Noga Jr. following in his family's footsteps

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Leading the second generation of Hawai'i football's "first family" is not an easy chore.

•	High school football • WHAT: Hawai'i Union Builders Goodwill Football Classic • WHO: O'ahu senior all-stars, East vs. West • WHEN: Tonight, 7:30 • WHERE: Aloha Stadium • TICKETS: $5, general admission • TV/Radio: none

When your father and three uncles (Pete, Al and George) lay the groundwork with standout careers in high school and the University of Hawai'i, people have big expectations.

But despite lacking the size of his famous relatives and not earning a starting position until this year, Falaniko Jr. somehow managed to make a name for himself as a middle linebacker for Farrington.

"He was the guy on their team we were most concerned about," Castle coach Nelson Maeda said. "Just the way he covered the field and made his reads ... he keys on the ball real well."

McKinley coach David Tanuvasa agreed.

"He was somebody we had to be worried about," Tanuvasa said. "He has good lateral movement and a good instinct to the ball. For a little guy, he stood out big."

Noga, who will end his high school career in tonight's Hawai'i Union Builders Goodwill Football Classic at Aloha Stadium, is listed at 5 feet 8, 173 pounds. He started the season at outside linebacker but was moved to the middle after a teammate got injured.

Anyone who watched the four Noga brothers play at UH would recognize Falaniko Jr. on the field even without a roster. His quickness and knack for swooping to the ball carrier are hauntingly familiar, resulting in 97 tackles in eight games.

"He wasn't blessed with size, but he has the speed and the ability," said Al, a first-team Associated Press All-American defensive tackle in 1986. "He put everything together, and he did it on his own."

That is what makes this young Noga impressive. Falaniko Sr., a two-time all-Western Athletic Conference nose guard, played with five different NFL teams before returning to Samoa. Falaniko Jr. bounced around all those locales with his dad and attended Waipahu and Campbell before transferring to Farrington — the alma mater of his dad, Al and Pete — last year.

He played only sparingly his sophomore year at Campbell and was a backup for the Governors last season.

But Falaniko Jr. blossomed this year, just in time for Uncle Al's return to Hawai'i three months ago after 14 years on the Mainland.

"He worked so hard in the offseason, and things paid off," Al said. "I told him the patience has to be there, that as long as he's patient, good things are going to happen."

Falaniko Jr. said wherever he went, especially at Farrington, others immediately recognized his name. That usually was followed by memories of his relatives' exploits.

"There was a lot of pressure to play up to their level," Falaniko Jr. said. "But (the relatives) don't put pressure on me. My dad didn't even want me to play."

Al said he and his brothers were concerned about the Noga name being an albatross for Falaniko Jr.

"I know exactly what he was going through, because I had to follow my brothers Niko and Pete," said Al, who played eight seasons in the NFL. "I told him, 'Don't worry about the name. Just do your best, that's all we can ask.' It's not about the name; it's up to the individual to make it happen."

Falaniko Jr. made it happen at Farrington, and hopes to make more happen at a junior college.

Off the field, he maintains a 2.8 grade point average and a pleasant, "Yes, sir, no ma'am" personality. On the field, he is every bit the tackling machine his dad and uncles were.

"I won't let anybody tell me I'm too small," Falaniko Jr. said. "It's not how big you are — it's how big your heart is."