Kapa‘a’s Carvalho, Punzal are teammates at Portland St.

KAPA‘A — It all started with Brennan Carvalho, who paved the way for good friend and fellow Kapa‘a native, Moses Punzal, who will be joining Carvalho on the Portland State University in the fall.

Carvalho, a sophomore, accomplished something really special last season, where he became a starter as a true freshman.

At the sixth game of the season against Montana State, the Vikings decided to give Carvalho the start at left guard, after teammate Steve Blatchley went down with an injury.

According to his coaches, Carvalho’s remarkable footwork and strength made the difference.

As a starter, the team was 4-2 and averaged 215.7 yards rushing. Carvalho also only allowed one sack in six games, all the while being the rightful age of 17.

The Kamehameha Schools graduate is slated to be the starting left guard again this season.

It seems that football is in the Carvalho blood, as brother Bronson, is making his own name in Mississippi at Alcorn State University.

Their father, was a star offensive lineman at the University of Hawai‘i and was drafted by the Miami Dolpins, back in 1984, one year after Dan Marino.

“He’s always been a good role model for us and pushed us to do good,” Brennan said.

The soft-spoken gentle giant is also happy to have Punzal join him at Portland State.

“We’ll be roomates, so I’ll get to show him the ropes,” Brennan noted.

Punzal, more of an animated individual, put on weight big time to get ready for the collegiate season.

At the end of last year, the 2005 Kapa‘a High School graduate weighed in at around 230 pounds and now he’s up to almost 300 pounds.

“I just ate a lot. The local food can do that to you,” Punzal said jokingly.

But according to the 6’3″ right guard, lifting weights and taking lots of protein were the two main factors.

Both Brennan and Moses have been working hard all summer in preparation for the upcoming season.

They start off with an early morning run and finish off with weight lifting at night.

“It’s really good to have a person to work out with and run that’s your friend. It’s just a big advantage to have him here,” Brennan said.

For Moses, the opportunity to learn from a friend, who already made it seems pretty special.

“I look up to him and he told me that if I work hard enough, I could make it to the next level,” Punzal commented.

Punzal also said that the biggest reason for him going to Portland State is because of Brennan.

“We’ve been friends since little kid days, playing sports together and it’s just awesome to play college football with him,” Punzal said.

As far as academics go, the two athletes agree that getting good grades is the key.

“Make sure to go to class and study,” Carvalho mentioned to any aspiring collegiate athletes.

Punzal, who didn’t play foot-ball until his junior year, wants to be an x-ray technician or something that involves business. His brother Marcus was the reason Moses suited up for gridiron action.

“We just want to put Kapa‘a on the map because there a lot of good athletes here (at Kapa‘a) and we just want to be good examples for them to follow,” Punzal said.

Moses mentioned that he couldn’t have made it to the next level without the help of his parents, Eugene and Laurie, his cousin Dr. Joel Punzal of Crane Eye Care, his coaches, and especially his 3year girlfriend, Hayley Fernandes.

Brennan, who has dreams of playing at the next level, has his entire family to thank for his unique opportunities so far.

As Brennan opened the door for Moses, so too will Punzal for future athletes on Kaua‘i.

“Work hard and never give up. If you think you can do it, that’s the first step,” Carvalho said.

Portland State University is an NCAA Division I school and participates in the Big Sky Conference.

• If you know of any Kaua‘i athletes playing sports at any college, either here or on the mainland, let Duane Shimogawa Jr., sports editor, know about it. He may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 257) or kauaisports@kauaipubco.com.