Alama Uluave and Seyddrick Lakalaka are hoping the best remedy for heartbreak is going home.
The Punahou School alumni, along with Kamehameha graduate Andrew Aleki and Saint Louis alumnus Darrell Masaniai, will be back in Hawaii representing San Diego State in Saturday’s Mountain West Conference football game against the Rainbow Warriors at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex.
The Aztecs (7-1, 3-1) are coming off their first loss of the season, to Fresno State, which knocked them out of the AP Top 25.
“Me and my teammates were not happy with what happened last week, and we’re looking to make up for it,” Uluave said Tuesday.
The Aztecs will play in front of the first potential capacity crowd at Ching field since UH started playing there this season.
It will be the first crowd of more than 1,000 people to attend a UH football game in Hawaii since the 2019 Hawaii Bowl against Brigham Young.
“Coming home is surreal. I’m just always happy to come home and play in front of my family and friends,” Uluave said. “I’m excited that all of my teammates don’t have family in Hawaii so I get to take all of their tickets and hopefully I can fill out a little sliver in the stands with my family.”
Starting at center for the second year in a row, the 6-foot-2, 305-pound Uluave grew up in Laie and first got into football watching cousins play at Kahuku.
He prepped at Punahou, where he was one year behind Lakalaka, who signed with San Diego State as part of its 2017 recruiting class following in the footsteps of his brother Ronley.
A year later, Uluave decided to sign with the Aztecs out of an offer sheet that included Washington State, Hawaii, Boise State, Syracuse and Texas Tech.
“I’m extremely happy being here at San Diego State,” Uluave said. “The program — we’re on our way. We’re definitely trying to make waves in our conference. We’re pushing for that 22nd conference championship and I love my teammates, I love my O-line brothers, I love it all here.”
The same is true for Lakalaka, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound senior linebacker. He has missed just one game over the past two seasons and is seventh on the team with 26 tackles this year.
“Being out here from Hawaii, I kind of have a chip on my shoulder,” Lakalaka said. “I always try to represent where I came from and the culture I grew up in.”
Like the rest of the players from Hawaii, Lakalaka has gotten some extra tickets from teammates to bring more family and friends to the game.
“They’ve been planning for and looking forward to this weekend for a while now,” Lakalaka said. “Now that it’s finally here, everybody’s excited and ready to see San Diego State in Hawaii.”
Not only were Lakalaka and Uluave teammates at Punahou, they also had older brothers who played together.
Lakalaka hosted Uluave on his recruiting trip to San Diego State but didn’t want to put any pressure on his friend.
When he did find out Uluave’s decision, he was excited.
“I kind of reached out and put it in his brain that we’d love to have him here,” Lakalaka said. “Because it was Alama and his brother and my brother played football together, we were all very close. Wherever he chose to go I’d be happy for him, but when he committed I was happy to have someone from home with me.”
San Diego State was the perfect fit for Uluave, who has anchored the Aztecs’ run-first offense that ranks 31st in FBS in rushing yards per game.
“Definitely different from my high school experience,” Uluave said. “It really puts a different level (of) pride in me.
Running the ball is hard. It’s a whole different feel to football. I feel it’s the purest form of football and winning a game running the ball is different from passing it. It feels more satisfying to me.”
HAWAII AZTECS
Player Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hawaii high school (year)
Andrew Aleki, Senior, Linebacker, 6-3, 230, Kamehameha (2017)
Seyddrick Lakalaka, Senior, Linebacker, 6-1, 235, Punahou (2017)
Darrell Masaniai, Freshman, Linebacker, 6-2, 200, Saint Louis (2020)
Alama Uluave, Senior, Offensive line, 6-2, 305, Punahou (2018)
