," he said. "It’s the same thing — gotta give back, try to ball out and open more room for scouts to go to (American Samoa). There’s a lot of talent hidden down there."

After playing in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2011, when he gained a team-high 548 yards on 110 carries, Iosefa has been limited to 13 games over the past two years due to various injuries.

A broken foot kept him out of fall camp and most of the first two months of the 2013 season. When his foot healed, he plowed for 586 yards and six touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving) over the final four games of the season.

He set school records for carries in his first two games back with 35 attempts for a career-high 191 yards against Navy. He set the record again the following week with 37 carries for 150 yards against San Diego State.

Iosefa and defensive lineman Marcus Malepeai (another Hawaii/Polynesia teammate in 2008) head into the new season as the program’s longest-tenured members as part of the 2009 signing class. His yardage totals over three seasons provide just a small measure of how far he’s come.

"Leaving my family at home was pretty tough, adjusting to the culture shock, the homesickness and all that stuff. I’m more mature now. I know how to take care of myself, do the right things," Iosefa said.

"Football is like a game of life, you learn so much about it. You pick yourself up and go from there."

"If we can stay healthy we’re in good shape. We’ve got a good group, a lot of them complement each other. We’ve got some big guys, we’ve got some fast guys, everybody’s got a part to play and as coaches we have to get them in the position to help our team." STRENGTHS / WEAKNESSES While Joey Iosefa remains the strength and focal point of the running game, productive carries from Steven Lakalaka and Diocemy Saint Juste would go a long way to helping keep Iosefa fresh over a 13-game season.