Midland lineman Pulelei’ite Primus in his Bulldog Prime
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Midland Bulldogs junior offensive lineman Pulelei'ite Primus, also known as Prime, has dominated the trenches with Midland's heavy run offense. "I think anytime you have a kid that big and that athletic, whether if it's on the front side of a run play or the back side of a run play, man, he leaves a mark," Midland head coach Thad Fortune said.
Prime leaves a big mark on the opposing defensive line every Friday night, and he left a big one in the Bulldogs' recent game against Frenship. "Fourth down and 20, I threw a touchdown pass, but if you watch, he is a pulling guard and he took this linebacker and just took him to the sideline, just physically dominated him and I just think he has been really impressive this season so far," Midland senior quarterback Stroman Bridges said.
Prime's biggest contribution to his team is his willingness to play any position on the offensive line. "I play left guard, right guard, center, right tackle, left tackle, or wherever coach needs me to play on the O-line," Primus said.
With 13 offers and counting, Primus has every reason to be thinking about himself, but he is just focused on being a Midland High Bulldog. "I think he is excited to be at Midland High right now, I think he is excited to finish his high school career, he will worry about that later on," Bridges said.
For Pulelei'ite, football is more than just a game. Prime lost his Dad at the age of four, and now has the responsibility of taking care of his Mom.
"She's always prioritized me over everything and I want to make it in the league for her because she's been busting her butt every day for me. Every single time I run out of the tunnel I do my little prayer in the endzone, then I try to look in the stands to see where she is at, and I like it because she is always sitting in the same spot so I don't miss her," Primus said.
One of the things Primus wants people to know about him is even though he is a big guy and might seem intimidating, he is quite the opposite. "It's just great to have a teammate like him, he is one of the biggest guys you'll ever meet but he is also one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet," Bridges said.
"It doesn't take anything to be nice to people, my mom raised me up to be a kind and loving guy so I just try to sprinkle in at least a little bit of niceness in everyone's day if I can," Primus said.
As just a junior, Primus has a big career ahead of him and he and Coach Fortune both know he still has things he can improve on. "I think he still has a lot of room to improve, he would be the first to say that and we're excited about the path that he is on as he continues to grow in our program," Fortune said.
ICYMI: Check out highlights from around the basin HERE!
The Midland High Bulldogs are back in action Friday night when they take on the Odessa High Bronchos for their second district matchup. That kickoff is 7:00 p.m. at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa.
