No Books, No Ball’ Keeps Mustangs At Full Power On Field
By Jack Danilewicz
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On a Wednesday afternoon when most of their opponents are on the practice field preparing for that weekend’s game, the Kalaheo Mustangs sit instead inside a classroom tending to their studies, while their coaches move about from player to player.
“For two hours, we all become tutors. And if they need help, we’re there to help,” head football coach Chris Mellor said of his organized “team” study halls. “We do it one day a week, either Tuesday or Wednesday, and we don’t go out on the field. No books, no ball - that’s our motto.”
The team has renewed its commitment to making the grade in the classroom after a handful of players spent much of 2007 on the academic bubble. Though Mellor’s team still posted a break-through season, finishing 5-4 in Division I, those behind-the-scenes struggles nevertheless cut into its momentum.
“Regret is the worst thing you can ever live through,” said Mellor, whose team plays Waialua at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Kailua High School. “You can’t get games back after they’ve been lost (to ineligibility). ‘Student’ is the key word in the phrase ‘student-athlete.’ You have to be accountable to your teammates if you want to be part of this privilege of playing football.
“Our grades are a lot better than in past years,” he added. “We’re not looking over our shoulder every two weeks with gloom when grade checks come up. We’d lost some kids in the past, and it’s disappointing when you count on a kid and he can’t play. We talked to the team as a whole (during the off-season) and with some of them individually about how we have a chance to go far if everyone’s on board.”
The team is off to a solid start on the field with wins over Maui High (44-0), Kalani (70-0) and Kaiser (31-7) to move to 3-0 heading into last weekend’s Aiea game. That Kalaheo’s academic difficulties seem a long time gone now can only be a positive for a team only 24 members strong.
“We definitely cannot afford to lose people. All of these kids are key parts to our team.”
Among the players receiving praise from the coach for their work in the classroom were Eki Atanoa, Shane Stephens, Victor Demarco, Mason Hugentugler, Hakau Pikula and Eddie and Alai Tauai.
“They made a commitment at the end of last season to get their grades up, and they’ve kept them up. Except for one, these are all two-way players for us. They’re always on the field, and they realize now how important it is to have their grades together.”
Eddie Tauai’s situation is especially unique in that an injury all but eliminated his junior season.
“He didn’t play at all (in 2007),” Mellor said. “He’s a twoway starter now. He’s been making up for lost time. He’s had an impact on both sides of the ball. Having been hurt, he already knows what it’s like to sit out. That definitely had an effect on him and added to his sense of urgency.”
Through previous coaching jobs, Mellor has seen both ends of the academic spectrum. At nationally renowned De La Salle High in Concord, Calif., where the school sends 98 percent of its graduates on to college, “the support system takes care of itself. I also coached in the inner city where it (staying eligible) is a struggle for every kid.”
At Kalaheo, Mellor hopes his attention to academic detail within the program will stay with his team after they graduate. “We hope they can maintain their motivation after playing football.”
Waialua took a 1-2 record into its game against Kalani last weekend, having defeated Anuenue (7-6) for its lone victory, while its losses came to Pac Five (50-7) and Campbell (46-20). In addition to Friday’s game with Waialua, Kalaheo also has regular-season games remaining with Radford (Sept. 20, away), Moanalua (Sept. 27, at Kailua High), Anuenue (Oct. 4, at Kaiser High) and Campbell (Oct. 10, at Kailua).
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