Cougars’ Saffery Hopes To ‘Get Noticed’ At Senior Bowl
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usKaiser High running back Issac Saffery is hoping he’s saved his biggest effort for his biggest game.
That will be Saturday night at Kamehameha, when Saffery puts the finishing touches on what has been a great prep football career as a member of the East squad in the 16th annual Hawaii Union Builders Goodwill Senior Bowl. Kickoff for the game, which will be presented by Hawaiian Telcom, is set for 7:30 p.m. at Kunuiakea Stadium on the Kapalama campus.
While he may be well-known around Oahu Interscholastic Association circles, the 5-foot-9-inch, 190-pound Saffery has still flown largely under the radar as far as college recruiters are concerned.
“I’d like to have a big game,” he said.“None of our games were televised, so hopefully I can use this game to get noticed and show people what I can do. I have no scholarship offers, but I’d love to keep playing. I’ll play anywhere on the field (in order to play college football).”
In a state that appreciates good football, Saffery may very well have been as important to his Kaiser team this fall as any other player was to his own team. He rushed for 1,329 yards in nine games (including a playoff loss to Kaimuki) and averaged 8.0 yards per carry while scoring 17 touchdowns, helping to lead the Cougars to a 6-1-1 mark and an OIA White Conference crown.
During the summer, he was a leader by example in the weight room. He benchpresses 325 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.7 time. But timed sprints aren’t everything. Saffery may actually be a little faster on the football field when the opposition is in pursuit.
“I like having everyone come after me,” he said.
“I love the challenge of playing football. I’ve always been serious about it since I began playing for the Waimanalo Warriors (at age 9).”
Count Castle coach Nelson Maeda, who will coach the East squad on Saturday night, among those who have taken note of Saffery’s abilities.
“He’s very athletic and very deserving of being here (in the game),” Maeda said of Saffery. “He’s a tough runner with quick feet, and he finds the hole very well. He’s truly the player that’s been receiving the recognition for what he’s done at Kaiser.”
Players are nominated for the HUB Goodwill Classic by their own coaches and then selected by the East or West coaching staffs, in large part because of “team needs,” according to Maeda.
“I had no idea I’d be picked (by the East), but when the call came, I was really happy,” Saffery said.
The East squad has been practicing at various sites since Nov. 27. On an East squad that will also include his Kaiser teammates Jake Esteban (wide receiver) and Brice Kahalewai (lineman), Saffery has found himself surrounded by the state’s best.
“There are plenty of good players (on the East) - it’s harder to gain yards,” said Saffery, who lives in Waimanalo.
“I used to think I was one of the bigger guys,” he added with a laugh.
“Now, (compared to his East teammates) I’m tiny, but I try to remember that they’re all human - just like me.”
Saffery has also played baseball at Kaiser in the past, but will forgo his final season of eligibility this spring in order to get a head start on training for football.
“I really like lifting and getting in shape for football,” he said. “My whole summer (of 2006) was all (getting ready for) football.”
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