Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

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Just like ill mom, Desert Pines player shows strength on signing day

Everyone seems to know the Poutasi family at Desert Pines High.

You may think it’s because they have produced arguably the best three football players in the school’s near 20-year history in brothers Jeremiah (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Sam (Oregon), and their cousin PJ, who on Wednesday signed with Cal-Berkeley.

But it’s more than what the linemen accomplished on the football field.

They have thrived in the Desert Pines High community, becoming good students, teammates and citizens. They are kind, compassionate and loyal. They always come back to visit because Desert Pines became more than a school, it’s their home.

That has very little to do with football. It’s everything to do with the women in their lives. And that’s what made national signing day so tough for PJ.

His mom, Vaelua, died at 5:33 p.m. Wednesday, about 10 hours after he signed. "Today was signing day, the day I made her proud, the day where she can say her son is going to college for free," PJ wrote on social media.

It was supposed to be a day of celebration, the moment many athletes dream of. You wear a hat with your college name on it, take pictures with family, and reminisce about the long journey to get a scholarship.

“My mom always tells us God is important. I have built up a lot of faith,” PJ said Wednesday. “I have to believe my mom will fight through this. She is the strongest person I know.”

The theater at Desert Pines was packed with family and friends of the program’s more than 10 players who signed to play in college. Most had a smile from ear-to-ear.

Vaelua was missing — well, at least physically. When it was PJ’s turn, he quietly walked to the podium and found enough strength to speak.

“I wish my mom was here right now, she would love to be here,” he told the group. “But she is being taken care of and I know she will fight through it.”

He was inspired by a message his mom told him before he left the hospital for school. Vaelua, no matter her condition in dealing with gangrene, is always parenting. And PJ is always working to honor her legacy.

“My mom always taught me to be strong,” he said. “The last thing she said to me was, ‘Why are you crying? We’ll be all right.’”

He returned to the hospital to say one last goodbye, realizing his mom had the knowledge that her son's future was taken care of. Vaelua could rest in peace.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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