By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Micah Kanehailua will fly out in a couple of weeks to visit the University of Redlands, where he looks forward to working his way up the football totem pole again.
The Kamehameha senior quarterback recently signed a letter of commitment to play at the Division III school in Redlands, Calif., where athletic scholarships aren’t offered.
However, Division III schools are allowed to offer other types of scholarships such as academic, grants or financial-aid packages.
Kanehailua had a half-dozen other scholarships on the table, but found a comfort zone at Redlands (6-3 record in 2014), which last won a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in 2013.
Bulldogs coach Mike Maynard spotted Kanehailua at the Life Champions Senior Bowl in December at Paiea Stadium.
Kanehailua, who has a 3.5 grade-point average, will major psychology and philosophy, and hopes to get into environmental law.
It’s also possible that he could follow in the law enforcement footsteps of his dad, Marshall Kanehailua, an assistant chief of police.
“That’s not out of the picture because it’s about serving people and helping others,” Kanehailua said.
His mom Esther Kanehailua is the Kamehameha elementary school principal; so one educator parent must have been on him about hitting the books, and the other stressing discipline.
“It was pretty even both ways. My dad would enforce education. That’s the only way I could play,” Kanehailua said. “My mom would tell me if I acted like a clown in the classroom I wouldn’t be on the field.”
Sibling support
His biggest inspiration has been his older sister Whitney, who’s handicapped.
“My goal is to work hard, get a college degree, so later I can get a great job and help my parents support my sister,” Kanehailua said. “She’s always been a driving factor for me. She’s come to every single one of my games. She’s always cheering, even if I do something wrong. I’ve always had good family support every single game.”
Every Sunday, Kanehailua is at Panaewa Park, where Hilo coach David Baldwin runs free football drills. BIIF rivals from Kamehameha, Hilo, Keaau and Waiakea come together to practice and improve.
One of the wide receivers is Hilo freshman Makana Kanehailua, who’s walking in his own footsteps.
His older brother led Kamehameha to not only a BIIF Division II title, but also a historic first-round win at the HHSAA state championships.
Marshall Kanehailua was a Hilo QB in the 1980s, and his dad Mitchell was a Kohala signal-caller back in the day.
“Growing up in Pop Warner, he didn’t want to be in the same position as me,” Kanehailua said. “He made the joke that he didn’t want to make me look bad.
“I’m always throwing with him, teaching him everything I’ve been through, and passing down knowledge I gained from our dad.
“It’s a fun opportunity for every single high school kid. It’s a great opportunity for kids if they want to get better. We’re running the same drills Vinny Passas does on Oahu. It’s a way to compete in the offseason, and when it comes to the regular season it’ll be like clockwork.”
Like old times
The Bulldogs return two-time all-conference quarterback Kevin Russell for his senior season, a scenario familiar to Kanehailua.
He sat behind Warner Shaw, who’s now at Division III Pacific, and then beat out the competition for the Kamehameha QB job as a sophomore.
“I’m excited and get to learn. I look at it the same way when I was a freshman at Kamehameha,” he said. “Every day is a chance to compete and take one step up the depth chart. I’ll do whatever it takes, watch extra film, hit the weight room harder, work during the summer and fall camp.”
To submit an On Scholarship candidate, email kjakahi@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
