Patriots fired up for semifinal matchup with McQueen

P.J. Taeao was only an eighth-grader when he starting making contributions to Liberty High’s football program.

After his father had been named a coach at the school, Taeao was asked to teach the freshmen team how to do the haka, a war dance used to motivate the team before the game.

The next year, he taught the varsity team the haka. And now, as a 315-pound junior lineman, he’s leading his teammates in the ritual, and on the field.

Taeao and the Patriots (11-1) are headed to their first Class 4A state semifinal. Liberty visits McQueen (11-1) in Reno on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

“This is history in the making for us,” Taeao said. “We’ve worked hard the whole year for this.”

The hard work is what shows on the field and is the reason why the Patriots are still playing. The haka is what gets them ready to work hard.

“The haka is what gets us ready for war,” senior tackle Daniel Filimona said. “It gives us extra energy. It gets us ready to just kill our opponent.”

Killing opponents aside, a glance at the Liberty sideline before the game can be intimidating with the entire team performing a battle ritual in near-perfect choreography.

The version of the haka comes from Taeao’s family. His teammates take a knee while he paces in front of them, yelling words of encouragement, some of which the players repeat.

“Being the leader, it’s special to me,” Taeao said. “I take responsibility for making sure my team is ready for battle. If my team isn’t ready, it’s my fault for not pumping them up.”

The team comes together as one to perform the moves of the ritual.

“It shows we do have some discipline,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco said. “It’s a mental exercise, and when the fans are really into it, it’s amazing. The fans get fired up, and the players just feed off that energy. It really has helped us in some games.”

Not that the Patriots have needed much help.

Since a 24-21 loss to Palo Verde to start the season, Liberty has rattled off 11 consecutive wins, scoring at least 20 points in every game and 30 or more seven times.

The Patriots are coming off a dominating performance in a 35-14 win over Las Vegas in the Sunrise Region title game.

Niko Kapeli is the team’s leading rusher with 1,170 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

Quarterback Kai Nacua has run for 11 touchdowns, and Jordan Kapeli, Ty Byrd and Teu Tai each have at least five scores on the ground. Nacua has also thrown for nine TDs.

The Patriots are just as good on defense, having allowed no more than two touchdowns in a game since Oct. 15.

McQueen is similar to Liberty, in that the Lancers’ strengths are running the ball and playing solid defense.

“They’re almost a mirror image of us,” Muraco said.

The Lancers, led by running back Nick Shepard, average 258 rushing yards per game. Shepard has run for 1,455 yards and 19 TDs.
McQueen averages almost 33 points per game and allows just under 12 points per game.

“Their running back is very physical,” Muraco said. “Our kids have to wrap up.”