This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

East tight end/defensive end Loa Kaufusi has been fixated on Stanford since he received an offer from the University in the preseason. Announcing his commitment to the Cardinal on Monday was more so a formality than surprise.

Kaufusi, who was an integral presence on both sides of the line of scrimmage for East — which captured its first state championship since 1996 — maintained scholarship offers from BYU, Nevada, Oregon State, Utah and Utah State in addition to the Cardinal, according to the recruiting service Scout. Kaufusi finished with 51 tackles and six sacks, while registering nine catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns. He was primarily used in the Leopards' blocking schemes designed for the triple-option attack, which amassed 5,765 yards on the ground.

Kaufusi is the latest local to pledge to Palo Alto since 2012, joining Brighton's Sione Lund (Class of 2017) and Simi Fehoko (2016), Bountiful's Houston Heimuli (2015), Timpview's Gabe Reid (2015), Bingham's Dalton Schultz (2014), Woods Cross' Sean Barton (2013) and Pleasant Grove's Brnadon Fanaika (2012).

— Trevor Phibbs

Twitter: @trevorphibbs