Dec. 9, 2024
Sefa Saipaia, Ferris State football team’s defense look ahead after shutting down defending national champions
Sefa Saipaia took time to look inward to prepare himself for success coming into the Ferris State University’s football’s 2023 season
That preparation, for the junior linebacker originally from Fort Collins, Colorado, included a time to look deep within himself from an honest perspective.
"You know, I just had to do some self-reflection, personally. Then, you realize it's nothing but God and the plan God has for me," Saipaia said. "I knew I had to step up and lead myself before I could be a guy on our team who steps forward to lead others."
Saipaia is originally from Colorado but attended high school at Canton McKinley High School in Ohio, where he was a first-team All-Ohio selection in Division 1 as a senior in 2019 by The Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association.
"I knew I had to step up and lead myself before I could be a guy on our team who steps forward to lead others."
That self-reflection exercise proved to be a critical component of his growth that allowed him to emerge as a sophomore and improve as a junior.
"I took that time to do that self-reflection and God blessed me with a great year, great preparation," Saipaia said. "It's nothing but Jesus. I'm thankful for every day and every game that he has given me the opportunity to glorify his name on the field."
Family is big for Saipaia – blood family and his Bulldog family.
When it comes to his blood family, Sefa feels great comfort knowing he can often look in front of him and see big No. 94 on that defensive line. Wearing that No. 94 Ferris State football jersey is his brother, the 6-foot, 306-pound Sio Saipaia, playing on the defensive line for the Bulldogs.
"Seeing 94 in front of me when I'm lined up is just a different kind of feeling," said the 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker. "It's kind of hard to put into words, you know, just being able to hug him after the game, to play with him as a teammate during the game. We get to share these great moments together. It's just something different. I love that I get to have this experience, as a college football player, with him here with me."
As for his Bulldog family, it's immediate and extended. Saipaia, who has 66 tackles, two sacks, one interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown this season, is part of a great linebacker corps that includes seniors Jason Williams and Konnor Near.
"Death Row. That's us. Jason and Konnor are great. They're great linebackers and we know we're strong playing together with our goals as linebackers, as a defense and as a team," Sefa said. "Back in the spring, I said we wanted to be the best corps on the team. That's a standard we've set and work to make happen."
It's a competitive standard that runs throughout the team.
"The standard doesn't change for our team," Saipaia said. "Everybody is working hard every day and ensuring you're always doing your 1/11th on the field. We know we have to go out there every day in practice and games, and we've got to hold it down."
Saipaia and his Bulldog defense teammates held it down last week as it faced a potent Harding University on Saturday in the in NCAA Division II Super Region 3 quarterfinals.
Ferris State's defense held the Harding, the defending national champions, to 7 points in the 41-7 game, sending the Bulldogs to the national semifinals on Saturday against Slippery Rock University.
Before Harding's 2023 national championship, the Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022.