Roman Pulefaasisina has experienced each the ups and downs a precocious schoolhouse shot subordinate could spell done during his 4 years astatine Sunrise Mountain.
He started connected the violative enactment erstwhile Sunrise Mountain reached the 2023 4A authorities title game. Then helium experienced a winless 0-10 sophomore play successful 2024.
Now, arsenic a senior, Pulefaasisina has Sunrise Mountain backmost connected the emergence portion becoming 1 of the apical linemen successful Southern Nevada.
Pulefaasisina leads the authorities with 11 sacks entering Friday and is verbally committed to San Diego State. His stellar play has Sunrise Mountain astatine 5-1 entering a cardinal Division III East League location crippled against undefeated Del Sol (5-0, 2-0 Division III East) astatine 5 p.m. Friday.
“He does everything we request him to bash and he’s ne'er complained,” Sunrise Mountain manager Patrick Achord said. “He’s the 1 who’s ever consenting to clasp the situation nary substance what it is. … He’s a selfless idiosyncratic and he’s ever wanted to bash what’s champion for the team.”
A triumph for Sunrise Mountain (5-1, 2-1) connected Friday would warrant the Miners decorativeness successful the apical 2 spots of the Division III East League and marque the Miners eligible to enactment successful “crossover games” to play for the Division III Superintendents Cup.
“This year, we’ve changed a lot,” Pulefaasisina said. “We person caller players, a caller enactment ethic from everybody. Everybody is connected the aforesaid leafage and being a member to 1 another.”
‘A existent bully leader’
Pulefaasisina, listed astatine 6-foot-2-inches and 270 pounds, is primitively from Oahu, Hawaii, and moved to Las Vegas during his eighth-grade year. Achord, past an adjunct nether erstwhile manager Chris Sawyers, said helium remembers Pulefaasisina coming to summertime signifier earlier the commencement of ninth grade.
“We instantly knew that this was going to beryllium the spot for him and knew helium was going to beryllium a truly bully plus for us,” Achord said. “His freshman twelvemonth we went to the authorities title crippled and helium started for america astatine near tackle. We knew helium was going to beryllium a large portion for us.”
Sunrise Mountain went 9-2 successful 2023 and lost to Centennial 49-31 successful the 4A rubric crippled and past went winless the pursuing year. Achord took implicit successful 2025 arsenic the Miners went 5-6 and missed retired connected the postseason.
Pulefaasisina stayed a changeless connected Sunrise Mountain, playing some discourtesy and defense. Pulefaasisina has recorded 19.5 sacks and 55 tackles for nonaccomplishment successful his precocious schoolhouse vocation with the Miners.
“The maturity process from his freshman year, wherever helium looked similar a young pup to wherever helium is now, helium looks similar a grown antheral retired there,” Achord said. “He’s worked his butt disconnected successful the value country the past 4 years and it’s paid off. … He’s a existent bully person of our young guys and he’s a immense portion of our team. He’s going to beryllium missed erstwhile helium graduates.”
Multisport D1 athlete
Last winter, Pulefaasisina won the Class 4A idiosyncratic wrestling authorities title successful the 285-pound value class. Pulefaasisina defeated Las Vegas High’s Ky Brinkerhoff aft losing to him successful the 4A Desert League meet. Pulefaasisina staying “humble and hungry” helped him triumph the wrestling authorities title, and that mindset has been beneficial to having occurrence successful football.
“I truly pursuit the adversity and strive to amended myself,” Pulefaasisina said. “I strive to spell against radical amended than maine successful immoderate benignant of aspect. Wrestling helped maine enactment successful it with my conditioning and going against opponents. They assistance maine fig retired antithetic techniques, and I correlate that to football.”
Pulefaasisina committed to San Diego State and had different offers from UNLV and Idaho. He said the schoolhouse sought him retired arsenic a antiaircraft lineman and added he’s optimistic astir the program they person for his progression.
Pulefaasisina would beryllium the 2nd Football Bowl Subdivision jock from Sunrise Mountain, joining SMU moving backmost Link Rhodes, who graduated from Sunrise Mountain successful 2020 and started his assemblage vocation astatine Delta Community College.
“It’s important for america due to the fact that the much kids we person to bash that, the much the connection gets retired that Sunrise Mountain is the programme connected the East broadside you privation to beryllium at,” Achord said.
Contact Alex Wright astatine awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 connected X.
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