Farm Work Good Practice For Football, Says Cyrus Coen

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Before he took on pulling guards on the football field, Cyrus Coen was already testing himself on the family farm. Vivid in his memory are the days when he struggled to lug a five-gallon bucket of slop to feed the pigs.

“I remember when I was 8, I could only fill one up a little and still carry it,” said Coen. “My dad could carry two. Gradually I increased how much slop I could put in the bucket. I felt like it was the base of my strength. I always did a lot of lifting. I was always feeding dogs and chickens and pigs. There were always side jobs - whether digging holes, working with concrete.”

The work goes on at the Coen farm, which is the only farm in Pearl City. Coen’s routine is very unique, indeed.“I probably don’t do the same things as other kids,” he said, but he embraces every moment of it. “I knew kids who didn’t want to go home, but I always wanted to go home,” said the youngest of nine children born to Norman and Malia Coen. “There was always something to do. I wouldn’t be as hard a worker if I hadn’t grown up on a farm. It taught me to focus on the task at hand.”

These days, his crowded schedule centers around schoolwork, football and his daily work on the farm. In every activity, his work ethic is visible to those who know him.

“He’s really a poster boy for student-athletes,” Pearl City head football coach Kai Kamaka said.“He’s soft-spoken, works hard and never complains.You’re really lucky when you come across a kid like that in your coaching.”

On the football field, Coen is a combination of speed and power. He recently was clocked at 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, and he’s dedicated in the weight room. He was a starting running back and outside linebacker last year and is making the transition to free safety this summer, since it is the position he is most likely to play in college. Pearl City is just coming out of spring football practice and will focus on 7-on-7 pass leagues in preparation for the official beginning of fall camp in late July.

“It feels different than linebacker,” he said of the switch to the secondary. “There’s so much more open space around. Hopefully, my speed makes up for it, but it feels comfortable.

“I have been playing defense since I was little, so I enjoy it more. Playing running back is fun, but on defense, you get to make the hit instead of taking the hit.”

During the summer months, Coen’s day starts at 4 or 4:30 a.m. when he meets his wrestling coach, Michael Lee, at 24-hour Fitness in Pearl City so they can lift weights together for an hour-and-a-half. From there, he goes home to feed the pigs and do whatever work his father needs completed on the farm. In the afternoon, there’s football practice. Most evenings, Coen goes to bed at 8:30 or 9. During the school year, he also has to find time to keep up his grades.

“Without academics, you can’t go to college,” said Coen, who has held a 3.5 GPA throughout high school.“That really stuck in my head. I’m pretty sure I want to play football in college, but I always want to have a backup plan. I want to major in physical therapy.”

Because he is a gifted student, Ivy League schools are among those he’s been hearing from. Colorado and Stanford also have been sending him mail, but recruitment is part of the future.

Right now, Pearl City’s upcoming season is Coen’s primary focus. The Chargers finished 3-5 last year and bring back a good nucleus from that team. Kamaka is more firmly entrenched in the job as well after the transitional period.

“Since the routine is the same (as in 2009), we’re all getting it easier this year,” Coen said. “We’re running the plays much faster. We have 12 returnees, and we have a lot of underclassmen who look good as well. We’re coming together.”