Football is back. The Kauai Cowboys will host defending champion Na Kani Koa of Oahu this Saturday at Vidinha Stadium in its first regular season showdown of the Hawaii semi-pro Football League. Kick-off is slated for 3 p.m. The Cowboys
Football is back.
The Kauai Cowboys will host defending champion Na Kani Koa of Oahu this Saturday at Vidinha Stadium in its first regular season showdown of the Hawaii semi-pro Football League.
Kick-off is slated for 3 p.m.
The Cowboys have a new look football team this year based on a lively, run-and-shoot offense featuring plenty of passing and hard-hitting action.
“We’ve got a feeling about this year,” said Cowboy head coach and seasoned player Al Ah Loo. “The guys have spirit and we’ve worked hard this off-season. I know good things will come.”
Ah Loo, who’s been coaching the Cowboy’s since 1995, says his team has a refined look, a new attitude and a fast-break style of football which the Cowboys hope will lead to an HFL title run. Ah Loo (5’11, 265-pounds) is a utility player who will be the Cowboy’s principal linebacker. While he can play various positions both on offense and defense, he doesn’t need to.
Not with the group of guys he’s assembled this year.
With a 35-man roster packed with experience, size, speed and agility, Ah Loo is far from reluctant to introduce what 2002 will call, The “New Look Cowboys.”
Meet the team:
– Quarterback –
Terry Noice may be the “Golden Boy” of the Kauai Cowboys football team. The former University of Utah and Arena Football League player will be prime-time in the HFL, sporting a pro-caliber gun and athletic ability.
“You can hear the ball coming when Noice throws it,” says Ah Loo. Bet the Cowboy receivers will don a purple tattoo on the pit of their chests at the end of this season.
– The Wide Receivers –
There will be a lengthy rotation at the receiver position, but four men will be responsible for the bulk of the receptions this year.
Kia Hale takes his sticky hands and Oahu experience to the Cowboys wide-out position. Hale (5’8″, 160), who will face his former team this Saturday, has a deep knowledge of the receiver role and has brought further complexity to the Cowboy offense. He has broadened Kauai’s capabilities in terms of offensive intricacies (example: breaking signals etc,), and will play an immediate leadership role for the team.
First year Waimea grad Bernard Rita earned a spot in the line-up with speed and a “scrappy” style of play. At 5’9″, 145-pounds, Rita is going to have to be inventive if he doesn’t want to be introduced to the pitfalls of going from the KIF to a sizably bigger league. But Ah Loo says Rita knows football and understands his role. Besides, at 18, he’s lively and can take a beating.
The Cowboys also have former quarterback James Carvalho (6’0, 190-pounds). A Utility guy, Carvalho can play anywhere. The Castle High stud has speed and good hands, and will complement the Cowboy’s other utility wide-out Dan Ingersoll (5’11” 170-pounds), a Valdez High (Alaska) grad who can also play slotback for Kauai if necessary.
– The Running Backs –
Like any other team, the Cowboys running game relies on speed. With the majority of its backs running 4.5 40-yard-dashes, the Cowboys are going to be tough to catch. In the Kauai’s exhibition game, four of its backs had 100-yard games, which neared 500-yards of total ground production. Not bad.
Castle grad Luther Yam (5’9, 220) will fill the fullback slot with strength and smarts. Yam is as good as it gets in hitting holes and blocking, which is what the Cowboys will need with its “New Look,” mobile line (see O’Line).
Keoni Ah Loo and David Mashud will make up the Cowboys slotback positions. Ah Loo (5’11, 190) is a former Pro City High player and Mashud (5’9 180) comes from Kauai High. Again, speed is the only way to describe how these two play football.
– The Offensive Line –
The Cowboys have adjusted its line this year by replacing bulk with speed. But that’s not to say these guys aren’t big.
“We still have size but we have a quicker, more mobile line,” said AhLoo. “We want to make sure we can spread the gaps for our ‘backs with guys that can move.”
Former Kapa’a High strongman and center Aaron Kupihea, standing at 6’1″, 300 pounds, proves the Cowboys still have bulk on its line. And his experience, complemented by size, will allow Noice a few extra breaths before entering a pocket slaughterhouse. A team captain and fifth year player, Kupihea will be a stronghold on the Cowboys line with proven leadership and game-time know-how.
The Cowboy guards and tackles positions are where this semi-pro team flaunts its “New Look” quickness. Hilo High standout Kalani Valente ( 5’10” 300-pounds) and Lono Ah Loo (6’1 230) will be the Cowboy’s starting guards, and Kalei Dawson (6’0 250 pounds) and Steven Shokey (5’10, 220-pounds) will be the tackles.
“This line has worked extremely hard in the off-season to prepare themselves for Saturday,” said Ah Loo. “That’s why many of them are starting. They have the right drive and I know it will carry over into the game.”
“We aren’t trying to overpower teams this year, we just want to get in their way and create for our offense.”
-Following the game, the Cowboys invite all fans and the visiting team to the Kaua’i Inn for a post-battle fiesta. Everyone is encouraged to come and hang with the Cowboys.
