Miki Suguturaga is book smart and polite as all get.
The Punahou senior defensive lineman just happens to stand 6 feet, 5 inches, carrying 260 pounds as he wreaks havoc on quarterbacks and running backs on Friday nights. Thursday and Saturday nights, too. That’s great for Punahou, ranked No. 2 in the Star-Advertiser Top 10, currently tied for first place with Saint Louis in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.
In the past, present and future, sometime when he’s not busy pursuing his diploma, college degree and football career, it all comes back to Kahaluu. Roots in the Suguturaga family tree are in the fertile soil of the valley. His mother, Emaleti Mokofisi, and the hands that work the family farm are never idle.
“When we were younger, it was usually my dad, but now my mom took over and we help her out,” Suguturaga said during some rare down time over the weekend. “It’s an ongoing process. We have a lot of different things. Banana, mango, pomegranates, papaya, orange, lemon, lime. Pele (an ingredient in upulu). A lot of different bushes. Peppermint. We’re starting to grow some taro, wet and dry. Cherry tomatoes, celery, green onion.”
Nose to the grindstone
It’s a definite green-thumbs up. Suguturaga may consider himself more of a student — he carries a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average — and athlete, though.
“He’s a humble, hard-working kid. He went out for track last spring, his first time in the shot put and discus. He became one of our best,” Buffanblu football coach Kale Ane said. “He’s got a great attitude. He and his sister are willing to try something new. He is a grinder. He’s worked extremely hard in school and in the weight room.”
The grind is nothing new. Suguturaga learned it from mom, and the work ethic also rubbed off from his late father, Sitani.
“My dad passed away when I was little, but I remember he used to always take my brother and I fishing or to the farm and work. He would always say, ‘Once you start something, finish it.’ So basically, don’t quit.”
Adversity has yet to derail Suguturaga. His mother has been a rock-solid foundation after enduring multiple tragedies.
“I was named after my mom’s youngest brother, Miki Mokofisi, who passed away after coming home from his mission,” Suguturaga said. “He went on his mission with a brain tumor wanting to serve and die on his mission rather than do chemotherapy.”
Suguturaga heard many stories about the courage of his namesake.
“He was like an older cousin to my siblings, my older cousins. He taught them a lot. Now they always remind me of who he was and what he stood for, and who I need to be,” he said.
Collegiate future
The scholarship offers weren’t plentiful at first. Suguturaga was a tall, wiry kid who grew up playing safety and running back in the HALOS Windward Warriors program.
“As a kid, I wasn’t really the type who liked to hit people, I guess. I was really small and we played a lot of bigger teams. Fun times being the decoy running back getting run over on every play,” he recalled. “My brother (Jioji) was more the person to hit first and get angry. I’d always mess up because I felt bad, coming off the field crying because someone blamed me.”
Fourth grade was some time ago. Today, he’s possibly the most destructive force in the trenches statewide. There are 14 scholarship offers on the table. Suguturaga is in no rush to make a snap decision.
“My mom always reminds me that everything I do, put God first, stay humble and stay focused on where I need to be,” he said.
His potential position at the college level is intriguing. He has the length and athleticism to be a defensive end. He could also keep gaining weight and handle inside work. The appetite is willing, but the weight gain is a process.
“For me, it’s hard to gain weight. I have a high metabolism. We work out a lot to stay conditioned and keep up with teams like Saint Louis and Kamehameha. I like to say I’m eating healthy stuff, whole wheat bread or brown rice, and stay away from processed foods,” said Suguturaga, who won’t say no to burgers — from Teddy’s or H&T — or pizza.
“He’s a long, rangy kid that can set his hands and get defenders away from him,” said Kamehameha coach Abu Ma’afala, who spent his previous six seasons coaching at West Liberty University. “Great get-off causes disruption immediately. With a kid like that, you can create mismatches at this level and cut him loose. I think on the next level, they’ll need him up and move him inside to play the 3-technique in a four-down scheme, or a 5-technique in a three-down scheme.”
“Very similar,” he added, “to what Oregon did with D-Buck.”
D-Buck is former Punahou standout DeForest Buckner, who was a first-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers and is starting as a rookie.
Chasing goals
It’s all happening in fast forward and slow motion simultaneously for Suguturaga. He keeps his goals basic. He’s chasing the promotion to Eagle Scout. Sundays are strictly reserved for family and church. But he — and the family — are huge fans of the Niners, and have been for decades.
“They need to be patient,” he said. “They have a lot of trust in (quarterback Blaine) Gabbert. I like to see that. That’s what football’s about. You’ve got to trust the guys around you.”
He doesn’t often look too far ahead, if ever. But the vision is there. The havoc he wreaks might extend to Sunday afternoons one day.
“I want to be the best at whatever I do in life. Play college football. Play in the NFL,” he said. “I might, if this house and farm are still here, work here and get it back to when my dad had it.”
PROFILE
MIKI SUGURUTAGA
Senior Defensive lineman 6-5, 260 lb.
Punahou football, track and field
FAVORITES
Athlete: Alan Page (Minnesota Vikings 1967)
“I guess I just watch a lot football. I just happened to see him on video. I like the way he plays the game of football. He always was the guy who asked coaches questions about why he had to do this move or this play, and help others on the team, too.
Team: San Francisco 49ers
“My brother and most of my cousins. I guess it’s because my mom and dad, my older cousins liked them. Especially Steve Young and Joe Montana.”
Food (at home): Lu Kapapulu (Canned Corned beef with Pele or Lu leaves and Ufi.
“My mom (Ema) makes it. I’m not very good at cooking, especially Tongan food.”
Food (eating out): Pizza or burgers
“Pizza Hut. Any kind, any time. Teddy’s Bigger Burger, the spicy Killauea. Windward Mall, HNC Burgers. They sell really good teriburgers and teri fries.”
Hobby outside of sports: Boy Scouts.
Eagle Scout — “I’m striving to be there, working on it.”
Movie: Hercules (cartoon)
“When I was a kid, we had the VHS (tapes). It was one of my movies since then. As I get older, I see how it impacted me. Kind of that determination of him to become who he wanted to be.”
TV show: The Flash
Music artist: Kendrick Lamar
“His music has that effect on you where you can use it as a pump-up song. I listen to a lot of music that inspires me. I like a lot of oldies, the Temptations, just to relax while I’m doing my homework. But as an artist, I admire his the most, how he influences with messages in his music positively.”
Class (elementary through high school): Math
“I like geometry and trig more than I like algebra. Problems with less words, more of a numbers guy.”
Place to relax: Home
Motto/scripture: Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. Matthew 23:12
What your mom (Emaleti Mokofisi) always says that you can’t forget:
“Always God first, then everything else will fall into place. Develop your relationship with your Father in heaven and everything will be great in your life.
Dad’s passing:
“The passing of my father, it wasn’t really a sad thing in my life. I was too young to understand. I was like 5 years old. Seeing my mom and everyone else in my family sad made me want to help more, but it made me more independent in a way. Everyone was going through it, I kind of learned to do things on my own and take care of myself at the same time.”
What do you like to do — or what’s something you’re good at — that would surprise most people?
“I’m good at most video games like Call of Duty and Clash Royale. I always joke that I would be a video game nerd if I didn’t play football and have such little time to do anything time consuming and wasteful.”
FOURTEEN SCHOLARSHIP OFFERS
Arkansas, Arizona State, Army, BYU, Colorado, Hawaii, UNLV, Oregon State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Washington State.
