The Compton community was dealt a heartbreaking blow after news that Compton High grad Aava Lilomaiava was shot and killed on Wednesday night.
Lilomaiva was leader on and off the field for the Tarbabes football team that reached the CIF-SS Division 12 championship game in 2022.
“He was dedicated, and a competitor,” Compton coach Calvin Bryant said. “He loved Compton. He was blood, sweat and tears – all Compton. He touted the ship for us.”
Lilomaiava was an All-Moore League linebacker and also played quarterback for the Tarbabes. For his teammates, Lilomaiava was more than just a leader on the field who kept everyone together.
“Aava was a great friend to me,” said Kingston Moa, Lilomaiava’s classmate and teammate from 2020-2023. “He was more like a brother. We came from the same struggle, and I looked up to him in high school. He would change classes so me and him would be in the same class. He would make me sit in the front of the class with him and he would check my student account and look at my grades, and he would get on me about them when they were bad.”
Lilomaiava went on to play JUCO football at Compton College in the 2023 season, the site for Compton High’s home games during the end of his high school career. Compton’s team captains carried his No. 2 jersey with them to the pregame handshake during their game against Wilson High on Thursday, and he was honored with a moment of silence just before kickoff.
“He was a genuine person,” said Moa, who went on to play defensive line at Utah Tech after high school. “He would give you his last on the field; he was a leader, he had the voice and the mechanics. He would make everyone smile. He was younger than me but I looked at him as an older brother. After high school he made sure I wouldn’t go down the wrong path when I would come home and visit from college. He supported me in many ways.
“After hearing the bad news, the whole city of Compton felt it. We all had a special relationship with him. Our dream was to go to the same college and play ball together.”
Lilomaiava’s impact is still felt on the current Compton roster, especially with guys like current senior Diontae Dill, who played with Aava during his sophomore year.
“He was a great teammate,” Dill said. “I respected him on and off the field. I looked up to him when I was a sophomore and now I’m playing my heart out for him.”
