KEALAKEKUA — As the era of success at Konawaena continues to grow, the phones are starting to ring with opportunity a little more.
KEALAKEKUA — As the era of success at Konawaena continues to grow, the phones are starting to ring with opportunity a little more.
A quartet of Wildcat standouts have signed on to play at the next level the past few weeks, and there still could be more to come thanks to some expanded exposure to the Konawaena program.
As a testament to the Wildcats’ production in the passing game, three wide receivers received chances to play at the next level. Austin Aukai and Jeremiah Casuga-Llanes have signed on to play together at Fresno City College, while Kamakana Ching will take his talents to the Pacific Northwest to play at Division II Western Oregon.
Big offensive tackle Viliami Kaea also signed his letter of intent, making his commitment to College of the Canyons, a junior college in California.
“It feels awesome to know we are creating opportunities beyond the football field,” Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto said. “It’s like trophies when you start to see guys going on to the next level. As a coach, that’s a huge goal for us.”
Ching was Konawaena’s primary vertical threat, and caught the attention of the Western Oregon coaches with his top end speed and big frame. At 6-foot-3, Ching was a mismatch on most nights in the BIIF and an elite red zone threat, evident by his 14 touchdown grabs.
“When I was small, I never really thought about playing at the next level,” Ching said. “My coaches and teammates really pushed me to get to this point.”
The Wolves finished last season at 4-6, playing out of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
“It might be a little colder up there, but I’m looking forward to it,” Ching said.
While getting his highlight tape out was key, another big moment for Ching was at the Life Champion Senior Bowl on Kauai, a showcase for players looking to get a shot at playing in college.
“I think that was a great opportunity for not only myself, but a lot of the other outerisland players,” Ching said. “We can compete with those guys on Oahu.”
Aukai and Casuga-Llanes were also active pass-catchers for the Wildcats, but came out of relatively nowhere to become All-BIIF picks this season. Aukai didn’t play football his junior year, choosing to concentrate on basketball instead, and Casuga-Llanes played on the defensive side of the ball.
“They were both great athletes and really fit into our offense right away,” Uemoto said. “They had great seasons and it took a lot of hard work to get where they are.”
Fresno City has a solid history of sending its junior college players to four-year schools — a goal for both Aukai and Casuga-Llanes — and also has a tradition of recruiting Polynesian players. The school lists nearly 100 former players with Polynesian roots on its website.
While those things surely were influential in the decision making process, playing together was one of the bigger factors for the duo.
“Everyone on our team this year were like brothers, so it’s cool to be going up there with one of my boys,” said Aukai, who mentioned he will be the first person from his family to go to college.
“I really wanted to go to school in California, but to go up there with someone I know as a support system is pretty cool,” Casuga-Llanes added.
Kaea was the cornerstone of the offensive line, lining up at left tackle. He didn’t come into his senior season with a wealth of experience, but he sure played like it. College of the Canyons took notice.
“We matched him up against some tough competition, especially early in the season,” Uemoto said. “He has a ton of size, athleticism and potential.”
Kaea had a brief stint his freshman season at Kealakehe before transferring to Konawaena. He didn’t hit the gridiron again until his junior year, and he was thankful he did.
“The coaches at Konawaena really taught me how to love the game,” Kaea said. “It feels good to actually have a plan now to continue playing and getting my education.”
The goal for Kaea — like his teammates — is to take the junior college route to a Division I program, while majoring in sports management. The soon to be high school grad hopes the recent trend will catch on with his teammates.
“I think seeing us signing has sparked something for some of the other boys,” Kaea said. “I hope it the underclassmen see that it is a possibility and start to think about it now.”