Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1171496
cavalier sports DECEMBER 2019 9 getting to know Second-Year Tailback Wayne Taulapapa B righam Young's misfortune was Virginia's good fortune. When current UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall held the same title at Brigham Young, he received a verbal commitment from tailback Wayne Taulapapa, who rushed for 3,279 yards and scored 52 touchdowns for Punahou High School in Honolulu. Eventually, Taulapapa journeyed to Managua, Nicaragua, on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. How- ever, because of civil unrest in that Central American country, Taulapapa cut his mission short. Then, in 2015, Mendenhall was appointed head coach at Vir- ginia. The new staff at Brigham Young didn't honor the scholar- ship Mendenhall had offered him, so Taulapapa gladly accepted an offer from the Cavaliers. Taulapapa only appeared in seven games last season, and this year he has missed one contest with an injury. In his first nine ap- pearances this season, he carried the ball 97 times for 399 yards (a 4.1-yard average) and scored a team-high 11 touchdowns (includ- ing three against Florida State). A 5-9, 210-pounder, Taulapapa was rated as a three-star recruit by ESPN and Scout, and was a two-star prospect according to Rivals. My advice to student-athletes is: My advice is to continually work hard. It's a hard process. When you fall in love with the process, the process will fall in love with you. The best thing about UVA is: The people. Why I chose UVA: Because it felt like home. Nothing can compete with UVA in terms of its sports and academics. What I like the most about football: I love that it's a contact sport. Please describe your on-field mentality: I run mean. I run as if I'm angry. When you get on the field, you have to play as savage as a dog. The highlight of my athletic career: I think in my senior year of high school [in 2013] I had 360 yards running and three touch- downs on 30 carries in a game. The most important thing I've learned from football: The most important thing I've learned is discipline. My dream vacation would be: Spain. I've heard many great things about the country, plus I'm fluent in Spanish. — Mike Scandura What/Who Is Your Favorite … TV show? "The Office" … Movie? "Remember the Titans" … Actor and actress? Leonardo DiCaprio and Julia Roberts … Place in Charlottesville? Boylan Heights … Musician/band? Old Dominion … Pro sports team? The New York Jets … Food? Palusami (any type of meat wrapped in taro leaves) … UVA class? Business Spanish … Sport (other than football)? Soccer … Person in history? Muhammad Ali … Pre-game ritual? Calling my parents Through 10 games, Taulapapa led the Cavaliers with 11 rushing touchdowns. PHOTO BY MAT T RILEY/COURTESY UVA