Naeole Is Raring To Play After Long Injury Down Time

Wednesday - July 25, 2007
By Jack Danilewicz
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Aiea quarterback Keenan Naeole can’t help but regard the upcoming season as a chance to finish some unfinished business.

In only his second appearance last fall, in a key game against Mililani, he broke his collar bone, ending a promising junior season. After recovering well enough to join the Aiea basketball team in the winter, Naeole was sidetracked by a broken wrist on the eve of the Oahu Interscholastic Association playoffs, missing Na Ali’i's ensuing run to the Division II title. This summer, he had his tonsils removed.

“I’ve had some bad luck (injury-wise) lately,” he said. “My dad (Toby) has me taking lots of nutrients and stuff. I’m trying to dodge the (injury) bullet.”


This month, Naeole is getting back to reading defenses, a fine alternative to reading his own medical reports. Indeed, when he steps behind center Aug. 17 for Aiea in its pre-season opener versus Kaimuki, it will mark a personal triumph of sorts in what has been a trying year. He also knows his eligibility clock is ticking.

“I get goose bumps just thinking about it (the opener),” Naeole said. “I’ve never had a full season (in football), and being a backup (at the beginning of) last year, I never knew when I was going to play.”

A 5-7, 160-pound senior, Naeole is what could be termed a “late bloomer” in football circles. He had never played football until his sophomore year at Aiea, having concentrated on basketball and baseball during his childhood years in Hilo, where he lived until eighth grade.

“My friends asked me to come out - they thought I had a strong arm - but I wanted to play slot back or wide receiver,” he said. “I liked it a lot right away. It was different than basketball and baseball because of how intense it is. Football is a different story.

“Football wasn’t a big thing on the Big Island - it was more about basketball and baseball there.”

Naeole spent the first semester of high school at Kapolei before transferring to Aiea in the spring of 2005. As an eighth-grader, he attended Kapolei Middle, where he was a classmate of Mason Koa, currently the starting quarterback at Kapolei.

“I used to joke with him (Koa) that I was going to be the starting quarterback for Kapolei’s JV team when we became freshmen,” Naeole said. “He used to tell me he’d start over me and that I hadn’t played football yet. It’s kind of funny now that he’s starting over there and I’m starting over here. He runs their offense like nobody else can.”

Playing quarterback at Aiea comes with its own share of responsibilities. In Na Ali’i's version of the spread offense, the passing game is heavily emphasized.

“It’s a hard position - we throw the ball 70 to 80 percent of the time - and you have to be able to make the reads,” Naeole explained. “Everything is on you, but I like the ball to be in my hands.”

That eight of Na Ali’i's 10 receivers return from last year (including Daniel Liilii, James Buchanan, Aldodius Colquitt, Bryan Echalas and Ezra Knight) can only bode well for Naeole and the offense. Naeole’s younger brother Kory could also be in the mix for playing time. The starting quarterback for Na Ali’i's JV team last year, he may play receiver on the varsity this fall as a sophomore alongside Keenan.

“It’s always been my dream to play with him,” Keenan said of his brother Kory.


Aiea finished its 7-on-7 pass league season last week and was to be off until Monday, when fall camp officially begins. Na Ali’i finished the 2006 season with a 4-6 record, a mark Naeole and his teammates are eager to improve on this fall.

“Our team looks real good - we’re capable of putting points on the board. We’re a really close team, especially the seniors, and everyone’s excited about the season.”

In recent years, Aiea has been among the state’s best, having played in the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship game in three of the past six years, if you include the 2003 season when Na Ali’i were in Division II. Aiea won both the DII OIA and state title in 2003, while finishing as the DI runner-up twice.

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