By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Joyden Madriaga finished a two-year mission in Kansas for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but football remained a favorite part of his daily routine.
The 2016 Kamehameha graduate returned home at Paiea Stadium and signed with Southern Virginia, which felt like a perfect fit.
The Division III school is not officially affiliated with a particular faith but embraces the values of the LDS Church.
Division III schools don’t offer athletic scholarships but can offer all sorts of under the umbrella financial aid. Madriaga received academic and returning missionary scholarships.
The 5-foot-11, 255 offensive lineman was able to work out at a gym but couldn’t jump on a football field to do drills.
“The main purpose was to teach people the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Madriaga said. “Every day we were knocking on doors and talking to people at gas stations or the parking lot. It was an amazing experience.”
As a senior, Madriaga captured a BIIF Triple Crown. He was on the All-BIIF first team for football and was the BIIF wrestling and judo champion. Both sports helped him with leverage and agility on the football field and got him noticed at colleges.
“The wrestling coach recruited me first, and then football contacted me,” Madriaga said. “I was asked if I wanted to play football as well, and I told the coach, ‘For sure.’
“With the mission, I had to manage my time. My studies will come first, no matter what.”
There will be one familiar face on the Knights roster with Wela Mamone, a 2017 Connections graduate, who played for Hilo.
The Knights have had four straight losing seasons, including 0-10 in 2015. The wrestling program is on the upswing with a freshman reaching the NCAA national tournament last season, the first time for the school.
Madriaga leaves for SVU on Thursday, and football camp starts the following Tuesday on Aug. 7.
Kamehameha coach Dan Lyons organized the signing and wasn’t surprised that Madriaga wanted to sign at his old home.
“It shows his allegiance to the school, and he left a legacy here,” Lyons said. “He was a four-year starter and was always a positive influence in the program. He was a grinder, tough, and always positive.
“It’s bittersweet. It’s hard to say goodbye that he’s leaving again. But it’s exciting for what’s in front of him.”
SVU is a liberal arts school. So Madriaga will have to pursue his criminal justice degree somewhere else. He wants to work in law enforcement to make a difference in the world.
It was a proud moment for his parents, Gene and Joy Madriaga. And the dad doubled down on the importance of signing at Paiea Stadium, where the 2018 Warriors were already practicing.
“It gives him the opportunity to gain experience, come home and share that experience,” Gene Madriaga said. “That’s what it’s all about — giving back. He’s a good role model for his younger sister (Poerani, a Kamehameha senior). She’s into judo and wrestling like him.”
There are strict rules to follow on a mission. Madriaga was only allowed to FaceTime his family on Christmas and Mother’s Day.
His paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather, the stepdad to Joy, both died while Madriaga was on his mission.
“I wanted to come home, but we could only talk with our family once a week by email,” he said. “That was the biggest obstacle. But I knew that God would provide a way.”
Madriaga is forceful on the field. An O-lineman’s job is to make a defender’s life as uncomfortable as possible.
“I’m ready to go back on the field and hit somebody,” he said. “I can’t wait to bond as a team, make that brotherhood and have that family on the field.”
But off the field, there’s only 255 pounds of warmth.
He speaks with reverence about the power of God and the ability to make a difference while recalling his most memorable mission connection.
Madriaga and his partner were walking the streets and passed a house where an older woman, who had lost too much in her life, was in need of help.
“She had lost her husband, family, and kids. She was going through a hard time and thinking about suicide,” Madriaga said. “When she saw us walk by, she prayed that we would come back. She thought no one was on her side.
“She really appreciated us. At that moment, I knew God was there for her. We were at the right place at the right time.”