Drawing on his past, Siasau Matagiese envisions a future providing guidance for youths in need of direction.
Matagiese remembers being one of those kids growing up, similar in station to those he worked with over the summer as part of an internship at Palama Settlement.
In football, he found a compass guiding him toward a college degree and a productive playing career at the University of Hawaii.
Now one of the Rainbow Warriors’ senior leaders, Matagiese’s summer experience reinforced that sense of purpose he found through the game as well as his plans to continue working with kids after graduating with a degree in family resource management.
"Especially at-risk kids," Matagiese says, "because I was once a part of those stats.
"Football was really my outlet from trouble. Football opened my eyes to see there was more out there for me."
The 2009 Waimea graduate converted his focus into opportunities to extend his academic and playing careers beyond high school, first at Portland State before transferring to UH a year later.
He secured a roster spot, then a scholarship. He claimed a starting role in the defensive tackle rotation last year and currently leads the Rainbow Warriors line in total tackles heading into Saturday’s Mountain West Conference matchup with nationally ranked Fresno State.
"He’s been a scrapper," UH defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer said. "He walked on here, earned a scholarship. He’s used what he’s had in his personal life to help motivate him to be a much better football player and a better student. So I think it’s all coming together for him, which is great as a senior."
Through three games, Matagiese has 14 tackles — including nine solo stops — and contributed three tackles for loss to the Rainbow Warriors’ total of 26, tied with Fresno State for most in the conference.
Matagiese recorded the first sack of his UH career last week in a loss at Nevada, also the first of the season for a Rainbow interior lineman. Linebackers and defensive ends account for the other seven sacks.
"It’s finally nice to get the first sack, especially on the inside where sacks don’t come a dime a dozen," Matagiese said. "But I also credit the rest of the D-line. (Tackles) Moses (Samia) and Marcus (Malepeai) were in there stopping the run and if they never got to third-and-long I never would have had the opportunity."
Matagiese has increased his productivity while playing with a blend of abandon and the discipline to stay true to his techniques and adhere to the defensive scheme.
"Saui’s done a better job of keeping his pad level," Kaumeyer said. "He sometimes tends to get his pad level high, but the last couple games he’s worked really hard at keeping the pad level down, getting off the ball, using his hands."
With the Rainbow Warriors entering the week at 0-3, Matagiese’s leadership skills take on added value and Kaumeyer praised his commitment to "making sure we do our job so everybody has an equal chance of having that success."
"We always preach to do your 1/11th, just do your job," Matagiese said. "You don’t need to do anything extra or anything less. Just do your job and trust in the system."
Along with providing a big-brother presence on the team, he’s also performing that role in a more literal sense with his younger sister, Ulu, on campus as a freshman with the Rainbow Wahine softball team.
"I’m always watching out for her … just being that older brother I’m supposed to be," he said.
Making sure he’s where he’s supposed to be during his time at UH has Matagiese on schedule to graduate in December.
"It means a lot because I’ll be the first in my family to get a four-year degree," he said.
Once he picks up his diploma, his plans include putting his education to use helping steer others toward similar goals. Then again, perhaps he already has.
