Alani Makihele and Thomas Witte, both former West High standouts, recently faced off against each other for the first time as starters in a historically heated rivalry.
Updated: 17 seconds agoNevada defensive lineman Thomas Witte lines up in a game against UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
It was the first time the two 2020 West High graduates have squared off with each other as starters at the collegiate level. The game was a milestone in the journey for the pair, who became great friends as teammates and have shared a common arc. “During the game, I don’t think we said a word to each other except for like, ‘good job’ every once in a while after a field goal,” Makihele said. “After the game, we chopped it up a lot.”
Left: Alani Makihele and Thomas Witte pose for a photo when they were teammates on the football team at West High in fall 2019. Right: UNLV's Alani Makihele and Nevada's Thomas Witte try to re-create their 2019 photo, posing before their game on Oct. 14, 2023, at Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada. Makihele began his high school career at Dimond before transferring to West, and he connected with Witte “off the rip.
“I was the best defensive lineman, I’d say in our class and Alaska, and he was the best offensive lineman in Alaska,” Witte said. “Me and him would just go up against each other every day at practice, get better and better, and that helped me a lot because when I first came here, I was a little bit more prepared for the Division I life just going up against him every day.”
UNLV's Alani Makihele warms up for a game against the Bryant University Bulldogs on Sept. 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Witte remembers asking if Makihele believed that he had what it took to make it at the highest level of the sport in college, and Makihele told him, “Oh yeah, big time.” Davis wasn’t surprised Witte was able to earn a scholarship. He said it’s indicative of both hard work and talent.Alaskans and proud
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