There is a saying in football that offensive linemen only get noticed when they make a mistake. ADVERTISING There is a saying in football that offensive linemen only get noticed when they make a mistake. Hilo senior Seth Fukushima would
There is a saying in football that offensive linemen only get noticed when they make a mistake.
Hilo senior Seth Fukushima would tell you otherwise.
Fukushima is proof of another school of thought: scouts will find talent anywhere.
On the way to securing his football future at Whitworth University – a Division III school in Spokane, Washington – one of Fukushima’s big breaks came during his junior year against Hawaii Prep.
“I was going against Nicky Palleschi, a Division I recruit,” Fukushima said. “I guess (scouts) saw the article in the paper. I held him to zero sacks, zero tackles … zeroes across the board.”
As big breaks go, Fukushima also counts himself lucky to have worked with former Vikings coach David Baldwin.
Taking up the game as a fourth-grader, Fukushima always was going to play football for the Vikings, even though they languished as a middling BIIF Division I team while he was growing up.
“I just love the game,” Fukushima said.
By the time Fukushima got to Hilo High, however, Baldwin was transforming the Vikings from pretender to contender, and Fukushima became a key cog as a two-time all-BIIF offensive linemen on teams that won back-to-back league championships.
“We went through so much,” Fukushima said. “His training was very different from other coaches. He really pushed me to get better.
“Baldwin changed the program by bringing it more closer together. Everyone watches out for each other. Everyone was close.”
As breaks go, though, Hilo coach Kaeo Drummundo said Fukushima created most of his on his own.
“Seth has come a long way from where he began as a freshman,” said Drummundo, who led Hilo to a third consecutive title last fall. “I think he’s a great example of what hard work and dedication in the classroom, in the weight room and on the field can accomplish.
“He was never the biggest player, but he played with heart and determination.”
Fukushima also visited another member of the Northwest Conference, Puget Sound, but one particular aspect of Whitworth reminded him of home – and it wasn’t the seasonal weather or the city life of Spokane, which has a population of approximately 210,000.
“They were different from other football programs,” Fukushima said of the Pirates-Vikings connection. “They really talked about family as a big factor, and I think that was why they went 9-2 (in 2015).”
Whitworth coaches saw Fukushima play at the Senior Bowl at Kamehameha’s Paiea Stadium in December and told him they liked his footwork. Division III schools can’t offer athletic scholarships, but they can dangle academic carrots to student-athletes who make the grade, and Fukushima fit the bill. He signed his national letter of intent in March.
“The most important thing that Seth understood and took pride in was his studies,” Drummondo said, “which helped him to secure financial aid in paying his tuition.”
Fukushima, approximately 5-feet-11 and 220 pounds, is gearing up for the HHSAA judo championships this Saturday, then one of his next tasks will be adding muscle to compete for starting a spot at Whitworth, which reached the Division III playoffs last season.
Fukushima has one trepidation about leaving island life, but he can solve that with a winter coat.
“The cold is my only concern,” he said. “Spokane is going to be a new experience, and I’ll have to learn to adapt and it will expose me to more.
“I heard they were a little short on the offensive line. I think that will help and I’m going to try and get a starting spot.”
