Rico Newman isn't the guy he used to be.

Before this summer, his main concern was himself. That all changed Aug. 7; the day his girlfriend, gave birth to their son, Zaeven.

Newman's to-do list began to grow with a new school year about to begin, his first varsity football season around the corner, and fatherhood staring him in the face.

On the football field, he worked his way into the starting running back spot for an offense that was looking for a spark left by the graduation of three-year starting quarterback Bryant Moniz.

The Mules wound up going with a quarterback-by-committee of senior Kaipo DeRego and junior Kaipo Kea.

Leilehua edged Kailua, 6-3, in the season opener, then walloped Radford, 41-0, to start league play with a bang. Slowly, things were coming together and Newman was making a case for more touches.

Despite getting just five carries against Radford, Newman rushed for 66 yards and he made sure head coach Nolan Tokuda heard his plea.

"When he came to (varsity) from the JV, he always wanted the ball in his hands," Tokuda said.

Newman realized he would have to be patient in his demands and the trust of his coach could only be earned.

"I just had to grow up; that it isn't always going to be my way," Newman said. "I had to learn to share everything — like carrying the ball — it made me grow up."

That, and his newborn son.

"Everything changed a lot," Newman said. "(Becoming a father) made me a better person though, not like when I was on JV. I had to sacrifice time with friends to be with my baby."

At the same time, Tokuda began to see the competitive fire in the 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior.

"People might think of him as a kid who wants the limelight, but he just wants to win," Tokuda said. "He'll come down and make blocks and we'll spread the ball elsewhere, but he'll do his job. This kid wants to win."

The regular season, in which the Mules didn't notch back-to-back wins since the season-opening victories over Kailua and Radford, had its ups and downs.

Leilehua suffered a loss to rival Mililani on a last-minute field goal, then beat West contenders Wai'anae and 'Aiea, but suffered losses to Kapolei and Campbell to finish 3-3, good for fifth in the Red West.

Newman's patience had paid off and Tokuda gave him an opportunity to perform when it mattered most.

Leilehua earned a rematch with Mililani after rallying past Castle, 36-13, in a first-round OIA Tournament game Oct. 19.

However, the Mules lost both Kea and DeRego to injuries and were forced to promote JV quarterback Andrew Manley for an emergency start against the Trojans. In addition, leading receiver Edieson Dumlao was sidelined for the second consecutive week with a concussion.

Despite that, Newman said the team was "confident.

"We went to Mililani and we wanted to keep it going," he said. "We want to go all the way to the top; we couldn't stop there."

Tokuda hoped to ease the load on Manley against the Trojans with a heavy dose of running.

"Coach Tokuda told me before the game 'I want you to get 100 yards (rushing).' I thought he was joking," Newman said. "He made me run the ball plenty. I never thought I would run the ball that much. In overtime I was tired."

It wasn't enough to keep him off the field. Newman made a crucial catch on third-and-5 from the Mililani 15. The 13-yard gain was good for a first down and the Mules had goal-to-go from the 2.

On the next play, Bronson Pausa scored the winning touchdown on a fullback dive.

"I knew I had to make that catch ... and I got to set up Pausa," Newman said.

He finished with 22 carries for 97 yards, but no touchdowns in the 27-21 upset victory.

Newman has yet to surpass the 100-yard mark and has scored just one rushing touchdown.

"Everybody asks me 'how many touchdowns you get?' I'd say 'nah, I'm setting up the seniors. This is their year, I got next year, I can score next year.' "

Newman has been hard to keep off the field. In addition to running back, Newman runs out from the slotback position and is the team's punter and place-kicker — responsibilities he takes pride in.

"If there's no other kicker, I want to do the job," he said.

Should Newman and the Mules top East No. 2 Farrington tomorrow, they will achieve one of their goals: earning one of the OIA's three state-tournament berths.

"That's what everybody wants for the seniors, get to states," Newman said. "That's what everybody's goal is; nobody wants to get sent home yet."

The Mules (6-4) are No. 7 in The Advertiser's Top 10 Poll. The Governors (5-2-2) are No. 9.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.

Reach Kalani Takase at ktakase@honoluluadvertiser.com.