Before every game, defensive tackle Kalafitoni Pole gets a simple reminder of what he needs to do out on the field. He hears it from his coaches, too, but this reminder hits a little closer to home. It comes from his father in the form of a text.

Pole said his dad always tells him that he needs to play more physical. His dad has always stayed involved with his son’s sports life, whether it was in football, wrestling, track, basketball, or soccer, Pole said. His dad, Sioni, was a rugby player, and he was always the biggest critic of Pole.

“He always wants more,” Pole said. “I think that’s pushed me to where I am today because if he didn’t push me the way he did, I don’t think I’d be able to push myself to these heights, being able to play at Division-I and stuff like that.”

However, his dad isn’t the only person Pole is trying to impress. As the oldest in his family, Pole said he tries to set a good example for his younger siblings. One of his little brothers, who just started playing football, wears No. 98- just like Pole does at Washington State University.

Although his younger brother is starting to play football already, Pole did not choose to play football until high school. He said he tried playing in a Pop Warner league, but he was too heavy.

No matter what sport Pole played, some sort of competition was always in his life.

“I was always a competitor growing up,” Pole said. “I don’t care. It could be like, ‘I’ll race you to finish this cup of juice.’”

Pole said he hates to lose at anything. He plays video games with his friends, and he said sometimes even that will turn into a heated battle.

“I think you just don’t like to lose at anything, especially being the oldest,” Pole said. “Growing up, I didn’t let any of my little siblings beat me at anything. I didn’t like doing that.”

Pole was so attracted toward sports that he would even get in trouble for playing them outside of church, he said.

Despite that, Pole was far from a church rebel. He said church was like his second home, and that if he wasn’t at school or playing sports, he was at church.

“We didn’t have a lot, but we always trusted that it was the Lord’s grace being able to put food on the table every day for us,” Pole said. “Church has always been big for me.”

Religion has been a huge part of Pole’s life since he was young.

“I didn’t really choose to go to church,” Pole said. “I was just brought to church at a young age, and it just became a habit. All the family I really know was at church too.”

Now that Pole plays for the Cougars, that family still watches him play. He said that about 60 people showed up at last week’s game in California, where his hometown of Union City is.

Those viewers watched Pole recover two fumbles in that game, and anybody who watched the 2012 Apple Cup saw him get the interception that led to the winning score in the game.

“I never really thought I could leave such a mark like that,” Pole said. “It’s a blessing from the Lord above, just putting me in the right place at the right time. That’s all it was. It could have easily been anybody else, but I was there, and I made the play. I was able to capitalize on that and God is good.”

As far as he has come, Pole has always had his father in Heaven and his father here on Earth supporting him to where he is today. Pole is still reminded of that with those simple texts from Sioni on game days.

“He just wanted me to do the best I could, and if I didn’t, he’d let me know, because if I’m not doing my best, then there’s no point in me doing it,” Pole said. “He’s always been there for me like that.”