Hurricanes Football Flourishes

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In just five years of prep football, Kapolei High School already has managed to send three quarterbacks to Division I schools.

Those can only be encouraging numbers for current quarterback Mason Koa, who entered spring practice this week as one of the top players to watch on Oahu heading into fall.

“Some people have called us Quarterback High, which is nice praise for a program only five years old,” said Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez, who has seen former Hurricane quarterbacks KaipoNoa Kaheaku-Enhada (Navy), Brad Padayo (Eastern Oregon) and Jon Medeiros (Hawaii) move on to college programs.“It’s a tribute to their athleticism, and Mason is cut from the same mold. He’s our best athlete. He’s gotten bigger - he’s now 6-foot-1, 195 - and he runs a 4.6 in the 40 (-yard dash). He’s hard to defend; he can beat you with his feet or by throwing the ball. He’s going to be the focal point of our offense.”

Under OIA guidelines, the Hurricanes have a two-week period in which to conduct 10 practices. (A spring game will be held either May 30 or June 2, Hernandez said.) Hopes are high for the team, which won its first Division I playoff game last November.

“We have the makings of a solid nucleus of kids who like to work hard,“said Hernandez, whose team finished 4-6 last season. “We’re excited about the season.We can’t wait.”

Hernandez, who expected 45 to 50 varsity players to take part in the spring, said the focus would be on fundamentals during the next two weeks.

“We’ll be in shoulder pads and helmets the first week, but the second week there will be some banging. The kids love that (full-contact) part, and it will be a nice transition into our summer (program).”

As in past years, the Hurricanes figure to be strong at the skilled positions. In addition to Koa, wide-out Nate Dixon also returns, along with running back Cyril Ontai, who was a two-way stand-out as a sophomore last fall.

“Our skilled positions and our linebackers are our strength,” Hernandez said.“Offensively, we’ve usually been exciting, and we should be that way again.

“Nate has eye-popping numbers,” he added of Dixon.“He runs a 4.47 (in the 40-yard dash), and he has a vertical leap of 41 inches to go with a GPA of 3.9. He’s a Division I prospect. He’s definitely going somewhere (to play in college).”

The Hurricane offensive line will be anchored by 6-6, 295-pound Stan Hasiak. Defensively, Hernandez will build around linebackers Chad Lopati and Ontai.

“Chad can really run, and Cyril is a specimen,” he said.

One area of emphasis for the Hurricanes this Spring will be special teams. “We need to kick it up a notch there. Our special teams weren’t poor last year, but they weren’t outstanding.”

Kapolei officially opens fall camp the first week of August. Their pre-season opener is Aug. 18 versus McKinley.

“We’re excited about where we’re at. We’ve made some strides,” Hernandez said. “We took another step forward by winning our first Division I playoff game, and we hope to be in the thick of things come October and November.”