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Ontai Goes Navy; Fellow Hurricanes To Play College Ball

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When Kapolei High School’s Cyril Ontai III revealed he would attend the Naval Academy recently, he also signed on for four more years of running the spread-option offense as well.

“I have four years’experience with that offense,” Ontai said.

Among Navy’s selling points in trying to lure the talented 5-foot-10, 207-pounder (“207 pounds exactly,“he says in unveiling his current weight) was the opportunity to play right away as a freshman. With the departure of Navy’s starting fullback of a year ago, Eric Kettani, who completed his eligibility,a newcomer will likely fill the role. But before penciling Ontai into the Midshipmen’s starting backfield for next fall, it’s time to review how Navy entered into the football recruiting mix.

Indeed, there was no direct line to Annapolis for Ontai. He had visited both San Diego State and UNLV and was being actively recruited by Army,Air Force and Savannah State when he received a call from Navy coach and Hawaii native Ken Niumatalolo, who had been on Bob Wagner’s staff at UH in the early 1990s. (Former Kapolei standout Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada was Navy’s starting quarterback the past four seasons.)

“Coach Ken was the first (from Navy) to call me up,“he said.“I wasn’t considering Navy until I went there for a visit (Jan. 23-25) with my parents. The campus and the facilities were really nice. I got to speak with several players - those who were leaving and those who had just arrived - so I got both sides of the story. I also visited with professors. I was very excited when I went up there. It really hasn’t sunken in yet.”

Ontai,who currently is rated 10th in Hawaii by the recruiting service Rivals.Com, was one of six players from Kapolei to announce they would play major college football. He joins teammates Chad Lopati (Hawaii), Kalani Brackenridge (Hawaii), Simione Vehikite (Southern California), Stan Hasiak (UCLA) and Luke Spencer (Arizona Western) in accepting offers. In Ontai’s case, playing time as a freshman can be hard to come by at Navy, where first-year recruits are often sent away for a year to the academy’s prep school in Newport, R.I. The coaching staff, however, has talked of him joining the team immediately on the Annapolis campus.

“Coach (Niumatalolo) thinks I’m ready just on the way I’m built,” he said.“They’ve talked to me about playing running back and competing for a starting position right away.”

Ontai packs a lot of power into his frame. A trooper in the weight room, he also logged a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash at a football combine at Aiea last year and was clocked at 3.98 in the pro shuttle. He played both sides of the ball in high school, manning a position in the secondary on defense.

Asked about his diet, he said, “I try to eat healthy, but sometimes I’ll treat myself on the weekends or pick at the desserts in the ice box.”

Navy, which has gone to five straight Bowl games, will play against Hawaii at Aloha Stadium Nov.28.The Midshipmen open their season at Ohio State Sept. 5. Navy also landed Kalaheo linebacker Shawn Reed as part of its 2009 class. Vehikite’s recruitment by USC also was conducted late in the process.

Described by Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez last August as an “under-the-radar guy” - at least as a college prospect - Vehikite’s stock rose almost miraculously last fall, even after having had a stellar junior season at Lahainaluna in 2007.He joins a Trojan recruiting class that has been rated 4th nationally by Rivals.Com behind Alabama, LSU and Ohio State.

“Simione Vehikite is the first time in a while where we’ve hit a fullback,” USC coach Pete Carroll said.“We’re thrilled about getting that done.He’s a guy that played a lot of defense as well as running back as well as true fullback. He was a nose tackle at one school (Lahainaluna), then transferred (to Kapolei), and when the coaches found out he could run fast and was versatile,they made him a running back and he blasted on the scene in one year’s time.

“(USC linebackers coach) Kenny Norton Jr. found him out there in the islands when he was out recruiting, and he fell in love with Simi, and he’s coming in truly as a full-back,“he added.“We’ve had a hard time finding guys that fit the bill, but Simi is one of those guys. He comes here with an opportunity to do that, of course, and also be a special teams kid because of all the work he’s had at linebacker.”