KAPAA — Kapaa High School senior Lanakila Pagtolingan will have the chance to showcase his talents on the national stage.
Pagtolingan, who plays as a receiver for Kapaa High’s varsity football team, was selected to play in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl on Jan. 14 in Houston, Texas.
The football game showcases high school seniors from around the country.
“I’m going to be playing against good people,” Pagtolingan said Saturday.
“I always wanted to play in a bowl,” he added. “I was really surprised. I want to play.”
Pagtolingan, 17, will play for Team 49 in the bowl game, which is comprised of 60 players from the rest of the 49 states. Team 49 will play against Team Texas, made up of high school all stars from the state.
Pagtolingan got the letter officially telling him he was chosen in late October.
Pagtolingan was entered for consideration by his father, Reed Pagtolingan.
“I filled out the form. They also need a highlight. So, I sent a midseason highlight video,” Reed Pagtolingan said. “They told me how he got voted in. You need one committee member out of a panel of 30 to vote you in.”
There were more than 6,700 applicants for the bowl game, he added.
“I was like, I was stoked,” Reed Pagtolingan said. “I talked to the guy. He thinks he got D1 potential. He liked his film.”
Lanakila Pagtolingan hopes to receive a college scholarship after playing in the showcase.
“(I hope to) have a good game, and then some offers out of it,” he said.
Pagtolingan previously played in local youth league Kauai Youth Football.
On Saturday, he was recognized by the league in-between games at the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapaa.
“It was good. It was a good honor,” he said.
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Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
