It was an impromptu play that was the result of years of preparation.

It was an impromptu play that was the result of years of preparation.

In Saturday’s football game, Hawaii faced a fourth-and-4 situation with 5:41 to play. During a timeout, quarterback Micah Alejado suggested “Tama Time” — an option play involving slotback Tama Uiliata as the wildcat.

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With Alejado aligning in the slot, Uiliata took the snap, rolled to the right and then lofted a 7-yard scoring pass to tight end Frank Abreu to extend the Rainbow Warriors’ lead to an insurmountable 29-19.

“We practiced that a good amount of time,” Uiliata said of his connection with Abreu. “We were prepared. Whatever the coaches wanted to do, we were dialed in.”

The play conjured memories of Uiliata’s hanabata days.

In Pop Warner, “I was like a backup quarterback,” said Uiliata, who also played running back, safety, cornerback, linebacker, D-end and kicker for the Village Park Warriors.

“I trained at a young age with my dad,” Uiliata said. “Put in the work. Long nights, early mornings.”

To build stamina, Uiliata ran the hills leading to Kunia Loa Ridge.

To improve footwork, he would high-step through the maze of rope ladders placed on the ground.

For agility, he created a course with traffic cones.

“There was a sandbox near my house,” said Uiliata, who grew up in Kunia. “Whenever I was feeling bored at the house, I’d do some footwork in the sand.”

Backyards and front lawns were venues for no-trauma, no-foul games with younger and older relatives.

“That was just fun playing with your cousins,” Uiliata recalled.

Uiliata said he watched highlight videos of NFL games for the “big hits and jukes.”

“I always had a football with me when I was younger,” he said. “I’d go outside and ask random kids if they wanted to play football. We’d make teams and go from there.”

Tackle, two-hand touch … it didn’t matter.

“I love the game,” he said.

At Waipahu High School, he emerged as a gifted and versatile player. When he was a senior quarterback, running back and receiver in 2022, the Marauders averaged 36.3 points. He was named Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-State Offensive Player of the Year. He then received a conditional scholarship offer from the Warriors in which he would have to delay enrolling until the 2024 spring semester.

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Sitting out a semester was daunting for Uiliata, who would be idle for a season for the first time since fourth grade.

“That was kind of hard on me trying to get my schedule right, trying to find what I was going to do,” Uiliata said.

As always, he relied on advice from his father and examples set by cousin Tama Amisone, a receiver for San Jose State.

“It was great getting coached hard from my dad,” Uiliata said. “Now when it comes to this level, where we’re coached hard, it’s a little similar. You know it comes from a place of love.”

Through the years, Amisone would throw to Uiliata during workouts.

“He was always faster than me,” Uiliata said. “I’d train every day to get as fast as him.”

In this season’s opener against Stanford, Uiliata caught eight passes on 10 targets for 62 yards. The following week against UNLV, he did not have a catch in two targets. He then went back to the basics, focusing on on hand placement and tightening his routes.

This past weekend, Uiliata secured 10 of the 11 passes in his direction for 107 yards. True to his character, he analyzed the one that got away.

“If you want to be a great player, you have to critique all the things you do,” he said. “That’s just coaches being hard on me. I love it. I love the hard coaching.”

Uiliata also has found a balance among school, football and parenthood. Uiliata and girlfriend Serenity are rearing daughters Xaydria and Zaylani.

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“It’s a blessing,” he said. “I’m enjoying life.”