Kamehameha’s pipeline of sending Warriors off to college on scholarships continues to grow, and Grayson Cosier is the director of the latest production.
He’s one of 16 seniors who were recognized for signing national letters of intent on Wednesday night at the school’s campus.
Cosier signed to play football at Linfield and will be joined there by Aukea Hooper, who couldn’t attend because he was busy playing for a BIIF volleyball title against Kealakehe.
Kailikea Kekuawela earlier held a signing ceremony at Panaewa Gym, where he’ll play football at Southern Oregon.
For volleyball, Summer Ah Choy will play at Odessa (Texas) College, Keane Farias at Embry-Riddle, an NAIA school in Florida, and Makenna Mahuna at Pacific, a Division III school in Oregon.
For baseball, DallasJ Duarte signed with Hawaii and Kyran Kai with Yakima Valley, a junior college in Washington state.
Saydee Aganus will run track at West Point Military Academy, and her basketball teammate Jordyn Mantz will play hoops at Arizona Western College.
The only Warriors to sign at Division I schools were Hevani Haunga for soccer at UNLV, Lahela Rosario for water polo at Cal Baptist and Taylor Sullivan, who will redshirt for softball at UCLA.
For soccer, Jameson Sato signed with Texas Permian Basin and Tyler Waltjen with UH-Hilo.
Leiohua Tong will wrestle at Midland University, an NAIA school in Nebraska.
In 2014, Kamehameha held its first group signing ceremony for four athletes. Last year, it was six and the latest class set a BIIF record.
“The story about my signing event is basically exposing and appreciating our class’s athletic achievements this year,” Cosier said. “I wanted to up our signing event from what it was in the past. I think having a ceremony like this can help inspire us as well as future generations.”
Cosier is 5 feet 11 and 230 pounds and looks like he eats bricks for breakfast. The husky offensive lineman landed on the All-BIIF Division II first team.
But he’ll likely play on the defensive line for the Wildcats, who have nine players from Hawaii on the roster, including Hilo grads Sione Atuekaho and Taulelei Toledo.
Last season, No. 8 Linfield finished 9-2 and lost to No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Cosier, who has a 3.5 GPA and plans to major in business or sports management, jumped on Linfield’s radar as a junior and was well-liked by the Northwest Conference schools.
“At the end of the day, it came down to Pacific, Puget Sound, and Linfield,” he said. “I visited all three schools, and Linfield felt like the best fit for me for academics and football.
“I visited the school in November and was able to watch a game and talk to the players and coaching staff. They liked my film of playing both ways, and my spot on the roster should be on the defensive side of the ball.”
Cosier pointed out that the ripples of recognition also extend to his coaches from basketball and track as well as his family.
“My biggest influences are Manly Kanoa and Shaun Perry. They’ve helped me become the man and football player I am today whether it be training me on the field, the weight room or in life,” he said. “My mom (Tracy Tagaca) has sacrificed so much for me and is the reason why I’m able to continue my football journey. My grandparents (Joe Benevides and Pauline Benevides) helped raise me and have been huge supporters in my life. My stepdad (Dayton Tagaca) has been someone to count on.”
Cosier credited football for teaching him about unity and teamwork. And he noted that the greatest team he was on was not football, basketball or track.
And as his senior project unfolded, Cosier reflected on the best part of being a teammate on the 2018 Warrior class.
“I’m blessed to have been able to come to Kamehameha. I love it here, and I’m gonna miss it,” he said. “They have prepared me well for my next step. My next goal is following my dreams and making another legacy at Linfield.
“It’s a great feeling to see so many Warriors play their respective sport at the next level. I grew up with most of these amazing people, and it means so much to see them following their dreams. Our class has great athletes, and I’m glad we were able to recognize them at this event.”
