Football Player of the Year: M-A’s Daniel Heimuli

Heimuli and lineman Noa Ngalu were just sophomores during that 2016 run, but were already well on their way to solidifying themselves as the foundation of the team — more specifically, what would blossom into one of the Central Coast Section’s best defenses.

“I love those guys,” M-A head coach Adhir Ravipati said. “I’m really proud of them for being starters as sophomores (in 2016). To get this team back here says a lot about them.”

The “here” Ravipati referred to — the 2018 CIF Division 3-AA State Championship Bowl. The result — Heimuli delivering on the promise he made with Ngalu as the seniors paved the way for M-A to defeat Lincoln-San Diego 21-7 for the program’s first state title.

“It was a dream to win a championship, to have that next to my name,” Heimuli said. “I think it was one of the best accomplishments I’ve ever had. Being able to do that with the team we had this year, it was truly amazing.”

In realizing this dream, Heimuli solidified himself as the Daily Journal Football Athlete of the Year.

The mighty Bears defense

The mighty Bears defense was certainly not lacking for defensive depth. On the road to the team posting a 13-2 record, there were plenty individual moments in the sun. Every week there was a new hero. Every opposing possession was looked upon as an opportunity for a hungry M-A player to shine.

M-A cruised to a Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division title, allowing just two touchdowns through five league games. And with this, Heimuli was integral to building that depth. The senior totaled 26 tackles through though five wins, with 11 tackles and three sacks coming in the league opener. He needed just 16 more through the remaining four games as the Bears defense fell into place around him.

“In the regular season we were more physical and bigger,” Heimuli said. “In the playoffs it was a whole different vibe. Everybody was fighting for the same thing. We were fighting for the championship.”

With the start of the postseason, Heimuli rose to the challenge, proving a primetime linebacker. At 6-2, 220-pounds he was certainly no secret, being ranked the No. 25 senior middle linebacker in the state by 247Sports. To this day, he is being recruited by legions of NCAA Division I programs.

Believe the hype

The hype is well deserved. Heimuli racked up exactly 100 tackles on the year, 45 of them coming in the playoffs. And it was his ability to throw the switch, to respond to adversity with speed and intensity, that saved the championship dream time and again.

This was never more evident than Heimuli’s brilliance in the CCS Open Division I championship game against Wilcox. The Chargers opened play in the Nov. 30 thriller at Independence High School by jumping out to a 21-0 first-half lead, and taking a 28-7 lead into halftime.

With Heimuli matching his season-high of 11 tackles, and recording his first career interception, the Bears shut out Wilcox in the second half to stage a remarkable comeback.

“It makes you believe it’s not how you start it’s how you finish,” Heimuli said. “It gave us hope that we could really do it, that we could win state. It was great to have our guys on my back … and fighting hard.”

Heimuli recorded 11 more tackles in the CIF Northern California regional championship game, a 27-20 win Dec. 7 over Eureka at McKinleyville High School. Then, in the state championship game against Lincoln Dec. 15 at Sequoia High School, Heimuli showed the quality of a tackle can be just as meaningful as the quantity.

Tackle No. 100

It was the waning moments of the postseason, with the Bears well on their way to victory. Heimuli was sitting on 99 tackles for the year. Lincoln — which featured a dual-quarterback offense — already saw one QB knocked out of the game earlier in the night. And as the Chargers tried futilely in the closing minute to move the ball, Heimuli recorded tackle No. 100.

It was an emotional game, with trash talk going both ways. So, Heimuli answered on one of the final plays of the night, flushing Lincoln’s other quarterback out of the pocket, seeing him get a decent head start toward the M-A sideline, then chasing him down to level him with an excruciating sack.

“It was just an emotional moment,” Heimuli said.

City of dreams

The perception of M-A is one of affluence. The school is located in Atherton, a city called “California’s most expensive zip code” by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2017, where the median income is $250,001 according to Data USA. Neighboring EPA, however, is a different world, with a median income of $55,170.

EPA too is Heimuli’s hometown, a city woven into the fabric of the Bears’ championship dream.

“Where we’re from, it’s hard to keep them in the same line,” Heimuli said. “We take them into a family, into our team, because we are that family. ... To be able to win that for our community was the best thing ever.”

Heimuli grew up on Weeks Street, just one block from Ngalu’s home on Brentwood Court. Yet the two of them didn’t meet until they were standing in line at tryouts for M-A football freshman year.

“The crazy part was he lived down the street from me but I never seen him,” Ngalu said.

Now the two are more than friends. They are joined together in M-A history. Ngalu — a commit to the University of Washington — was named the PAL Bay Division Most Valuable Player this season, with Heimuli taking Defensive Player of the Year honors.

While Heimuli is still undecided on his college choice, he said he will likely announce a decision by the start of the Division I signing period Feb. 6. Beyond that, with the M-A state championship dream having been realized, it’s on to a new one.

“Hopefully he goes to the NFL,” Ngalu said. “That’s the dream.”