More than just a game
12/11/2011 6:38:00 AM | Football
There was no downplaying the significance of winning and losing at the end of Sam Houston State's impressive 49-13 victory over Montana State on Saturday.
But the event was more than just a football game for Bearkat junior linebacker Eric Fieilo and three of the Bobcat players.
It was a family affair.
Fieilo helped lead Euless' Trinity High School to a Class 5A Division I state championship in 2007 along with Montana State quarterback DeNarius McGhee, running back Tray Robinson and linebacker Na'a Moeakiola.
Robinson is married to Fieilo's sister and Moeakiola is their first cousin.
Dozens of family members and supporters showed up at Bowers Stadium. Even a pair of assistant coaches from Trinity High made the trip here from North Texas.
"It's just awesome seeing those guys, being able to go and compete after high school and feel like you maybe played a role in helping those guys achieve what they've achieved," Trinity linebackers coach John Thompson said. "But it's nothing selfish on our parts. It's just seeing those guys go off.
"I had Eric on Sam Houston's team and I had another linebacker (Moeakiola) on Montana State's team, so I was kind of torn not really knowing who to cheer for. I was just cheering for those guys to make great plays."
Those guys certainly made great plays.
The first noteworthy moment for the Euless group came when Moeakiola intercepted a Brian Bell pass in the first quarter to set up a Montana State field goal. The 3-0 advantage was the Bobcats' only lead of the game.
Then with Sam Houston up 14-6 in the second quarter, McGhee was found scrambling outside the pocket and brought down by Fieilo for a 3-yard loss. It was one of Fieilo's two solo tackles during the game, even though he seemed to get pressure on McGhee for the better part of the matchup.
"Eric was raised just how we were raised and he brought it," McGhee said after the game. "We bring it and we bring it every single play. He was prepared. He had that ongoing motor and it was great playing against him.
"He got the best of us, but it was great playing against him."
For Fieilo, the playoff victory was a bonus. After the game, he thanked God for the opportunity to see his "long lost brothers" again.
"Win or lose, just glorify God but that feeling of playing against my old teammates just isn't the same feeling as playing against somebody in the Southland Conference," Fieilo said. "There was a little chatter between us. It was just like the old days, back in high school when we just practiced and talked all of that noise and stuff.
"It didn't really mean anything, just trying to get in the other person's head and get that advantage over one another."
Fieilo added that when he first got his hands on McGhee, his mind went blank. He was shocked because McGhee was almost impossible to bring down in high school, and he was sacked only once against Sam Houston.
Moeakiola, who shows a striking resemblance to Fieilo, echoed his cousin's sentiments after the game and said it was fun despite the outcome.
"Yeah, this is family. Family first," Moeakiola said. "Family comes first in our culture so we value it a lot. It was just fun to play against my cousin Eric, even though we lost."
The Bobcats brought a total of 19 players who were once Texas high school prospects to Bowers Stadium. The Lone Star presence on the Montana State roster is mostly attributed to former defensive backs coach Justin Gaines, who served on the Bobcats staff from 2008 to '10 before joining the North Texas staff last December.
Aside from Euless, Bobcats came from Rockwall, Spring, Carrollton, Aldine, Clear Lake, Deer Park and Mesquite.
Sam Houston's Darius and Darnell Taylor are well-acquainted with Montana State linebacker Jody Owens, who played high school ball at Mesquite Horn, just minutes away from the Taylor twins' old school, Mesquite High.
"It feels good to beat somebody you know and have a little trash-talking," Darius Taylor said of Owens. "We always competed in 7-on-7 and we competed at camps and stuff. He's a good player and he made some good plays for them today. But we just had a better overall team."
But the event was more than just a football game for Bearkat junior linebacker Eric Fieilo and three of the Bobcat players.
It was a family affair.
Fieilo helped lead Euless' Trinity High School to a Class 5A Division I state championship in 2007 along with Montana State quarterback DeNarius McGhee, running back Tray Robinson and linebacker Na'a Moeakiola.
Robinson is married to Fieilo's sister and Moeakiola is their first cousin.
Dozens of family members and supporters showed up at Bowers Stadium. Even a pair of assistant coaches from Trinity High made the trip here from North Texas.
"It's just awesome seeing those guys, being able to go and compete after high school and feel like you maybe played a role in helping those guys achieve what they've achieved," Trinity linebackers coach John Thompson said. "But it's nothing selfish on our parts. It's just seeing those guys go off.
"I had Eric on Sam Houston's team and I had another linebacker (Moeakiola) on Montana State's team, so I was kind of torn not really knowing who to cheer for. I was just cheering for those guys to make great plays."
Those guys certainly made great plays.
The first noteworthy moment for the Euless group came when Moeakiola intercepted a Brian Bell pass in the first quarter to set up a Montana State field goal. The 3-0 advantage was the Bobcats' only lead of the game.
Then with Sam Houston up 14-6 in the second quarter, McGhee was found scrambling outside the pocket and brought down by Fieilo for a 3-yard loss. It was one of Fieilo's two solo tackles during the game, even though he seemed to get pressure on McGhee for the better part of the matchup.
"Eric was raised just how we were raised and he brought it," McGhee said after the game. "We bring it and we bring it every single play. He was prepared. He had that ongoing motor and it was great playing against him.
"He got the best of us, but it was great playing against him."
For Fieilo, the playoff victory was a bonus. After the game, he thanked God for the opportunity to see his "long lost brothers" again.
"Win or lose, just glorify God but that feeling of playing against my old teammates just isn't the same feeling as playing against somebody in the Southland Conference," Fieilo said. "There was a little chatter between us. It was just like the old days, back in high school when we just practiced and talked all of that noise and stuff.
"It didn't really mean anything, just trying to get in the other person's head and get that advantage over one another."
Fieilo added that when he first got his hands on McGhee, his mind went blank. He was shocked because McGhee was almost impossible to bring down in high school, and he was sacked only once against Sam Houston.
Moeakiola, who shows a striking resemblance to Fieilo, echoed his cousin's sentiments after the game and said it was fun despite the outcome.
"Yeah, this is family. Family first," Moeakiola said. "Family comes first in our culture so we value it a lot. It was just fun to play against my cousin Eric, even though we lost."
The Bobcats brought a total of 19 players who were once Texas high school prospects to Bowers Stadium. The Lone Star presence on the Montana State roster is mostly attributed to former defensive backs coach Justin Gaines, who served on the Bobcats staff from 2008 to '10 before joining the North Texas staff last December.
Aside from Euless, Bobcats came from Rockwall, Spring, Carrollton, Aldine, Clear Lake, Deer Park and Mesquite.
Sam Houston's Darius and Darnell Taylor are well-acquainted with Montana State linebacker Jody Owens, who played high school ball at Mesquite Horn, just minutes away from the Taylor twins' old school, Mesquite High.
"It feels good to beat somebody you know and have a little trash-talking," Darius Taylor said of Owens. "We always competed in 7-on-7 and we competed at camps and stuff. He's a good player and he made some good plays for them today. But we just had a better overall team."
Players Mentioned
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