Now that Seuseu Alofaituli has helped the Sierra High Timberwolves win the California Interscholastic Federation Division IV State Football Championship where is he going to go?
To the Super Bowl, of course.
The Sierra High junior is heading to Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 7 after his name was drawn Tuesday morning in the school library by Police Chief Nick Obligacion. His seatmate at the game will be Sierra High varsity head coach Jeff Harbison.
The rest of the team didn’t exactly lose. They’re all going to the NFL Experience at San Francisco’s Moscone Center the day before the big game
Thirty charities sold $100 chances for the tickets and cash that Stockton billionaire and San Diego Chargers majority owner Alex Spanos and his family donate each year. Each charity keeps close to $98 of every $100 ticket sold.
There are six grand prizes with each consisting of two game tickets and $2,000.
How the Super Bowl surprise drawing for the football players came about has a bit to do with the fact Lucille Harris — an owner of Tuff Boy Trailers in Manteca — has three grandsons.
“I love all three of my grandsons,” she said, noting she wasn’t about to pick between them.
She contacted the Make-A -Wish Foundation thinking there might be a child from California with a life-threatening medical condition that made attending the Super Bowl their wish. Thirteen youths had made the request but all were from out-of-state.
“We wanted the tickets to go to someone local,” Harris said.
That’s when her son Marty suggested the Sierra High football team. At almost the same time Obligacion called Harris and wanted to talk to her as he had some ideas of what she could do with the tickets. The police chief also thought of the Sierra High football team.
So it was decided one ticket would go to Harbison and the other into a drawing with the name of all the football players.
Harris had the $2,000 cash donated to the Great Valley Writing Project, a non-profit that helps youth strengthen writing skills through summer workshops.
Obligacion arranged to have the Manteca Police Chief’s Foundation donate $2,000 to the Sierra High football program to allow the team to go to the NFL Experience.
“It was a joy (to see Alofaitui) win,” Harris said. “And my grandsons still love me.”
Harris said sharing the winnings the way that Tuff Boy did was appropriate.
“Life in Manteca has been very good to me,” Harris said.
Tuff Boy had bought three $100 tickets from a non-profit benefitting Mary Graham Hall for Children. Obligacion purchased his $100 ticket from the non-profit St. Mary’s Interfaith Dining Hall that helps feed the homeless in Stockton.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
