HANAPEPE — A little boy wanting to play football, a cup of coffee at the Tip Top Cafe. These were the seeds for the Pop Warner Football program which celebrated its 45th anniversary at the 2007 Jamboree Saturday at the
HANAPEPE — A little boy wanting to play football, a cup of coffee at the Tip Top Cafe.
These were the seeds for the Pop Warner Football program which celebrated its 45th anniversary at the 2007 Jamboree Saturday at the Hanapepe Stadium.
“We have come a long way from the days when Pop Warner football was first played here,” said Paul Pancho, the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Association president, while recollecting some of the history behind the national youth football program that stresses not only football, but academics as well as character development.
Eduardo Malapit, who went on to become the mayor of Kaua‘i, was honored for his contributions to the Pop Warner football program, the stadium blanketed with silence as the large crowd observed a moment of silence in his memory. Malapit died last week.
Pancho said Malapit served in all capacities in the Pop Warner program, and even when he became mayor, never stopped supporting the program spearheading efforts to get many of the storage and practice buildings erected at practice fields.
Similarly, a young boy who wanted to play football was the seed for another individual contribution.
Leo Rapozo was wheeled onto the field by his wife Laola and accompanied by his son Lenny, both garbed in the black-and-white colors of a referee.
That young boy was Lenny, and Leo’s involvement with Pop Warner football started in 1971 when Lenny first took the field as a Lihu‘e Dolphin.
But Leo’s dedication to football didn’t stop when his son graduated from the program. Starting as a team parent, Leo graduated to become association president and moved on to become league president. Following that, he expanded his involvement to becoming a referee, not only for Pop Warner, but also for the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation where he began pulling in his family members. His wife did her stint on the chain gang, his son is currently a referee, and each of his grand-daughters is serving as a ball girl.
His familiar figure was synonymous with Kaua‘i football until he succumbed to illness.
“He is so happy,” Lenny said. “When he found out he was going to be recognized, he started crying. He is so excited and happy to be back on the field again.”
With the help of the Kaua‘i Bus, Leo and his family was bused to Hanapepe Stadium where the veteran referee took the field in his white cap, designating the head referee status.
Throughout the accolades and tales of Leo’s days on the gridiron, the tall gentleman dabbed his eyes with a towel, his sunglasses effectively shielding the moisture from his eyes.
But it was not just about football as Gracie Grace, the scholastic chairperson, pointed out that Pop Warner Little Scholars is the only national youth sports organization in America that requires its participants to perform adequately in the classroom before being allowed on the field.
“We believe that the standards we have set give these children a sense of responsibility and an appreciation for academics and athletics that will help them develop later on in life,” Grace said in announcing the scholar athletes.
Grace said Kaua‘i set a record by submitting 26 applications. Of that number, 19 participants were recognized, one as a First Team Scholar and 18 as Second Team Scholars.
Megan Walsh of Kalaheo, participating in the Hanapepe Pop Warner Association, was the recipient of the First Team Scholar award.
Jake Corona, Amber Duldulao, Jason Iloreta, Oriana Huff, Trevor McCracken, Avery Delacruz, Kahi Hosaka, Kyle Fleming, Brennan Wortmann, Christopher Liberato, Deidrick Lee, Lyle Nemeth, Shea Shimabukuro, Taelynn Tangonan, Kellen Aquino, Erin Doi, Kameron Perez and Isaac Ramboyon were recipients of Second Team Scholar awards.
Grace said without the help of each association’s scholastic rep, these types of recognition for students’ achievements would not be possible. Millie and Cassie Camera from Kapa‘a, Nalani Aquino from Koloa, Holly Camara from Kekaha and Leimomi Niitani from Hanapepe associations work to ensure students maintain their academic excellence as well as athletic prowess.
The regular season games start Saturday when Lihu‘e hosts Koloa starting at 9 a.m. Games continue throughout the day with the final game featuring Kapa‘a hosting the Hanapepe Midgets starting at 5 p.m.
