San Clemente soccer players Lee Fuimaono and Matai Tagoa’i look to fulfill more dreams together – Orange County Register

As kids running around the scorching concrete of Las Vegas, the dream of Division I college football was so close and yet so far away for Matai Tagoa’i and Lee “Puka” Fuimaono.

They were brought together by college football, as both of their fathers played for the UNLV football team. They forged a bond that would last a lifetime, with each calling the other “brother.”

That brotherhood came together on the sands of San Clemente last season, and now, those Division I college dreams are close to becoming a reality as the pair of senior linebackers look to lead the Tritons’ defense in one final season together.

“We’ve known each other since we were born,” Tagoa’i said. “We lived together in the dorms at UNLV, we babysat together… We talked about doing this to get a DI offer and do something together. For it to happen is crazy.”

San Clemente senior linebackers Puka Fuimaono and Matai Tagoa’i are lifelong brothers and now Division 1 commits to Arizona State and USC, respectively.@LeePukaFuimaono & @MataiTagoai_ lead @TritonFootball in the explosive Alpha League this season.

SC (0-1) hosts Oak Ridge on Friday. @ocvarsity image.twitter.com/uyzDU0SrsM

— Zach Cavanagh (@ZachCav) August 27, 2024

Both are destined for bigger stages than Las Vegas, as Tagoa’i, a dynamic edge-rushing linebacker and strong safety, is headed to the Big 10 with a commitment to USC, and Fuimaono, a physical, run-stopping middle backer, is headed to the Big XII with a commitment to Arizona State.

“Ever since we were kids, we dreamed of the day we would go to a major university,” Fuimaono said. “That’s been the case from day one.”

Fuimaono moved to Orange County before his high school days, and after a fast freshman season at Santa Margarita, he has been a second-level presence for San Clemente’s defense.

Tagoa’i made a name for himself in his first two seasons at Faith Lutheran in Las Vegas and before his junior season, he made the decision to challenge the higher-level competition in Southern California. When Fuimaono learned his brother was moving, he knew San Clemente would be a welcoming place to land.

“As soon as I heard he was coming to Cali, I had to make sure he came here,” Fuimaono said. “There was no other place.”

“I was very excited,” Tagoa’i said. “My brother is the main reason I came here to play basketball.”

The move worked very well for Fuimaono, Tagoa’i and the Tritons.

Tagoa’i made an immediate impact with three tackles for loss and two sacks in his first game for San Clemente and another two TFLs and two sacks in the Tritons’ league-clinching win over Mission Viejo. He also had an interception and a TFL in San Clemente’s CIF-SS Division 1 playoff loss to St. John Bosco.

Fuimaono was the rock in the middle of the San Clemente defense with team highs in individual tackles (56) and total tackles (92).

“Matai is tenacious, violent and a nasty player,” said San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz. “Puka brings the same energy, but he’s also very cerebral. As a central defender, he has to see the whole field and control the fronts. They’re both very violent players and they both have that advantage.”

Ortiz said Tagoa’i and Fuimaono allow San Clemente’s defense to do things it normally wouldn’t be able to do, and that will be very important for the Tritons as they face the new Alpha League later this year.

Mission Viejo, Edison and Los Alamitos all feature dynamic offenses with top-notch quarterbacks that will force San Clemente to lean on its defense, while the Tritons figure out their own offense with a new quarterback and the loss of their single-season leading rusher, Aiden Rubin, to graduation.

“Physically, I think we’re going to be up to the task, but all of us on this starting defense are like that,” Tagoa’i said. “They know how important their role is and they take it very seriously. The most important thing for us is to be vocal leaders.”

Although the Tritons fell last week in their first game at Chaparral, 17-16, on a 2-point conversion in overtime, San Clemente’s defense continued to stand out.

Fuimaono had 10 tackles and Tagoa’i had five tackles and half a sack.

Senior teammates Kaden Raymond (12 tackles) and Zeke Rubinstein (10 tackles, half a sack) helped lead the effort.

San Clemente (0-1) will look to bounce back at home on Friday against Oak Ridge (0-1) of El Dorado Hills.