Hurricanes Play St. Louis Saturday

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The “first official day of summer” has a different connotation for the Kapolei football team, according to head coach Darren Hernandez.

“Football players have to make sacrifices,” Hernandez said. “Our summer only lasts two weeks. I told them after our spring game June 3 that they had two weeks to go camping and do all of those things. We began summer football June 19. As a coach, I have high expectations. Nobody rises to low expectations. If you’re going to do something, you do it all out. If it wasn’t important, we wouldn’t do it. If you work hard, good things will happen.”

Interest in football at Kapolei has never wavered since the school first fielded a varsity team in 2002. A healthy gathering showed up for the Hurricanes’spring game June 3, the first in the program’s proud but brief history. Under OIA rules, they had 14 days to hold 10 workouts.

If the spring game was any indication, the Hurricanes will once again be able to score points. A year ago, en route to a 4-2 season in the OIA’s Red West, Kapolei averaged 44 points per home game. Hernandez would gladly welcome that kind of production again this season, especially with the Hurricanes’first two encounters (vs. Damien and McKinley) in 2006 at home.

“(Offensively) we were able to put together some pretty exciting stuff last year,“Hernandez said.“I’m hoping we can be just as explosive if not more so this year.”

Offensive hopes revolve around senior quarterback Aaron Santiago, one of the OIA’s top all-around athletes. In Kapolei’s spring game, he operated the spread-option offense with precision, throwing for 220 yards and three touchdowns, while running for another.

“He’s a student of the game - he’ll be the focal point of our offense,” Hernandez said. “He played a tremendous game. He’s very accurate and he doesn’t make mistakes.He has the ability to escape pressure in the pocket, and he can make adjustments on the fly.”

Junior quarterback Mason Koa was also impressive, running for 125 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s going to be a good one,” Hernandez predicted.“He’s very fast and very confident. Last year, we moved him up to the varsity halfway through the season, and he scored a touchdown on his first play against Pearl City. He can run and throw.”

The pair will have a chance to hone their skills in the coming weeks as Kapolei will take part in an eight-team, 7-on-7 summer passing league. Kapolei opens at 9 a.m. at Saint Louis Saturday.

A pair of stellar receivers in seniors Josh Hose and Caleb Spencer figure to be among their favorite targets. Hose caught five passes for 105 yards and a touchdown and logged two carries for 65 yards and a score in the spring game. Spencer had seven receptions for 120 yards and a score.

“Josh is a guy we’re counting on to take (Air Force-bound standout) Jon Santiago’s place at slot back,” Hernandez said. “He’ll be a real weapon for us. Spencer will be our deep threat.”

Running back Kamuela Foki also had a productive spring game, gaining 86 yards on eight carries, while scoring a touchdown. From his strong safety position, he had eight unassisted tackles (including two for loss) and an interception. A 5-foot-10, 205-pound senior, he’ll anchor the defense this fall along with cornerback Austin Healy (five broken up passes and five tackles). Healy, who is a 4.0 student, is being recruited by several Ivy League schools.

“We’ll have pretty good size on the defensive line and speed everywhere else,“Hernandez said.“Spring (football) gave us a chance to look at guys who will replace the stars from last year. They all stepped up and looked real good. We’ll be young, but if everyone comes together, we’ll be competitive. Thankfully, we came out of the spring injury-free, which is the best news of all for a coach.”