Mustang Linebacker Shawn Reed Does His Homework

Wednesday - August 27, 2008
By Jack Danilewicz
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Kalaheo Mustang senior linebacker Shawn Reed (right) at practice.
Kalaheo Mustang senior linebacker Shawn Reed (right) at practice. Photo by Byron Lee, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

In any review of a Kalaheo football game, the image of number 59 dominates the tape. In the comfort of his Kailua home, however, Mustang linebacker Shawn Reed always sees room for improvement in his own performance.

“I’m still learning,” said Reed, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior. “I like watching game film - it helps me to see where I can improve and what I need to work on. I also like to see film of the team we’re going to play to see what I’ll go up against. My dad helps me in my film watching. Between practice and homework, I try to fit it in every night.”

Indeed, while Reed’s athleticism and natural football instincts have transformed him into one of the state’s most sought-after college recruits in the state, his gift for concentration in his preparation can never be underestimated, in his coach Chris Mellor’s view.

“He’s a student of the game,” Mellor said.


And undeniably a quick study. Reed, who is currently listed as the ninth best player in the state by Rivals.com, never played organized sports before enrolling at Kalaheo High School as a freshman in 2005.

“I’d played basketball here and there, but I’d never joined any leagues, and I was too heavy to play Pop Warner (youth football),” he said. “At first, with all the equipment on, I thought, ‘this is all new stuff.’ Our JV coaches taught me the fundamentals, and I picked it up pretty quick.”

Reed started as a freshman on a Mustang team that won the OIA White conference. A year later, as a sophomore, he became a two-starter for the varsity, and he’s been in the lineup ever since. When Kalaheo meets Kaiser in its OIA opener Friday night, Reed will make his 20th straight start.

“Once I went up to the varsity, I knew it was serious stuff,” he said. “I had to get up to par with the older boys. I went to all the (summer football) camps and combines that I could. Football is a pretty big deal in my life now.”

While Reed is also a tackle on the offensive side of the ball, inside linebacker is his more natural position and the one he will play in college.

“I really love the position - I get to get in on a lot of plays - and I’m in the middle of the field and feel free to move around. I like to watch a lot of NFL linebackers. I watch their technique and try to learn from it.”


Army and Navy both have offered Reed scholarships already, with Colorado, Washington, Hawaii, San Diego State, Oregon State, SMU and Boise State also among the schools recruiting him.

The process can be a grind for all involved, but Reed has a reliable mentor in this area in Bruce Andrews, the OIA Red East’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2007, and a freshman recruit at the Naval Academy.

“I look to him as an example - especially if I decide to go that route,” said Reed, who has run a 4.66 in the 40-yard dash. “He tells me a lot of good stuff. It’s a different lifestyle (at a service academy), but I think I can handle it.”

Navy would seem an ideal fit for Reed, who is an excellent student. His grandfather, Dale Reed, also wrestled at the Naval Academy, but Reed is far from making a decision on where he’ll go to school.

“I’m mainly looking for a good education - school is expensive these days,” Reed said. “I’m open to all schools right now. I also want to play for a good football program and one where I can fit in.”

With another stellar season as projected, Reed’s stock among recruiters will likely go up, but his focus right now is on the Mustangs’ season. Kalaheo is attempting to follow up on a break-through year. In 2007 they went 5-4 and made the Division I playoffs. As a senior, Reed has added another role to his resume - that of team leader. He and his fellow veteran teammates are trying bring along a group of underclassmen, who have taken over key positions for departed standouts like Andrews.

“We only have 24 guys, but a lot of the JV guys who had shoes to fill have stepped up to the plate,” said Reed, who also was on Kalaheo’s state championship paddling team in the spring. “They’re working well in our system. We’re like a family here. We practice hard, and we motivate each other.”

Despite their lack of depth, Reed and the Mustangs were nearly flawless Aug, 16 in their preseason game, when they beat host Maui 44-0. For his part, Reed posted 15 tackles, deflected two passes, and forced a fumble on defense.

“He’s a fierce competitor,” Mellor said. “He throws his body around, and he makes plays. He must have had four or five pancake (take-down) blocks.”

Kalaheo was to play Kalani last weekend before turning its attention toward Kaiser.

Regardless of the opponent, on game night, before Reed and his teammates turn up the intensity, they first turn up the volume of the CD player.

“We have a pre-game ritual that works for us,” he said. “We listen to a song before every game, which helps to get me intense and into the zone.”

 

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