Daily Journal Athlete of the Week: Serra’s Nano Latu

Latu has earned Daily Journal Athlete of the Week honors because he left a big mark on the benchmark win, carrying 12 times for 151 yards and four touchdowns.

“We actually have a multitude of running backs, so he’s not necessarily getting 30 or 40 carries a game,” Walsh said. “When he gets the ball, he definitely takes advantage of his opportunities. He’s a very explosive back. He’s very elusive. So, he’s definitely taking advantage of maximizing his touches.”

He is also making the most of a disappointing year for Serra, a program that has reached the CIF Open Division State Championship Bowl in each of the past three seasons.

It quickly became clear at the start of the 2024 season — when the Padres went 1-2 in non-league play — that streak would get snapped this year. Losses to St. Ignatius and St. Francis in West Catholic Athletic League play also stifled the chance of Serra three-peating in league.

The Padres knew the season was going to be a challenge like none other since this group arrived at Serra. As one of the seniors returning from last year’s Central Coast Section championship and CIF Open Division runner-up campaign, Latu was up for the challenge of taking on a leadership role with a largely new cast of Padres.

“We knew that last year our seniors were really good,” Latu said. “And (this year) we didn’t have as much experience. We have a lot of sophomores playing right now. We just knew that this year we were going to have to show up. We really have to show up now.”

A native of East Palo Alto, Latu would have likely attended Menlo-Atherton, had he chosen the public school route. That’s where his good friend Xander Eschelman is now a senior quarterback. Eschelman initially attended Serra his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to M-A, and is now one of four high school quarterbacks to transfer out of Serra and are now starting elsewhere.

Latu said he welcomed the chance for the Padres to rely on a more run-heavy approach than they ever had in his previous time at Serra. No one at West 20th Avenue thought it was going to be easy, though.

“They knew it was going to be hard,” Latu said. “So, I’m just glad they kept their head down and worked with me.”

Latu has shown time and again he is a fine open-field runner. He credits senior center Jonah Alapati, who he refers to as “the mastermind of the line,” for helping him get into the second tier of defense.

“All I’ve got to do is just follow him,” Latu said. “He’ll usually lead me to the second level, and I’ve got to do my job, the easiest job on the field, just make somebody miss.”

Making defenders miss has become a familiar sight for Latu, who is good to break at least one big run a game.

“What’s great is seeing him at the second level, seeing people miss,” Walsh said. “It’s up to the back to make the big plays happen, and Nano has done that all season for us.”

Walsh never got that Gatorade shower Friday — not because it wasn’t a celebration, but because his coaching staff thought better of it. What was a common occurrence for the Padres in previous years has dried up amid the team’s current 4-4 record. Latu said the last time he witnessed one was after Serra’s 63-27 win over Wilcox in last season’s CCS Open Division championship game.

The Padres are still on track to qualify for the CCS playoffs, though. They are bound for unfamiliar territory for the current group. After owning the No. 1 seed in each of the last two seasons, they will, at best earn a No. 3 seed, which because of the Open Division/Division I bracket structure implemented by CCS last season, will prevent the Padres from earning spot in the elite tiers of the CIF state playoffs.

“We literally are focused on getting better each and every week,” Walsh said. “And the WCAL is 100% out of our control because we lost those two games. But what we can focus on is our attitude, and what we’re going to do is focus on the mindset and take it as far as we can.”

This is precisely where Latu’s mindset is at. And the senior’s value, in addition to those big gainers, is leading by example.

“Going out on the field, keeping my teammates heads up, even if we’re down,” Latu said.