Change in sports getting linebacker noticed

By Christopher Drexel

Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 | midnight

Liloa Nobriga is no longer unsure what his top sport is.

Long gone are the days when the Palo Verde linebacker was a sophomore living in Hawaii and skipping the football season so he could focus on basketball.

He now knows his ticket to a Division I scholarship will come via the gridiron. And playing for a team like the Panthers made him realize it.

“My first love was basketball, but I really like the style of football out here,” Nobriga said. “Our team likes to hit. And our strength is our attitude and coming out here and playing like we’re the best. I really picked up on that, and I think that’s why I like football better than basketball.”

Now a senior, Nobriga is in his second year playing for Palo Verde. His family relocated to Las Vegas in the summer of 2007 partially for job opportunities, but also because they knew living in Hawaii would not get him noticed on the basketball court.

His chance for a basketball scholarship would be much greater living in Nevada where high school hoops has a bigger presence and there are a plethora of year-round tournaments in town and in nearby states like California and Arizona.

The 6-foot-3, 230 pound Nobriga didn’t disappoint on the basketball court last year, where he immediately became a starter for the Panthers. But his impact was much greater on the football team, which he joined as a secondary sport at the time.

“When he got on the field and starting hitting people, there was a certain sound to it,” Palo Verde defensive coordinator Dave Castro said. “It’s kind of like bowling when you hit that strike. He really has that sound when he’s putting a hit on somebody. He gets down low and he explodes through people.”

Nobriga registered 121 tackles, 11 sacks, three fumble recoveries and an interception as an outside linebacker last season. He was named Sunset Region Co-Defensive Player of the Year with Bishop Gorman defensive end Justin Chaisson.

He continued to shine this fall.

During a 56-0 season opening win against Reno on Aug. 29, Nobriga tallied a career-high 17 tackles while filling in as middle linebacker for injured David Castro Jr.

Nobriga added offense to his resume this season as he is now starting at left tackle to fill a need on a line that was decimated by graduation last year.

“Whatever is asked of me, I want to go out there and do,” Nobriga said. “I’m not a one-dimensional player.”

College scouts have taken attention and Nobriga’s college football prospects have exceeded those for basketball. He currently has official offers from Hawaii, UNLV, Utah, Boise State and he suspects Arizona will offer within the coming weeks.

Nobriga said he is considering skipping his senior year of basketball to focus on weightlifting for football.

“He’s got a lot of exposure football-wise, and I think he sees that is more his ticket now,” Rost said.

Nobriga admits he will have a tough decision on whether to return to Hawaii for college football or perhaps go to a higher profile program. But just like Palo Verde changed his mind about football, it is also starting to make him feel more at home on the mainland.

“I really like Hawaii because that’s where I’m from,” he said. “After being born and raised in Hawaii 17 years moving all of a sudden was a big adjustment at first, but I really like the main land. Everything is fine now.”