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College football players Polo Manukainiu, Gaius Vaenuku killed in car wreck

The former high school teammates were among three killed while making the long drive home from Utah to Texas.

By Peter Berkes
Euless, Texas
Euless, Texas
Flickr user jayRaz via Creative Commons license

Texas A&M defensive lineman Polo Manukainiu, freshman Utah defensive end Gaius Vaenuku, and fellow passenger Lolo Uhatafe died in a car accident in New Mexico early Tuesday morning, according to New Mexico State Police.

Freshman Utes guard Salesi Uhatafe (the driver and Manukainiu's stepbrother) was reportedly airlifted to Texas and is in critical condition, according to multiple outlets based in Utah. Uhatafe's father also survived the accident, according to Utah. (Update: both Uhatafes are out of the hospital now.)

More details, from Texas A&M's confirmation of the news:

According to the report from the New Mexico State Police, he was a passenger in a 2002 Toyota Sequoia traveling south on U.S. 550 and the vehicle drifted off of the roadway and the driver over corrected and the vehicle rolled several times. Manukainiu and another passenger, Andrew Uhatafe, were ejected from the vehicle and deceased at the scene. Gaius Vaenuku, an incoming member of the Utah football team, was transported from the scene of the accident but was pronounced deceased in the ambulance. The driver and a fifth passenger were transported to San Juan Regional Hospital after sustaining minor injuries. Alcohol was not involved and it appears the driver was the only one wearing a seat belt..

All three players had been teammates at Trinity High in Euless, Texas, a Dallas suburb with a large Pacific Islander population. The status of the vehicle's fifth passenger is unknown at this time.

More: Good Bull Hunting remembers Polo Manukainiu

According to one of Manukainiu's final tweets, the players were traveling home from Utah, a nearly 1,300-mile trip. Police cited "driver inattention or fatigue" as a contributing factor.

Manukainiu redshirted in 2012 after his career as a two-time All-District 6-5A high school defensive end. The 6'5 recreation, parks, and tourism sciences major was expected to make contributions on the field in 2013.

Vaenuku signed with Utah back in February, joining Trinity teammate Uhatafe as future Utes in the 2013 recruiting class. Vaenuku was named first-team all-district following his 2011 high school season.

The players' teammates and coaches have begun sharing their reactions.

From Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin:

We lost a terrific young man. Polo was loved by his teammates and coaches. Anyone who came in contact with him was struck by his sense of humor and smile. My heart aches for his mom and family members.

From Utes coach Kyle Whittingham:

Everyone who knew Gaius is heartbroken today. He was the kind of young man who lit up a room and his future in football and life had no boundaries. Words cannot express our devastation over the loss of Gaius. This is a sad day not only for University of Utah football, but for everyone whose lives Gaius crossed or would have crossed but for this tragedy. Our hearts go out to Gaius' and Salesi's families, and to the Texas A&M coaches and players. We are praying for the speedy recovery of Salesi and his father.

On-field rivals are now sharing condolences as well:

We'll have more as it's available.

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