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A road less travelled added up to a unique thank-you speech for Farrington senior Iapani “Pancho” Laloulu.
The 6-foot-2, 358-pound offensive lineman was greeted by a proud audience during a noon-time ceremony at Farrington’s auditorium. Coach Daniel Sanchez presented Laloulu with a jersey from the Under Armour Next All-American Game.
“It’s a dream come true. I claimed it. My mom always prayed that one of these days I would get to All-American. I told her I would get there. Their hard work and dedication that they put into me means a lot,” Laloulu said.
Laloulu is the only Hawaii player who has been selected for the game.
“This is awesome. Pancho has definitely put in the work. He has tremendous support from coaches, family members,” Sanchez said. “He’s a kid who does things right. He follows his faith and it’s an awesome honor for him and his family.”
Off stage, the Laloulu family congregated near stage left. Dozens from young to young at heart, including some relatives who flew in from Maui.
“I’d like to give a shoutout to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ for this wonderful blessing. A shoutout to my family members who came out of their way to spend this day with me. Coach Whitley Fehoko, my uncle Derek Agasiva and Robert Faleafine, my uncle Fika. If I missed any of you guys, I’m sorry, but thank you guys also,” Laloulu said.
Among the inner circle on stage with the premier lineman was Fehoko, the former Farrington offensive lineman and currently coach of the Trench Dawgz, and Saint Louis OL coach Rob Crowell. Laloulu transferred from Farrington to Saint Louis as a junior, then returned to the Governors before senior season. He wanted to play with his childhood friends, including two teammates who live with the Laloulu family, for his final year.
“It really means a lot to represent where you’re from. The love that you get from your community and everybody else around is a great feeling,” he said.
He will travel with his parents to the game, which will be held on Jan. 14, 2023, in Panama City, Fla. Faaope Sr. and Lesieli have never been to Florida.
“I want to see DisneyWorld,” Lesieli said.
By then, chances are that Pancho Laloulu will be committed to one of the nine college programs that have offered him a scholarship. Waiting patiently are Arizona, Cal, Florida, Hawaii, Miami, Oregon, Syracuse, Tennessee and Virginia.
Oregon has one advantage. Faaope Laloulu Jr. is a sophomore offensive lineman with the Ducks. When he left Farrington as an All-State trench man, he was rated three stars by national publications. Younger brother Pancho is already at four stars. ‘Ope Laloulu had 10 offers before signing with the Ducks.
Though Pancho Laloulu was done with classes by mid-day, his football schedule was far from over. Farrington (5-4, 3-2 OIA D-I) hosted Aiea (6-2, 4-1) on Friday night.
“Our coaches already gave us the game plan. It’s up to us boys to go out there and execute, communicate and do what we have to do to win,” Laloulu said. “Aiea’s a really strong team. I’m not going to lie. We’re going to have a battle today.”
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