Oregon-bound football star Tommy Tofi, Riordan rallies around his ailing 10-year-old brother

JP Tofi is on mind, in the heart of gigantic 4-star lineman heading into Northern California Division 1-AA championship against Folsom

JP Tofi, the 10-year-old brother of Riordan senior and Oregon-signee Tommy Tofi is battling acute myeloid leukemia in a UCSF Benloff Children's Hospital with the support of a large family and Riordan community. / Photo courtesy of John Tofi Sr.

Tommy Tofi is a mountain of a teenager, standing 6-foot-6 inches and weighing 330 pounds. And as a highly-recruited starting offensive tackle for Riordan’s undefeated football team, recently signed with national college giant Oregon, he’s largely standing at the top of the high school football perch. 

Friday, his Crusaders (12-0) travel to the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top dog, the Buldogs of Folsom (13-1) in a Northern California Division 1-AA championship game. 

The winner moves on to the ultimate peak — a state championship game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. 

But Tofi, one of six children, is drawing strength from his 10-year-old brother JP, who is dwarfed in size, but not heart, by his second-oldest brother. 

JP, fourth in line on the Tofi sibling list, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in November, and is currently undergoing treatment at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

While Tommy was signing his letter of intent Wednesday and during Riordan’s Senior Day Ceremony last month, with dozens of siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews supporting the state's No. 4 senior recruit, JP has been undergoing treatment at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. 

A tightly-knit family, empowered by numbers, size and volume, has been acutely locked in on the one smallish absentee, who is not diminished nearly in spirit or support. 

 “It’s been heartbreaking,” Tommy said. “You can feel pure joy when everybody’s around him.” 

Tommy Tofi (77) has been a standout on Riordan's massive offensive line for three seasons / Photo: Eric Taylor

Gigantic community

The Tofi family is synonymous with Riordan. 

Patriarch John Tofi Sr. graduated from the school in 2002 as one of the most accomplished scorers and rebounders in Riordan basketball history, winning the school’s lone state championship as a senior. 

In 2023, John moved from Sacramento back to the Bay Area along with his wife, Malu, and all six of their children. John Jr. and Tommy, the two oldest of the current generation, enrolled at Riordan immediately. Ernie, the third of six children, started as a freshman in 2024.

When JP was diagnosed, it sent the entire Crusader community into action. 

The abbreviation “LYJP” (Love You JP) has been all over the school and athletic department: In social media posts, wristbands, and even on a sign in the crowd at Riordan’s win over Serra for the CCS Open Division Championship.

Tommy Tofi's family during Riordan Senior Day last month / Photo by Ryan Garcia

“We don’t even have friends,” John Sr. said. “We just have a bunch of family. We’ve been blessed to have the support from our immediate family and the Crusader family.”

Historic season

The support has made the process a bit easier for the family. 

John and Malu each have five siblings, almost all of their relatives live within San Francisco and none are farther away than Sacramento, so there’s always someone to look after the younger siblings and provide transportation. But John Sr. has spent almost every night over the past month at the hospital.

“I’ve basically only gone home to shower and change,” said the 41-year-old father, who’s also an assistant coach on Riordan’s basketball staff.

The cancer battle has coincided with some of the biggest football games in Riordan history. Two days after JP was admitted, he watched the broadcast from his hospital room as the Crusaders beat Serra for their first WCAL Championship since 2000. Three days later, he spent his 10th birthday at UCSF, and four days after that, Riordan rolled past Salinas to set up a second battle with Serra.

All for JP

“We didn’t tell the boys about the diagnosis until the days after the WCAL Championship,” John Sr. said.

JP will again be tuning in Friday night from his hospital room, just as he did for the league championship game, the two prior playoff games and John Jr.‘s games at Cal, including last Saturday’s win over SMU where the eldest of the six siblings made his first collegiate start at tight end.

Tommy, meanwhile, this week was named the WCAL Offensive Lineman of the Year for the state’s No. 10 team. He’s ranked the No. 4 senior in the state regardless of position by 247Sports, and No. 43 nationally. 

“Throughout this whole playoff run, I’ve made it pretty clear that we’re doing this all for him,” Tommy said. “I’m inspired to go the extra mile for this community and for JP.”

Ethan Kassel is one of Northern California's most respected, prolific and insightful prep sports journalists. His prose have appeared regularly over the last decade in numerous publications including the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Standard and San Mateo Daily Journal. Join his Bay Area Insider Substack site