Around The Islands: Sports
Football
New Beginnings
by Mike Yoshiura
In his senior year of high school, Kekaimalu Ka‘aumoana is finally getting the opportunity to represent his school colors on game day.
Ka‘aumoana was unable to suit up with his fellow Na Koa teammates last season because juniors are ineligible to participate at the junior varsity level, reserved exclusively for freshmen and sophomores. The Anuenue Na Koa football program made its debut last season at the JV level, in the Oahu Interscholastic League’s White Division.
“It’s not like I wasn’t a part of the team. I was the cameraman! I actually had fun filming the games, and I was practicing with them so I was still on the team. I just couldn’t play in any of the games,” said Ka‘aumoana, as he pauses and smiles. “This year doesn’t feel too different. Only now, I won’t be holding a camera.”
The Hawaiian language immersion school is located in Palolo Valley, and has 82 students enrolled in grades 9 to 12, almost half of which are girls. Due to the school’s small enrollment numbers, the Na Koa coaching staff was forced to forfeit the JV team this season so the varsity squad could sustain the course of an eight-game season.
“I’m just happy I got to play before I graduated,” said the 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior. “The guys (opponents) are going to be bigger, stronger, and faster so everyone has to step up their game.”
In a sport where each team has 11 players on the field at a time, the Na Koa coaching staff has assembled a 24-man roster, comprised of four freshman, five sophomores, 14 juniors, and Ka‘aumoana, the lone senior. With a slight roster and lack of experience, the Na Koa’s depth will be tested throughout the season. In comparison, Kahuku’s football program averages 160 to 180 JV and varsity participants every year.
“You have your kids who never played before, but they have a lot of ability so it’s really just fine tuning. In other programs, you have a handful of kids that have heart. In this program, every single kid has that heart,” said coach Marius “Pee Wee” Almarius.
In all likelihood, the Na Koa’s first season at the varsity level will be an uphill struggle. The cold hard fact is that there are a handful of freshman and sophomores playing with little or no experience. No player on this year’s roster has experience at the varsity level, and only four players have previous playing experience.
“This is my first year playing football and it’s not easy. It takes a lot of practice, and it’s very hard just to be pretty good. The coaches push us, and they tell us to believe in ourselves,” said freshman Kanani Armitage, a two-way lineman.
After the JV team accumulated a 2-6 record last season, the Na Koa coaching staff made sure their players were well prepared going into the 2006 season. To make up for a lack of experience, players and coaches attended football camps in the off-season.
“The year before, we had no preparation, but we still finished the season,” said coach Tim Wengler. “This summer we went to the Timmy Chang camp, Brian Derby’s offensive lineman camp, and Rich Miano’s Speed and Quickness camps. We made sure we were prepared this time around.” There are critics that doubt the Na Koa depth chart, and some fans don’t think they will play out a full season. Almarius on the other hand, has his players looking for an extension in their season.
“A lot of people don’t believe in Anuenue. They think depth is an issue, and they say, ‘you don’t have enough players and you’re not going to finish the season.’ You know what? There’s no doubt that we’ll finish the season. I’m telling the boys we’re looking at an extension in the season,” said Almarius.
Unlike a depth chart, heart and passion for the sport is an X-factor that can never be rated or ranked. The intangibles for success on the football field cannot be recorded in the form of statistics so they often go unnoticed. At the end of the day, it’s the little things that win ball games.
