Uaea Masina:
Injuries forced him and
the Bengals
to adjust their game to
find success
By Bruce Smith
Matchup
If it hadn’t been for injuries, Uaea Masina might have
been one of the most prolific players in Brighton football history.
Growing up, he played football, soccer and basketball and
was always among the best players. Now, at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he focused
solely on football. The University of Utah recognized this and offered him a
scholarship after his junior year.
Playing behind Brighton’s talented line, everything was
set for a great senior season.
“It was a fun year, but there were some letdowns,” he
said. “Getting hurt and losing some games we shouldn’t have lost.”
It started with a rush. He had 129 yards in the opener at
Davis, including a 28-yard touchdown run that was the deciding score. After the
season, he said it was his favorite game, but for another reason.
“I
got to play with my brother (Osa),” he admitted. “I don’t know how many times
we ran that quarterback draw where he would take the ball and just ran free. I
was blocking for him on those plays.”
For the season, Uaea rushed for 622 yards. He averaged
just over six yards per carry and his blocks probably accounted for a lot more.
A knee injury in Brighton’s win at Sky View the third week of the season,
however, ended up being a big deal. He reinjured it against Jordan six weeks
later.
In all, he played maybe half of the Bengals’ games.
However, it was the confidence he gave others that was missed the most.
“When Uaea was on, everybody else raised their game,”
said coach Ryan Bullett.
Like most players, Uaea often relived the injury as he
stood on the sidelines.
“I was playing defense. It was right after half,” he
recalled. “A guy came across and tripped against my knee and just took it out. I
couldn’t even practice. I had to go visit a physical therapist.”
Brighton adjusted by giving more playing time to Osa.
Just a sophomore, Osa had showed potential in the Bengals’ earlier games and he
ended up leading the team in rushing. When Uaea returned, their combined experience
made the Bengals even better.
“We knew what each other was thinking,” Uaea said. “We
could just look at each other and know. We had great chemistry.”
When the Masina brothers were both in the game, Brighton
had one of the best 1-2 running tandems in the state. When Uaea returned
against Alta, Osa had become such a force that Uaea could focus his talents
more elsewhere. Even though he was still hobbled at Alta, he gave the Bengals a
big momentum boost by returning a kickoff for a touchdown.
Two weeks later, Uaea made the play of the game on
defense, wrestling the ball from a West Jordan ball carrier in the fourth
quarter that helped seal a 20-14 victory.
“I tried to do as much as I could,” Uaea said. “I didn’t
want to miss (playing) Alta. The Thursday before the game, I was finally able
to run. I tried to get back in shape and get my lungs back, but that was about
it.”
In retrospect, Brighton had become two teams – one with both
Masina brothers and one without.
“When Uaea was out, we realized we couldn’t rely on him,”
said Bullett. “But we built a lot of team chemistry. Even when we weren’t
winning all of our games, we still believed in ourselves.”
Part of that was because Brighton felt it could run the
ball on anybody. The Bengals often controlled time of possession, giving their
defense some rest and relieving the pressure on freshman quarterback Drew
Jensen. For the season, the Bengals averaged 5.8 yards per carry and Uaea and
Osa combined for 1,328 yards and 15 touchdowns.
It also gave them valuable memories, even if they weren’t
able to reach their potential.
“I was just getting a feel for the game,” Uaea said. “But
I’m going to U. to play some more. I can’t wait.”
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