Family comes first for Mililani star athlete Sione Tavo Motu‘apuaka

In Sione Tavo Motu‘apuaka’s universe, a good day includes a guitar and some family or friends to sing with.

Mililani coach Rod York has an apt nickname for his talented offensive lineman: “Tongan Elvis.”

A perfect day also includes a full table of five-star Filipino food.

“My grandpa was a chef in the Navy for 30 years. His name is Tony Alvarez. He definitely cooks the best food. I like his prime rib and his lumpia. Lots of people don’t know this, but I’m half Filipino,” Motu‘apuaka said.

There’s more on that table.

“He always cooks a variety of things. I’ll have two pieces of prime rib, lumpia, pancit, fried rice, mashed potatoes. Yeah. I can make fried rice, but nothing like prime rib,” he said. “We’re always over at his house, so he cooks for us at least once a week. He loves to cook for us.”

He is one of the state’s top offensive linemen, with several college scholarship offers. That included a ride to national powerhouse Utah. But on signing day, the 6-foot-5, 280-pound senior went with his heart. He inked his letter to Utah State, where his older brother, Hale, and older sister attend school.

“Utah State was just showing me a lot of love. My brother is on the (football) team and I have a sister (Kiana) who is there, too. I decided to stick with my family. It would be an honor to play with my brother for his last two years there,” he said. “It’ll be more convenient for my family, too, when they visit.”

Hawaii, San Diego State, Washington State and UNLV were among the other schools that offered scholarships.

“It’s definitely a blessing to get an offer. I wasn’t thinking of staying home for college. I knew I wanted to go out somewhere,” Motu‘apuaka said. “Luckily, I was able to get offers from these schools.”

York supports his players’ choices of colleges, even when they turn down a national powerhouse.

“That was surprising, but he’s big on family. Family is everything,” he said.

Motu‘apuaka was born on Jan. 19, 2004, exactly two years after the death of his namesake.

“I’m named after my uncle, Sione Tavo, my dad’s brother. He was on the national rugby team for Tonga back in his day. He was just a well-known rugby player, all around. He actually passed away in 2002, Jan. 19. Before I was born, my father wanted to name me after him.”

Motu‘apuaka draws more inspiration from some of his favorite linemen.

“There’s a lot of guys I look up to like Penei Sewell (of the Detroit Lions). He’s a super young guy in the NFL right now. Quenton Nelson (of the Indianapolis Colts), he’s an absolute baller. I love his physicality. There’s this other guy, he went to Leilehua and played for Fresno (State). Now he’s playing in the NFL, Netane Muti (of the Denver Broncos). I love his playing style. I love to watch him,” Motu‘apuaka said.

Wherever he goes, Motu‘apuaka feels at home. York remembers the first time he saw Motu‘apuaka play.

“He was in sixth or seventh grade with the Halawa Knights. I watched my nephews Vae (Malepeai) and his brother Kilifi (Malepeai) play. I saw this big kid. Tavo,” said York, a former defensive lineman at Hawaii.

Motu‘apuaka considered going to Mililani as a freshman, but his older sister had a promising future in track and field.

“She’s now at Utah State on a full-ride track scholarship. He was supposed to come to us in ninth grade, but we didn’t have a true shot put and discus coach,” York said.

Motu‘apuaka’s calm demeanor belies the many directions he has taken since high school began.

“I wanted to go to Punahou, but I didn’t make it in. So I ended up at Maryknoll … with my sister and played for Pac-Five,” he said.

Then came a stop at Radford. The Rams were young and rebuilding while playing up in Division I. Motu‘apuaka learned a lot along the way.

“Some coaches that really helped me, coach (Chris) Bisho from Pac-Five and my Radford O-line coach was Semaia Salanoa. Junior year I came to Miliani. Coach Steely (Malepeai), coach York, coach (Tim) Dunn, coach Hideki (Aoki),” Motu‘apuaka said. “I was with coach (Brian) Derby for one year, but the year after that was COVID.”

At his camp, Derby’s razor-sharp focus on the technical aspects of offensive line play has helped trench men for decades.

“He gets on everybody. I definitely got my fair share from him, too. I had to run a few laps. Coach Derby does everything for the kids. He has a lot of love,” Motu‘apuaka said. “It’s a non-profit program, so it shows how much love he has for the kids.”

Coaching doesn’t usually enter the thought patterns of teenage athletes. Motu‘apuaka is looking forward to it one day.

“I was actually thinking of doing that when I’m done with my job and after I’m settled down, just to give back that love for football back to the kids,” he said.

Motu‘apuaka has a 3.4 grade-point average, possibly as casual and approachable as anyone in the history of the Mililani program — and as intense and loaded with killer instinct on the gridiron as any Trojan, as well.

“He reminds me of Jordan Agasiva,” York said of the former Utah Ute and All-Pac 12 Conference first-team selection who graduated from Mililani. “Both are nice guys off the field, happy-go-lucky, calm demeanors, but on the field they just flip the switch. They understand the leverage game. Even though they’re big, they’re technical from the feet to the elbows to the thumbs up. That’s what separates them, the tenacity.”

York is looking forward to seeing Motu‘apuaka play basketball. He joined teammate Moeva Pine, a 6-3, 240-pound offensive lineman, to play hoops.

This week, however, Motu‘apuaka is participating in the festivities leading up to the Polynesian Bowl, which will be played on Saturday at Kamehameha School’s renovated Kunuiakea Stadium.

When there’s free time, he picks up a guitar and decompresses after a busy day.

“He serenades us once in a while,” York said.

SIONE TAVO MOTU‘APUAKA’S FAVORITES

>> Favorite music artists: Bob Marley (“Ride Natty Ride”) and Makisi (“Nofo Nofo”)

>> Chicken fan: Tavo likes McChicken sandwiches, and also Aiea Bowl’s Tasty Chicken.

“It’s fried chicken like Korean fried chicken from Zippy’s, but it’s like 10 times better.”

>> GPA: 3.4

>> Pearl Harbor Elementary School memories: “I had a lot of good teachers growing up. I went to Pearl Harbor Elementary School. That was in sixth grade. They were just really nice and they made the year really fun for us.”

>> Time machine:

“I would probably go to the future just to see where I’m at, maybe like 10 years from now. I wouldn’t want to go too far. It would probably be boring by then. I wouldn’t want to go into the past. I don’t want to be tempted to fix anything ’cause God does everything for a reason.”

>> Nickname: Coach Rod York calls him “Tongan Elvis.”