Show Utah high school star creates buzz in NFL Tyler Thomas Contributing Writer The dream of every young athlete is to go pro in their sport Most of the time that dream goes gocs unrealized but for one local athlete it has become a reality West Valley native football player Tahi plays for the Cincinnati Bengal as the second string fullback A place that those who watched him and played with in high school and college knew he was destined to be We VVe all knew hed he'd go to the NFL But it was still surprising when he actually signed a contract with the said fonner former high school teammate Dustin Thomsen is unmistakably a power runner He is also a definite asset as a blocker on run or pass plays His 6 foot tall pound frame hits low and hard He doesn't stop for or get intimidated by anybody His versatility lends himself to play playas as either a fullback or running back Tahi attended Granger High School from 1996 1999 He played football all 4 years Tahi as a running back and fullback was known for his power and speed Bearing the No 3 he started on the varsity team three of the four years he played averaging over yards a game the first two years and yards his senior senior year In his junior year he led the Lancers to the Utah state semi-finals semi in the former fonner Cougar Stadium now called LaVell Edwards Stadium In that game Tahi was injured and Granger lost the game Tahi came back even stronger his senior year Setting a new Utah high school football record for touchdowns and completed his high school career as an American All-American with almost yards rushing Tahi was widely recruited by colleges from all over the c country but he ultimately chose to attend Brigham Young University for its proximity to his home As a freshman he started at fullback blocking for then-BYU then superstar Luke Staley Tahi and Staley ended the season being named Sports Illustrated's freshmen of the year Following his freshman season with the Cougars Tahi went on a year two-year mission for the LOS Church in Jacksonville Fla He resumed BYU in the fall of 2003 Tahi continued to play fullback and running back but his sophomore and junior years were a bit shaky making mistakes and fumbling the ball several times Tahi finally exploded during his senior season The Cougars' Cougars offense altogether was on fire Tahi worked as the lead blocker for featured running back Curtis Brown Tahi acted the power runner making them the perfect duo Over all while at BYU Tahi played in 45 games He racked up 2100 yards of which during his senior season alone Throughout his college career Tahi was watched closely by NFL scouts He went unnoticed in the 2006 NFL draft a few months back but was offered a contract on May 5 by the Tahi made each cut and was placed on the roster as the third string fullback wearing jersey No 38 first two preseason preseason preseason pre pre- season games were played while Tahi sat on the bench But in the Bangles' Bangles third game against the Green Bay Packers he saw some time Although he didn't carry the ball he made some several blocks According to Tahi is now listed as the second string fullback behind only Jeremi Johnson starting fullback As second string Tahi will see a lot of playing time as Johnson needs his rest |