Defensive back Brock Fonoimoana was the quiet leader by example, while linebacker/edge rusher Leonard Ah You was the vocal leader and energizer.
Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho calls Liona Lefau a combination of the two, and that chemistry was a big part of the program’s back-to-back state football championships. Lefau, their 6-foot-1, then-215 pound middle linebacker, covered the field like an elite defensive back, but made big plays in the trenches, as well.
His athleticism, IQ and versatility caught the eyes of recruiters. Lefau received 27 scholarship offers and signed with Texas. He graduated from Kahuku, and enrolled early at Texas, where he has dealt with homesickness while reveling in the journey of his life — and a chance to play in the SEC.
“The people over here are kind of like Hawaii. Once you get to know them, Hawaii people are one and take care of each other, it’s kind of like that here and I’ve been enjoying that,” Lefau said.
It was during a monthlong visit back home that Lefau learned about his induction into the Hawaii Hall of Honor.
“I think it was my mom. I think I was with Brock and someone posted it. I thought it was one of those how they make articles and put the top players, like an All-State team. Then I realized it’s the big one. I was like oh wow. It’s definitely something all three of us have been working toward, to work hard and do better things for our families and community,” Lefau said on Tuesday after returning to Austin. “It’s a reward for all our sacrifices all these years.”
“I’m kind of bummed out we can’t make the dinner, but it’s cool. Some of my family will be there. There’s just no time. Any time in May would have been perfect.”
The trip home involved family, friends and, to no surprise, his favorite food.
“I was eating everywhere when I came back. Keneke’s, Kaneohe Pancake House, Papa Ole’s (Kitchen), L&L (Hawaiian BBQ). I miss my friends and my family, of course,” he said.
Maybe his favorite memory in Texas so far was the spring game, when some family and friends came to Austin.
“Leonard and Kaikai (Carvalho) came to visit me and watch the game. When they’re here, it felt like home. Home is where the heart is, that’s so true,” Lefau said.
Kahuku broke a state-title drought with the run in recent years, setting a new bar of excellence. A legacy and unforgettable moments.
“My favorite memories, the easy answer is winning states two times. It’s a special moment. The first time, everyone on that team, we grew up playing together. My older brother, my cousin, all my friends. By the end of the year we became one family. Any time I see any of them, it’s special. We chop it up,” he said.
“Second year, we had a lot of transfers coming home. Doing it again, it was the same main people. Being part of Kahuku football, it’s just something different. We did a lot of stuff that pushed us to a new place as a team. We all train, we all put in the work, but the team bonding, anytime there was a funeral for our families, our whole team would be there. We would all go together. Cleanups in the community. We would do things people would complain about doing, and we’d have fun. It built our team. Doesn’t matter if it’s a star player or fourth string, we can always trust each other.”
Carvalho saw Lefau play at a young age.
“He was always bigger than everybody else. He was already a star. Everybody said, the Lefau boy is going to be special. He was like their best receiver, quarterback, running back. You needed something to happen, you put it in Liona’s hands,” Carvalho said.
Lefau spent a year playing for JSerra in the CIF’s Trinity League.
“They came up and recruited him freshman year,” Carvalho recalled.
But as Kahuku revamped through the pandemic, with a commitment to expanding its offseason training and system, Big Red became a supernatural force on the field. What happens off the field, though, was perhaps more powerful. Last week, teammate Clyde Taulapapa couldn’t find his state championship ring.
“Clyde loses his ring, everybody’s trying to find it,” Carvalho said. “Liona is in the dumpster going through all the garbage looking for the ring. Who in his right mind, full ride to Texas, graduated early, yet he’s ripping every single garbage bag trying to find the ring. We parked the car, shine the (head) light. Kaikai, Leonard jump in. Liona would dig through trash for his teammates.”
They never found the ring.
“A day later, for some reason, the senior table where they eat during a grad party was next to the photo booth. The ring was in the photo booth. Somebody thought it was a prop and put it in there,” Carvalho said. “An honest mistake.”
That’s legacy.
“He has that alpha dog mentality, but his greatest strength is his love for his teammates,” Carvalho added. “Help his teammates, early reps, reps after practice. Service projects. One day he walked the whole bike path by himself until everyone realized Liona’s picking up rubbish. His love for anything he does. His humility is unreal. It’s about everyone else, not him. He lived up to the hype. People who try to live up to the hype can lose their way, but Liona is grounded in his roots. That’s what makes him successful.”
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Hall of Honor inductees
>> Milan Ah Yat of University Lab and Pac-Five
>> Leonard Ah You of Kahuku
>> Elijah Dinkel of Kamehameha-Hawaii
>> Brock Fonoimoana of Kahuku
>> Taryn Irimata of Campbell
>> Solomone Malafu of Kapaa
>> Tatum Moku of Kamehameha
>> Keala Montgomery of Lanai
>> Raya Nakao of Punahou
>> Zola O’Donnell of Mililani
>> Marley Roe of Kamehameha
