Tevita Valeti
School: Springville
Grade: Senior
Sports: Football, Wrestling, Rugby
Things like losing the first point of a big match used to bother Tevita Valeti, like in the days when he finished third at the state wrestling meet in both his sophomore and junior years.
But Valeti got over the hump in his senior year. At the recent Class 5A state meet, the Springville senior dropped the first point but then dropped his opponent, Olympus’ Andre Leota, at 190 pounds for a state title.
“This year, I felt like I was more motivated and I had more energy. I just went out and wrestled,” said Valeti, who finished the grappling season with a 36-3 record. “He scored a point, but I wasn’t fazed. It used to faze me a lot.”
(Courtesy photo) Sprinvgille senior Tevita Valeti is a three-sport star who won the Class 5A wrestling title at 190 pounds.
Impressive indeed was Valeti’s wrestling season. Maybe even more so was his exploits for football, where the 5-11 running back rushed for 1769 yards and an amazing 29 touchdowns.
The Red Devil standout will continue his gridiron exploits at New Mexico Military Institute in the fall. In the meantime, it’s club rugby season for Valeti.
“This sport is basically just for fun, just for making friends. I stay in shape for football, other sports, other things,” he said.