Hesekaia Finefeuiaki, or Tali as everyone knows him, has certainly left his mark on the football field. As a tight end and outside backer, Finefeuiaki has had his teams back for years. As one of the team’s seniors, Finefeuiaki has assumed a leadership role on the team where he helps his teammates strive to become better players. Finefeuiaki is able to help his fellow teammates succeed because, “I treat everyone the same, lead by example, and help everyone keep a positive attitude on and off the field.” Finefeuiaki allows this mentality to not only help his teammates grow within their athletic medium, but also help him grow as a leader.

In a recent interview, David Hernandez, one of Finefeuiaki’s teammates, explained how Finefeuiaki’s positive mentality has helped him grow as a player. He stated that Tali has helped the team understand “that sometimes we’re going to get hurt but a lot of times pain has to be set aside and keep going because it’s for a higher purpose or achievement.” Finefeuiaki’s leadership skills and positive attitude has defiantly impacted his teammates and allowed them to strengthen individually and as a whole.

Finefeuiaki initially became interested in becoming an athlete when he was younger, playing on the street with his brothers and friends. Growing up, he watched his brother play football and knowing that he was following in his footsteps was a “dream come true.” Finefeuiaki himself started playing football in the fourth grade and his overall motivation as an athlete is “to do my best knowing I was blessed to be able to play the game.”

Finefeuiaki is able to demonstrate how to be a great player to the rest of his team by exemplifying how to be a good team player. “To be a team player is to give everything you got for the person next to you,” he comments. “In some cases, sacrifice some of your game to help the team.” This philosophy has helped Finefeuiaki overcome obstacles such as frustrating losses in his athletic career, and allows him to use the knowledge of why and how he lost to his advantage—by learning from his mistakes.

Finefeuiaki exemplifies how to be a successful athlete through his sportsmanship and determination. He is able to “overcome losses by working harder for the next week, and watching film on the next team to prepare.” This attitude enables Finefeuiaki to become a better athlete and become the football player he is today.

In his free time, Finefeuiaki participates in Poly Club at Wilcox, as well as attending church, playing sports, and spending time with his friends and family. Finefeuiaki also is taking AP Psychology. Currently, Finefeuiaki is keeping up 3.0 gpa average, while constantly working out on his own time after school to better himself. He hopes his efforts will help him achieve his next goal, play football at the next level: college. Although Finefeuiaki is unsure what he will be pursuing academically after high school, one thing for sure is that he has set his sights on an athletic career.