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Video: Warriors Football according to THS head coach

Tafuna High School, “Home of the Warriors” Football Team has been on a roll since the beginning of this year’s ASHSAA 2103 Football Season, which started on August 24, with a mighty defeat of the Leone Lions — making the ASHSAA Football Record Book — as the only team to set out 73 points in winning an “almost” full time game.

 

The Samoana Sharks back in 1984 did beat Marist 72 - 0, but that game was a “full-time” game.

 

For the Warriors’ history making game, the Lions decided enough was enough when the game was at the conclusion of the third quarter, and Lions’ Head Coach Samoa Samoa thought it would be better to take the loss and save his players from further injuries. His decision was controversial and is still being debated — it was the first game of the season and ‘throwing in the proverbial towel’ is just not sitting right with Lion fans and alumni.

 

As for the Tafuna Warriors, Samoa News has witnessed and believes that throughout all of the Varsity games they’ve played, the Warriors are playing on “another plane” of competition, especially when compared to what the other six teams are bringing to the gridiron.

 

This Sports correspondent noted in last Monday’s Samoa News edition that Tafuna was chasing a goal of scoring 100 points or more – but, Warriors Head Coach “Okland Salave’a” stated during an interview with Samoa News, “It’s not about chasing a goal to score 100 points”.

 

The head coach explained, “We’re not out there to set or score a 100 points, but if we do score a 100 points, it’s not our fault!”

 

He made it clear it’s about hard work and determination on both the field and in the classroom.

 

“Our kids have trained and they continue to work hard, and we aren’t going to tell our offense not to score a 100 points, it’s___ the other team’s defense’s job to stop us from scoring,” Salave’a pointed out.

 

The Warrior coach said his passion for the game is stronger than ever and that he and his coaching staff always have to keep the kids challenged.

 

“I always tell my boys to continue to play Warrior Football, and Warrior Football is a level much higher and bigger than any other level in this league, as you can see,” he noted with pride, adding that he “lives Warrior Football” and stresses to his players every time — that “it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we still play Warrior Football level. It doesn’t matter if its Marist, Voc-Tech, or Kanana Fou, Tafuna will come out and compete on our own level, and that is Warrior Football.”

 

Salave’a told Samoa News that he makes sure his players understand that “losing a game after never losing for three years straight will hurt way more than what I put them through in the weight room and practice everyday.”

 

He then pointed to what he believes is the touchdown of Warrior Football — it’s their ethics and their system of coaching — it is not set at only today, but for the future.

 

“We tell the kids that it really doesn’t matter what you do now, we are just preparing them to get to the next level and that is where our work is being done.”

 

Salave’a added, “When they get the full ride scholarship to college, we can all cheer them on in the next level and their parents don’t have to pay for their education. We want them to know that they did it themselves by committing to excellence in the classroom, and excellence on the field.”

 

Samoa News notes Warrior Football is synonymous with the phrase they coined at the beginning of this season — “Warrior Football is not for Everyone” — and this is indeed the reality they have been delivering after each game. Just take a look at their last two games: They dominated with their 62 - 0 win over the Vikings and last Saturday, their 66 - 0 win over Marist.