San Jose State quarterback Nick Starkel (17) scrambles away from Utah State defensive sort out Hale Motu’apuaka (92) in the course of the second half of an NCAA faculty soccer recreation Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, San Jose, Calif. Utah State gained 48-17. Tony Avelar, Related Press
Utah State Aggies defensive sort out Hale Motu’apuaka has constructed considerably of a dynasty for one thing reasonably far faraway from a soccer subject.
On Thursday, Motu’apuaka gained the World Fireknife championship in his native Hawaii, marking his second straight title within the occasion on the Polynesian Cultural Heart and third since 2018 (it was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic).
After his championship in 2021, Motu’apuaka was featured in a video in Hawaii through which he defined his ardour for the occasion and the inspiration behind persevering with to do it — his uncle Harry, who handed away earlier than final yr’s competitors.
As a junior for the Aggies in 2021, Motu’apuaka began all 14 video games and completed the season with 26 tackles (10 solo, 16 assisted), together with 2.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss.