WCAL Player of the Year
HAMILTON ANOA'I, WR/S, SERRA
It was all about the brotherhood and the competition for Serra two-way star Hamilton Anoa'i.
"I like the hard work and the values (football) teaches you and the teamwork and the brotherhood," Anoa'i said. "I love the game. It's just part of my life."
Anoa'i led Serra to a West Catholic Athletic League co-title and the only Central Coast Section Open title in school history with a banner season on
both sides of the ball. As a 6-foot-2, 225-pound receiver, he caught 26 passes for 516 yards and 10 touchdowns. In two victories against Mitty,
he had a total of four touchdown catches, including three in the WCAL finale against the Monarchs.
Against Bellarmine in the WCAL season-opener, he had a TD catch and then ran the Wildcat offense in the fourth quarter, rambling for 64 yards
in a 17-7 victory.
And he did it all on a sketchy set of wheels, having recovered from an ACL injury in 2012 and then playing on a balky knee this season during
Serra's stretch run to league and section titles.
"He's a great kid, hard worker and very conscientious," Serra coach Patrick Walsh said. "He was a three-year varsity starter who will be very
missed around here. He's a spiritual kid who is well-grounded and the type of unique player who only comes around once in a while. The fact he
was not even playing at 100 percent this year is scary."
Anoa'i, from Daly City, has a host of relatives who were pro wrestlers and an uncle, Joe Anoa'i, who played football at Georgia Tech and also
became a pro wrestler. His younger brother, Hiram Anoa'i, played junior varsity football this season for Serra and was elevated to varsity
for the playoffs.
Anoa'i played Pop Warner football for the West Bay Rams and then enrolled at Serra and did not regret it.
"I've never been around a football team like this," he said. "The energy that circulates around the football team is special. It's a big
part of the school and its history and it's good to be around."
Serra's 2013 team, led by Anoa'i, will be the first in school history to hang both a WCAL and CCS championship banner in the gym.
Next up for Anoa'i is college football. He has a 3.5 GPA and has been offered scholarships by Nevada, Idaho, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Davis,
Cal State Sacramento and Eastern Washington.
"It's my dream to play college football and get a good education," he said.
Also considered: Chandler Ramirez, RB, Archbishop Mitty; Kirk Johnson, RB, Valley Christian; K.J. Carta-Samuels, QB, Bellarmine College Prep.
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