Nothin’ Beats Football On Father’s Day

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When 11-year-old Beau Meyer awoke on the day of the Play Sports Hawaii Flag Football Championships, he didn’t know how his team would fare, but he already was sure it would be a day for making memories. The vision of Aloha Stadium, which was to host both the semifinals and the title games in all divisions, ensured as much.

“I was really pumped and excited to see how it would feel to play on the (artificial) grass field,” said Meyer, who plays for the 11-and-under Colts team. “When I woke up, I told myself, ‘Today is going to be a really big day.’ I wanted to have fun and not be too confident.”

The Colts had reason to be buoyed by their own success, having won eight straight with no defeats to that point. They ended up dropping the title game 34-26 to the Bears, but the recent contest still provided the perfect backdrop for ending their season.

“It was really intense - we just couldn’t handle that team,” said Meyer.

The Play Sports Hawaii Flag Football League spanned about 10 weeks with games at various sites, including Lynch Softball Complex, Kaimuki High and Kaiser High schools, in addition to final rounds at Aloha Stadium.

For some players, it was their first go-round with football. As in full-contact football, the Colts found that their team unity went a long way.

“The kids really got along well and supported each other,” said head coach Paul Alejado. “We had good team chemistry.”

Added Meyer: “The first day, we really didn’t all know each other, but by the first game we were really close friends.”

Six of the nine teammates had played soccer together with the Ka’oi Soccer Club, also coached by Alejado, which helped develop their cohesiveness. Even so, time was something of an enemy for all the league teams, according to Alejado, who also acknowledged that his players’ soccer experience proved invaluable to playing flag football.

“Our biggest challenge was that we only had a short time to teach the first-timers,” said Alejado, whose staff included assistants Fabian Baker, Scott Arakawa and Tunoa Taaga. “We had to teach positioning and the different mechanics as well as them having to learn the different plays.

“We only had two weeks - with two practices a week - before our first game, so we’d had only four practices.”

The Colts come from Kapolei, Makakilo, Mililani and Maili. Rounding out the roster were Noah Alejado, Jake Arakawa, Riley Asuncion, Jamin Fonseca, Jeffrey Keamo, Garrison Lee, Alakai’i Mashima and Jalen Saole.

While some were first-time players, a handful had played full-contact football with the Kapolei Titans last fall, including starting quarterback Noah Alejado, who led them to an undefeated season. He found flag football a good way to fine-tune his quarterback skills.

“Some of the plays were easy, and some were hard,” said Noah, who listed a play called “Blue Rocket” as his favorite.

“Because I get to run,” he explained.

Even back at the Colts’ first practice, he liked his team’s prospects.

“At that point, I thought we could make it to the Stadium,” he said. “We accomplished our tasks and executed our plays. It was sad we lost (the title game). I thought we could have won.”

Teammate Lee liked rushing the passer the most. “I like pulling the flag and making defensive plays,” he said.

The Colts weren’t alone in their excitement about playing in Aloha Stadium. The coaches were caught up in the moment as well, according to the elder Alejado, who didn’t mind spending Father’s Day in the oppressive heat.

“I was happy for the kids - I don’t know how many kids get to do that. I was a quarterback (for Pearl City), too, when I played, and I didn’t get to play there until I was 15, and my youngest got to do it when he was 5.

“I wouldn’t want to have done it any other way. Good football games on Father’s Day? I had a big smile on my face.”