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The beginning of Poncho Laloulu’s college football dream started last week when he decided that he was going to commit to Oregon, but he finally announced it on social media Monday morning.
On Monday afternoon, the Farrington offensive tackle, whose real first name is Iapani, told Bedrock Sports Hawaii in a phone interview, “The University of Oregon. This is a big step in my life.”
Yes, indeed. Big step for a big boy. He’s 6 feet 2, 355 pounds.
At Oregon, he will meet up with his brother, who is a sophomore on the Ducks’ offensive line. Faaope Laloulu used to weigh more than Poncho and is five inches taller at 6-7. At one point, Faaope was 400 pounds, and, according to the Oregon football team’s website, is down to 335.
Here is Laloulu’s tweet from earlier today:
Home !! 🦆 pic.twitter.com/VSMCgAtTlO
— IAPANI LALOULU (@poncho2flyy) October 24, 2022
“I’ve seen his development,” Poncho said about his older brother. “And I’ve seen a lot of improvement. He tells me he can move better and there’s no more knee problem.”
Seeing that change in Faaope’s development gave Poncho more incentive to choose the Ducks.
“I see myself becoming a player and a man over there at the University of Oregon,” he said.. “Growing up, I’ve never been given things on a silver platter and I’m going over there to compete and work for it.”
Poncho said that as soon as he stepped foot on the Oregon campus earlier this season for an official visit, he knew that’s where he wanted to be.
“The community, the fans, the way they treat you is awesome and the Polynesian lineage is very awesome,” he said.
A few days before playing in his final regular season high school game (a 31-10 loss to Aiea on Oct. 14), Poncho learned that he will be Hawaii’s only representative in the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, Florida, in January.
On Friday, Laloulu and the Govs’ season ended at 5-6 in a 33-14 OIA Division I playoff loss to Waipahu.
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ALSO AT BedrockSportsHawaii.com:
College Football Recruiting: Hawaii High School Classes of 2023, 2024, 2025 And 2026
Former USC And Mililani Running Back Vavae Malepeai Is Doggedly Determined To Land An NFL Job
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The Season As It Unfolds:
