Chabot Safety Moa Leads By Example

Chabot College safety Kali Moa seems to encapsulate the spirit of Gladiators football.
The freshman who has a team high of three interceptions in five games basically grew up in the program. His dad, Asi Moa, the Gladiators defensive line coach, played at Chabot, and Kali has fond memories about being around the program at a young age.
How young?
“I was always around Chabot football. I’ve been running around the field since I was in diapers, so I think living under my dad’s roof was always having a positive mentality and working my way up from there,” said Moa, a St. Francis-Mountain View graduate.
The freshman-heavy Chabot team, guided by first-year head coach Brett McMurray, has had to grow up fast during a foundation season. That growth process will continue when Chabot (1-4) opens play in the American-Pacific-7 Conference at Siskiyous (3-2) on Saturday, Oct. 11 in Weed (1 p.m.).
The Glads, who have dropped three in a row, are coming off a bye week. They did some soul searching after a 44-10 defeat to a strong De Anza on Sept. 27 at Mt. Eden High.
“We just try to stay as positive as we can,” Moa said. “We’ve had a couple of team meetings, just player meetings without the coaches, to talk about things that we can improve on as a team, as individuals. We all gave each other our ‘whys,’ and why we play football and going up from there. … Ever since we played De Anza, it’s been a different mentality.”
The Glads want to finish strongly over these next five conference games.
Moa started the season with a bang, picking off a pass and making two breakups in an opening win over Cabrillo, 20-15. He describes football as like a “brotherhood,” and team leaders like himself are working hard to help players and coaches keep moving forward together.
“We’re just looking forward to trusting one another and having each others’ back, even when we’re down,” Moa said.
Moa, who grew up in Hayward in a large football family, has been one of the team’s most consistent players. He next wants to advance to a four-year program to make his family “proud.”
Coach McMurray gives him high marks.
“Kali is a leader and very physical. He does a great job of holding people accountable and playing hard all the time,” McMurray said. “He has had a very productive start to the season so far as a freshmen and will continue to grow in his role and build his legacy.”
Before college Moa attended Hayward High as a freshman, and then transferred to Stellar Prep in Hayward. He transferred to St. Francis of the well-established West Catholic Athletic League for his junior and senior years. The commute to Mountain View was a challenge, having to leave home around 5 or 5:30 a.m. for school, but the Lancers football scene was worth the view.
“At St. Francis we were always supposed to be disciplined, always, and to learn from our coaches and what they tell us to do,” Moa said.
Fellow St. Francis graduates JJ Sporleder and Esaia Vavao are key freshman defensive linemen at Chabot. They have combined for 6.5 sacks this season and bring a disciplined approach to a Glads program packed with football newcomers.
Moa sounds like a coach when he discusses his own progress.
“Every day I get to step on the field, even for practice, I’m at least getting 1 percent better,” Moa says.
He feels one of his strengths is listening to coaches and passing it down to the group as a leader. He also appreciates how Chabot coaches like McMurray have taken the time away from their families to help the players.
“It really shows how they care and support us, on and off the field,” Kali Moa said.
Moa is thriving playing for his dad, who played lineman at Western Oregon after competing for Danny Calcagno’s team at Chabot. Dad has shaped Kali as a person and a competitor.
“He’s always told me as soon as I step on that field to have a locked-in mentality and be ready to play no matter what,” Kali Moa said. “He’ll always be there for me, even off the field. Every time we step on the field he’s no longer my dad. Every time we are in practice, film, weights, he’ll always be my coach, but off the field he’s always played that good role of being a dad for me and coaching me as well.”
Now it’s on to conference play. The Glads hunger for some success as a unit.
“Being 1-4 will only make us stronger,” Kali Moa says. “It was definitely a lesson taught and what we need to be doing different in practice as well, because it really starts in practice. They say you play in practice like how you play in the game, so I feel like that’s always been the mentality every time we step out onto the practice field.”
So here on out, Moa says, they’re ready to be “disciplined and accountable for our wrongs and just able to have fun for the most part and have each others’ back.”
Spoken like a true Gladiator.