LIHUE — Robbie Tanita of the Hanapepe Colts, Kepa Pablo and Dryden Arbilera of the Kekaha Titans, and Takazee Thomas of the Kapaa Eagles were the exceptional standouts when the Kauai Pop Warner Football Association (KPWFL) hosted its annual Jamboree, which opened the 2024 Pop Warner Football season on Kauai on Sunday.
Speaking before an audience of more than 300 Pop Warner tackle football and cheer participants, as well as their parents and relatives who filled nearly one half of the Vidinha Stadium, Kauai County Council Chair Mel Rapozo announced Tanita, Arbilera and Pablo were the participants who earned a 100 percent Grade Point Average during the 2023 season under the auspices of the KPWFL Scholastic Coordinator Patsy Rapozo.
“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,” said Rapozo, who also works with Pop Warner Football. “All participants in Pop Warner Football need to have a GPA of 70 percent. For the 2023 season, KPWFL had 21 All-American Scholar Athletes who maintained a GPA of 96 percent or higher. These were from Grades 5 and up.”
Tanita was the sole player to mark 100 percent GPA for the Hanapepe Colts Association, which also had the highest number of All-American scholar athletes at eight, followed by the Kapaa Eagles with six, the Kekaha Titans with four and the Lihue Patriots at three.
Joining Tanita from Hanapepe Colts were Raven Thundah (97.38 GPA), Jacoby Dotario (97.77 GPA), Rysen-Duke Bayot (96.61 GPA), Teighlee-Ann aoagas (96.77 GPA), Silas Butay (97.77 GPA), Jayden Fujimura (98.35 GPA) and Caede Nitta (99.31 GPA).
Kapaa Eagle scholar athletes were Waleia Malina (99.45 GPA), Keani Taniguchi (98.53 GPA), Veronica Harding (96.85 GPA), Jedai Hines (98.90 GPA), Ashlei Thompson (99.63 GPA) and Takazee Thomas (97.79 GPA).
Kekaha Titans scholar athletes were Zander Bradley (97.78 GPA) and Nash Schaefer (99.45 GPA).
The Lihue Patriots fielded three scholar athletes, including Drake Javier (97.60 GPA), Asher Bailey (97.21) and Kelson Apilado (97.59 GPA).
Thomas, who is currently playing football with the Kapaa High School Warriors, earned a $500 scholarship that will be waiting when he graduates high school. Thomas, who started football with the Lihue Pop Warner Association, finished with the Kapaa Eagles before moving on to Kapaa High School football.
Rapozo said similar to organizations, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Federation of High Schools, Pop Warner has academic guidelines and criteria that need to be met in order for a child to participate. He said Pop Warner is the only national youth sports organization in America that has such requirements.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
