NFL draft prospect Hercules Mata‘afa will appear at The Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas for an autograph signing session on Wednesday, April 25 from 3-6pm.
Mata‘afa, who was born and raised on Maui, grew up playing football and wrestling from a young age and he competed through high school in both sports. “As far back as I can remember football was always one of my passions,” Mata‘afa said. “My mom always says that my first word wasn’t mama or dada it was football. I get my strength from my Polynesian background and smarts from my mother.”
Mata’afa has fond memories of his time at Lahainaluna High. “I loved the feeling of winning big games with all the teammates that I grew up and played with since we were kids playing Pop Warner,” he said.
In college, he played for the Washington State Cougars, where he earned Polynesian Football Hall of Fame College Player of the Year in 2017. In December of 2017, Mata‘afa decided to forego his senior year at Washington State and declare for the NFL draft. He said his goals for the NFL are “to have a healthy and successful career and be a role model to other athletes from the islands.” The NFL draft is April 26-28.
The Westin Villas will offer free parking at the south lobby.
Photo courtesy Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas
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