It was chaos at Aloha Stadium last week when the University of Hawai‘i Warrior football team beat the Boise State Broncos for their first outright Western Athletic Conference title. In the middle of it was 19-year-old Warrior defensive back Kenny
It was chaos at Aloha Stadium last week when the University of Hawai‘i Warrior football team beat the Boise State Broncos for their first outright Western Athletic Conference title.
In the middle of it was 19-year-old Warrior defensive back Kenny Estes.
When he received his official “WAC Champions” shirt, he celebrated with his teammates, but he also scanned the stands for his father, Clarence, to give him a gift.
“I had to wrestle my way through the crowd to get to him,” Estes said. “I saw (my family) in the stands before the game so I kind of knew where he was.”
Clarence Estes was thrilled for the team and excited for his son.
“I was so elated for him,” he said. “After the game, he came up to me and presented me with one of the WAC Champions shirts. I’m so proud of him.”
But just the week before, the freshman out of Waimea High School was faced with a dilemma.
Coach Dennis McKnight approached Estes, who had just gotten out of class, and explained to him that the coaches wanted him to suit up for the WAC game against Fresno State.
Estes was on the team under redshirt status.
Suiting up would mean giving up that year of sitting out and joining the team on the field to play special teams.
“(Kenny) called me one day and said ‘Dad, I have a dilemma. They want me to play,’” said his father. “I told him that he ought to feel privileged. It says a lot about his part on the team and I said to him ‘If the team needs you, you have to go.”
Estes thought about it for approximately an hour.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give up my redshirt status or not,” he said. “But I really wanted to play.”
Estes had been practicing all summer long, sometimes staying longer to work with coach Rich Miano. It was as if all that hard work paid off for him.
“This whole time (practicing) I was trying to prove myself to them,” he said. “I guess they noticed.”
Estes suited up for the game that week, but status as an active player was short. He hurt his shoulder and could not play the next couple of weeks.
The time off, though, was just the right amount of time as Estes expects to suit up tomorrow for the sold-out Washington (4-8) game at Aloha Stadium.
The Warriors (11-0) are the only undefeated team in the country and has a team of now household names such as Colt Brennan, Ryan Grice-Mullins and Davone Bess. This, though, doesn’t really phase Estes.
“It doesn’t really affect me, the fact that everyone’s talking about Hawai‘i,” he said. “It feels kind of normal.”
Estes started playing football in the sixth grade, playing in the Kekaha Pop Warner Association.
Estes was a Seahawk, then a Charger before moving on to be a Menehune for Waimea.
While at Waimea, Estes earned letters in soccer and track and was the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation’s Offensive Player of the Year for 2006.
Also that year, Estes was named to the All-State Third Team for football. In 2004, Estes set KIF records in the 100-meter dash and 4-by-100-meter relay.
His senior year, he jumped at the chance to sign with the Warriors.
“Before I signed, people were all telling me about their experiences in college,” he said. “And they were all true. It’s just like they said. The game is faster and the playing is more technical.”
But he wouldn’t give it up for a second and despite only having played in one game so far, he has no regrets giving up his redshirt status to play.
“The time I play against Fresno is what I’ll remember about this season,” he said.
Estes is one of five Hawai‘i players who claim Kaua‘i as his hometown: wide receiver Jett Jasper, defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga, and defensive linemen Keala and Keahi Watson.
“I think it’s great. Jett’s a great guy and I know Vaughn. He used to practice with us in Waimea in the summer,” Estes said.
Tomorrow’s game is Hawai‘i’s final game of the season until the bowl series starts. Hawai‘i extended its winning streak to a nation’s best 12 in a row and have won 15 consecutive WAC games.
Whether or not Hawai‘i will be invited to a Bowl Championship Series has yet to be determined.
The announcement will be made on Sunday.
Kenny Estes
Age: 19
Hometown: Waimea
Family: Parents Esther
and Clarence Estes; has
one brother and one sister
Q&A with Estes
If you were playing football in college, what would you be doing? “I was actually thinking about running track for the University of Oregon. I wanted to run maybe the 100, 200 or maybe the 4-by-1 relay. When I was over at Waimea, coach Walker was going to help me, but I didn’t know if I would get a scholarship from Oregon so when UH said they’d give me a scholarship, I kind of took the first opportunity I could get.”
When you were growing up, did you have a favorite football team or player you wanted to be like? “Not really. I didn’t really watch a lot of football. I just like playing it.”
What do you like to do in your spare time while you’re home on Kaua‘i? “Fishing. I like to go fishing on the Westside or ride my bike. Sometimes I ride my Harley with my Dad.”
• Lanaly Cabalo, sports editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
