MONTEREY >> While most kids his age were sleeping, Soakai Funaki was up before the sun, doing cone workouts on the Marina sand dunes or lifting at a club.

The ritual began after his sophomore season when the Monterey High linebacker took it upon himself to improve his strength, speed and stamina.

“I worked on agility drills in the dark in the sand,” Funaki said. “When I wasn’t sprinting up sand dunes, I was in the weight room. Whatever it takes to get better, I wanted to separate myself.”

The 6-foot, 225-pound inside linebacker became the cornerstone of the Toreadores’ defense the past two years, altering opponents’ game plans this past season with his tenacious effort.

“I bring violence to the position,” said the soft-spoken Funaki.

Becoming a full-time linebacker turned Funaki into a demon on defense, as he was named The Herald’s Defensive Player of the Year.

A repeater on the all-county defensive team, Funaki put together a highlight reel this past fall, averaging 14.5 tackles a game.

“There is no better feeling than sticking someone,” Funaki said. “Playing defense — linebacker — it’s a different mentality.”

Up until the middle of last season, Funaki was going both ways for Monterey, doubling as a bruising fullback, where he accounted for 10 touchdowns.

Yet, as the season progressed, it became apparent that the 18-year-old was more valuable to Monterey’s defense.

“I liked what he was doing on offense,” Monterey coach Alex Besaw said. “But we felt it was sacrificing what he was able to do on defense. We needed him on every single snap.”

Limiting his touches on offense brought a fresher and more focused Funaki to the defensive side of the ball, where he evolved into one of the more feared linebackers in the region.

“I always saw myself as a running back,” Funaki said. “But the more I played defense, the more I felt it was my position. I started to feel my groove at linebacker.”

Instead of running over people as a running back, Funaki began running into them, improving his tackling technique, becoming more of a technician rather than just using blunt force.

“Getting him to focus on defense helped him prepare for an opponent, while understanding their tendencies,” Besaw said. “He was in the right spot most of the time.”

An unselfish attitude made the move full-time to defense a smooth transition for Funaki, who became a leader by example with his ferocious effort.

“Whatever it took to help out this team, I was willing to do it,” Funaki said. “It helped me focus on defense. Just playing linebacker made things easier.”

Despite missing the Toreadores’ playoff game with a broken collarbone, Funaki still finished with 143 tackles in 10 games, compiling a team-high 12 sacks.

“A sack feels really good,” said Funaki, who collected 25 over two seasons.

Blitzing from his inside linebacker position, charging up those sand dunes in the mornings paid dividends when he ran down quarterbacks.

“He has a combination of being physically strong and extremely fast twitched,” Besaw said. “I told Soakai you’re going to have a lot of fun playing football in our defense.”

Of Funaki’s 143 tackles — the most by a Monterey player in 15 years — 58 were solo tackles, with 32 being for losses.

A three-year starter, Funaki also forced three fumbles and recovered one, helping the Toreadores reach the postseason for the third straight year.

“He got better with the mental side of the game in understanding opponents’ tendencies,” Besaw said. “He wasn’t a vocal leader. But he embraced his role and took it seriously.”

Funaki got into the film room more, studying opposing teams’ offenses. When he got on the field each Friday, he felt like he knew the offense as well as the opponent.

“He knew where the ball was going a majority of the time,” Besaw said. “He did a great job in being the anchor of our defense. He stepped up and made some great plays for us.”

Funaki still picked up a few carries on offense for Monterey and played on all of the special team units.

For someone who played basketball, baseball and rugby as a youth, Funaki’s passion for football came to the forefront when he was playing in the Snoop Youth League in San Jose.

“I had no idea how good the league was,” Funaki said. “I remember scoring four touchdowns in a game when I was 12. I knew this was my path.”

Where the next chapter begins for Funaki is still open. While he has been offered a ride to Wayne State in Michigan, there have been inquiries from other schools.

“I’m looking for a Division I opportunity,” Funaki said. “If that is not the case at this time, the JC route isn’t a bad option.”

Funaki recalled the Toreadores first meeting with Menlo-Atherton, when coaches from their side came up to him after the game, after he finished with 15 tackles.

“The whole coaching staff came up and told me how impressed they were with my effort, that they hadn’t played against a guy like me, how disruptive I was for their offense,” Funaki said. “It was very humbling.”

While the collarbone heals, Funaki is still perfecting his craft, getting up before the sun rises, looking for that edge as a new chapter in his life will unfold next fall.

“What still sticks out for me was my sophomore year when I scored four touchdowns against Seaside to get us in the postseason,” Funaki said. “We changed the culture.”