Kaua‘i’s Keala Watson is one of 35 seniors who will be honored with traditional senior night festivities on Saturday following the University of Hawai‘i’s nationally broadcast football game against Big East champions of Cincinnati. In addition to the senior captain,
Kaua‘i’s Keala Watson is one of 35 seniors who will be honored with traditional senior night festivities on Saturday following the University of Hawai‘i’s nationally broadcast football game against Big East champions of Cincinnati.
In addition to the senior captain, a former Kaua‘i High School player who later transferred to Nanakuli, David Veikune, Fale Laeli and Joshua Leonard will be on the defensive line for the final regular season game.
A total of 22 seniors are full-time or part-time starters including 12 on the defensive side of the ball. Hawai‘i’s entire defensive secondary will be playing. That includes Ryan Mouton, Jameel Dowling, Erik Robinson, Keao Monteilh, Calvin Roberts and Desmond Thomas.
Watson, the starting left tackle, started nine out of 12 games played, posted 28 tackles (15 solo, 13 assists), two sacks and a blocked field goal on the season.
Watson joined the team in 2004 and appeared in two games before being granted a medical hardship. In 2005, he then played in all 10 games as a freshman (started in one) and earned Academic All-Western Athletic Conference honors — the first of three times to date.
Last year, Watson posted 17 tackles (13 solo, 1.5 for a loss), forced two fumbles in back-to-back games (against New Mexico State and Fresno State), and recovered a fumble against Fresno State.
Watson has a younger brother who also plays for the Warriors. Keahi Watson plays on the defensive.
The offensive seniors who will also be honored are slotbacks Michael Washington and Aaron Bain, running backs Daniel Libre and David Farmer, and offensive linemen Lafu Tuiti-Mariner, Keith AhSoon, and Keoni Steinhoff.
Heading into this weekend’s matchup, Hawai‘i owns a 4-2 record against current members of the Big East. Hawai‘i is 1-1 against Cincinnati and Rutgers, and 1-0 against Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
The game can be viewed on ESPN2 with the kickoff at 6:30 p.m.
The Warriors (7-5, 5-3 WAC) locked up its seventh bowl berth in the last 10 years after a 24-10 victory over Washington State last week. Hawai‘i accepted a bid to the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl for the fifth time since 2002.
Cincinnati (10-2, 6-1 Big East) won its first Big East championship and will make its first appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game to be announced later this season.
