LIHUE — Members of all three football teams in the Kauai Interscholastic Federation are teaming up to take on some of the best in the nation.
Rep 50 Sports will be taking a 7-on-7 team and a group of offensive and defensive linemen to compete in the AIGA Foundation Showcase, which takes place March 3-4 in Los Angeles.
“The beautiful thing is that no one is expecting anything from us. These kids are not only from Hawaii, but from Kauai,” said Vince Mene, founder and organizer or Rep 50, during Saturday’s practice at Isenberg Park. “They don’t really know who we’re coming with. … If they do well, it’s a good testament to them.”
Fourteen KIF athletes will team up for the 7-on-7 competition.
“It’s a big deal. These kids, they’re all excited to go,” said 7s coach Reed Pagtolingan. “They know what they’re going to be up against. They got team like Santa Ana-Mater Dei. They were the national champs in high school. You got Bishop Gorman, the third-ranked high school in the country. They’re all going to be in the tournament.
“So hopefully, some of these kids will get discovered. The kids are just excited. They want to go already. … They know who they’re going up against. They watch them on TV, the guys. They’re excited. Win or lose, the main thing is they give it their best.”
The 14 Kauai athletes in the 7s team are:
w Kapaa High School: Kawika Na-o (running back), Kahanu Davis (quarterback), Raphee Kwatchawat (quarterback), Jai Alapai (receiver), Dusten Ramseyer-Burdett (safety), Lanakila Pagtolingan (receiver), Stetson Telles-Kelekoma (receiver) and Kaiola Lingston (defensive back)
w Kauai High School: Kona Asano (quarterback), Kyle Bissara (defensive back), Brycson Abigania (running back) and Christian Manera (quarterback)
w Waimea High School: William Kamaka-Riley (receiver) and Makana Ruiz (linebacker)
“We’re very excited to play against these next-level guys. I think it’s going to be really good for us, the competition over there,” Kamaka-Riley said. “They’re probably good, but I think we got talent, too.”
Six KIF athletes will take part in the offensive and defensive linemen challenge:
w Kapaa High School: Steve Leger (defensive lineman)
w Kauai High School: Quinn Hoover (offensive lineman), Kekoa Kinimaka (defensive lineman), Matt Passi (defensive lineman), Damon Ferreira-Kashima (offensive lineman) and Sepeti Kaumuoha (offensive lineman)
“We’ve done it before on Oahu. We’ve done the GPA Camp, and that was a complete eye-opener,” Hoover said. “It really showed us our weaknesses mostly, and what we need to work on. Like speed and strength. Those Mainland guys, they know what they’re doing. Oahu guys, too. They’re huge. They got those big Tongan guys. But, yeah, it’s always fun to compete against somebody who’s new.”
Hoover said about going to the the AIGA Showcase: “Any chance to go off-island and show what you got, you really want to do your best. You want all the coaches to see this great athlete and then think they’re might be more people here. There are great athletes here. … We’re going to try to kick some butt.”
Mene is coaching the Kauai linemen team.
“It’s a chance for the linemen to get some action,” Mene said. “Most other camps, they only offer 7-on-7. This camp is unique in the fact that they’re offering the O-line challenge and D-line challenge. It’s a big part of why I wanted to choose this camp.”
Also, while in Los Angeles, the group will take campus tours at the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
“Hopefully, it will inspire them,” Mene said. “Even if some kids might not have the best academic grades right now, maybe it will inspire them to strive for more. They’ll see the big picture of what it takes to be at that level.”
