Battling brothers
Tongans lead the North Texas Mean Green offense
The Mose (mo-say) brothers, Sosaia (so-sighya) and Manase (munah-say), say they don’t take for granted that they play side by side on the offensive line for the North Texas football team.
They know that that’s not a common occurrence, as Sosaia starts at center and Manase at right guard for the Mean Green (9-3) that will face Utah State (10-2) in Saturday’s New Mexico Bowl at Dreamstyle Stadium.
The brothers have had a strong appreciation for special moments since they were two of six Mose children growing up in Euless, Texas.
Dad, Lanagafonua (lanah-gah-foe-newah), and mom, Naitingale (nah-itin-gah-leh), worked for American Airlines at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and usually took on opposite schedules so one could watch over the children while the other went to work.
Food was definitely a need for the two growing boys — Sosaia, now 22, is a 6-foot-2, 301-pound redshirt junior and Manase, 20, is a 6-1, 294-pound redshirt freshman. Sometimes,
their local church would help with groceries, usually just “bread and stuff,” Sosaia says.
“We ate all of it,” he said. Football quickly became a way of life for the Mose brothers.
“Football was automatic in Texas,” Sosaia said. “A lot of Tongans in our community, that’s our way out. We just try to use that.”
It wasn’t in the brothers’ plans to play together at North Texas, or at the same time for any other NCAA Division I program. It just worked out that way.
Even at Trinity High School, they never started at the same time. Sosaia was a three-year starter at center, and Manase didn’t start until his junior year, when Sosaia had graduated and went to play for Tyler Junior College.
“I came in hoping to start,” Manase said of his time at Trinity. “I had to get all the plays down.”
After he did, he later gained the attention of North Texas.
“Recruiting Manase out of high school, we felt like he was one of the best offensive linemen that we’ve seen coming out in a long time,” North Texas coach Seth Littrell said. “Euless Trinity has always been a hotbed for offensive linemen. We really got to know Manase and we found out that Sosaia was at a junior college starting at center. They wanted to play together, and it was a great opportunity for us to get two great offensive linemen in one class.”
The Mose brothers entered the North Texas program together but they did not commit at the same time. Manase knew he wanted to play for the Mean Green around this time two years ago. Sosaia said he received his offer from North Texas in May 2017.
When Sosaia was asked how the Mean Green found out about him, he nodded toward his brother standing next to him after Wednesday’s practice.
Manase sat out the practice because of an undisclosed injury, but Littrell said he should be available today and for the game. The brothers are part of an offensive line that is playing at a high level, Littrell said, helping the Mean Green score 36.4 points per game, which ranks 21st in the nation, and blocking for quarterback Mason Fine, the Conference USA Player of the Year.
Sosaia and Manase are especially excited for Saturday’s game because a large group of their family is coming, including mom and dad, who arrive today.
Family has been extremely important, as it wasn’t just the brothers’ parents who raised them. They learned about playing football from numerous older cousins, including former Trinity standout Hiva Lutui, who played for Utah. Their aunts and uncles pitched in with caring for the Mose children, including three boys and three girls.
Their aunt, La Afungia, the sister of Naitingale, says she treats her nephews as her own. She said all the cousins would sometimes stay at her house or at the Mose home and some would sleep on the ground or on the couch because they enjoyed being together.
Afungia also appreciates that Sosaia and Manase play together for the Mean Green. She can’t make it to the New Mexico Bowl, as she is a director for the Texas Image Volleyball Club and is in Minnesota for the NCAA Final Four and AVCA coaches convention. She plans to watch the game on TV.
“It’s the craziest thing,” she said of her nephews starting together. “I talk to many coaches and I’m involved with a lot of coaches. They all say this is so rare, that both of my nephews not only play together, they start together. We all love it.”