There were just over four minutes remaining in the game, and the Oregon Ducks had the ball with a 33-29 lead over the No. 7 Washington Huskies. A couple of first downs would ice the game and give Dan Lanning his biggest victory as a head coach.
There was a slight problem, though. Starting center Jackson Powers-Johnson, one of the cogs of Oregon’s offensive machine, had just gone down with an apparent knee injury. While he tried to waive off the trainers, it was no use. He had to come off the field for a play.
Instead of turning to backup center Charlie Pickard to step in and take the snap, Lanning called on someone that few people had expected.
True freshman Iapani ‘Poncho’ Laloulu trotted onto the field, embracing words of encouragement from his older brother, reserve tackle Faaope Laloulu, and several other Oregon teammates as he got ready for the biggest snap of his young career.
Poncho got the snap off without a hitch and was then replaced by Powers-Johnson, who returned to the field briskly after getting his leg looked at.
From the surface level, it doesn’t seem like much of a story. Once you look closer, however, there lies a rich tale of brotherly love, humble beginnings, and an offensive line prospect who could quickly turn into one of the better players that the Ducks have seen in quite a while.
To understand the beauty in the moment I laid out above, you need to understand where Poncho comes from. He is the son of Lesieli Laloulu and Fonoti Faaope Sr. Laloulu, and the younger brother of Faaope Jr. Laloulu, a redshirt junior left tackle for the Ducks.
His upbringing is not entirely unique — he grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and would often times cry when his older brother left the house to go to football practice in the afternoons, begging to tag along and join in on the fun. One afternoon, his parents allowed him to go check out one of the practices, without his older brother knowing he would come. Poncho asked the coaches if he could join, but was quickly turned away because he was too young.
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It wouldn’t be long before Poncho blossomed into a 6-foot-2, 355-pound battering ram who was rated by 247Sports as the best player in all of Hawaii.
With his older brother off to college, living out his football dreams on scholarship with the Oregon Ducks, it makes complete sense that Poncho would choose to tag along once again and sign to play in Eugene, one of the leading members of Dan Lanning’s 2023 class.
He may be more than 2,500 miles away from home, but he’s with family alongside his brother. That may be comforting on some level, but it also comes with the necessity to keep himself in check at all times, with the knowledge that his older brother is always keeping an eye on him.
“Iapani knows better to not question his older brother Faaope,” Lesieli told me. “They are truly each other’s keeper.”
This is a story about Iapani, but it just as well could be about Faaope. While your casual Oregon fan may not know him as a household name, there are few people who are talked about more highly than the oldest Laloulu brother around the Ducks facilities. Whether it’s Dan Lanning, OL coach A’Lique Terry, or any number of players on the roster, there is a reverence that is always present when the mention of ‘Ope’ comes about.
“I think I told you guys earlier that Ope is an unbelievable leader. You know he is a voice that everybody respects on our team,” Lanning said. “He always has a great message. This guy has a smile on his face every single day he steps here. He knows how blessed he is to be here. He comes from a phenomenal family and so does Poncho. He’s a special guy.”
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Faaope’s time at Oregon has not been without challenges. He’s dealt with multiple injuries and had to fight hard to see playing time in his career. That hasn’t stopped him from attacking each day with a sense of positivity that spreads to anyone in his vicinity. That infectious zeal, mixed with a heavy dose of hard work and tenacity, makes Ope one of the clear-cut leaders on this roster.
“Ope is a man of few words, but when he says something, you’ve got to listen,” said right guard Steven Jones, a six-year veteran. “Ope is a great dude, he is one of my favorite players in the offensive line room, the pure definition of toughness — he’s had so many injuries and he’s pushed through it all since he’s been here. I really commend him for that.”
That toughness, tenacity, and leadership ability appear to run in the family. Though he has been in Eugene for a short time, Poncho has already displayed an ability to outwork anyone around him, and it’s paid off in short order. It helps that he has his older brother there with him, making sure that he’s got his back through thick and thin.
“You don’t really see Ope coaching Poncho a lot, but he’ll say something quietly and Poncho will just listen immediately,” Jones said.
So far, it’s worked. Through just six games of his career, the youngest Laloulu brother has been named to the 247Sports True Freshman All-American team, allowing zero pressures in 147 snaps between right guard and center.
“He’s a guy that’s really rotated and played within every game for us this season, and it’s because he’s earned it,” Lanning said.
Though Poncho came to Oregon as a highly-rated recruit, holding offers from teams like Florida, Miami, Tennessee, and Penn State, it’s been that incessant hunger to get better — the same one displayed by Faaope — that’s allowed Iapani to sniff such early success.
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“Usually a guy coming out of high school who is that skilled can easily be like ‘Okay, I know what I’m doing,'” Jones said. “But Poncho came in with open eyes, open arms, he wanted to learn from me and all of the other older guys.
“Those dudes who do come in looking to learn even though they know that they’re already at that level — I mean, he reminds me of Penei (Sewell),” Jones continued. “When Penei got here too, he was one of those dudes who was already at a different skillset, but he wasn’t one of those dudes who was kind of cocky and thought that he had it all. Yeah, you see it sometimes, but there are still those hidden gems who are humble and know what they’re working with.”
Circle back to Saturday. 4:29 on the clock, Oregon with the ball, starting center coming out of the game. Your eyes shift to the Ducks’ sideline, and you see quarterback Bo Nix coaching up a young, stout offensive lineman. He has all of the confidence in the world but is listening intently, soaking up every word that Nix says.
Behind him stands his older brother, hand resting on his shoulder pads, watching out for him. He’s got his back.
As Poncho walks onto the field and into the huddle, Ope is right there with him, hand on his helmet, words in his ear, offering the encouragement that only an older brother can give.
It may have been a small moment in the grand scheme of things, but it’s one of the many instances of sports bringing out the heartwarming humanity that activates the tear ducts. As a younger sibling myself, it caught my eye and pulled at my heartstrings, bringing back memories of all the times that I’ve relied on my brother for help or guidance. Lesieli told me afterward that there are few things that have made her or her husband more proud as parents.
“We were all in tears, just thanking God for the opportunities.”
It was a key moment for one of the most promising young players on this Oregon roster. He’s already been compared to one of the most talented players to ever wear an Oregon uniform. While there is a long way to go before any of that can come to fruition, we’ve seen that through his hard work, his upbringing, his tenacity, and his leadership, it feels like a safe bet that he can reach that level of success.
It also doesn’t hurt to have your older brother there, looking out for you along the way.
