Isi Holani scooped up a blocked punt and scored as a senior for Hilo High, running into the end zone with all the dexterity and grace to be hoped for from a player his size.
It was the 275-pound lineman’s first, and last, touchdown of a football career that would take him to the University of Kansas, because as he said after that 2013 game at Kamehameha, “I was too big to play Pop Warner.”
The bedrock of a championship Hilo defense that helped set the foundation for a dynasty, he was too big for the BIIF as well. His large impact on the Vikings’ ohana and beyond was highlighted Sunday by those who remembered him one day after he died at the age of 24. Further details on his death were not available.
“The news of Isi’s passing was just devastating to learn,” former Hilo coach Kaeo Drummondo said. “I feel sorrow for the Holani family and the younger siblings in particular. I know they looked up to him and revered him.”
Holani was the BIIF Division I defensive player of the year in 2013 as the Vikings claimed their first league crown in a decade. Last season, he was back around the program pitching in and cheering on as his brother, Sione, helped Hilo to its seventh consecutive title and second state crown.
“What I remember most about him as an athlete was his leadership in the program,” Drummondo said.
Former Viks offensive coordinator Chris Todd first coached Holani when he was a freshman in 2010.
“Isi always felt like an adult, even while he was in high school,” Todd said. “Football can be a very emotional game, but he was always in control.”
Holani joined the Jayhawks in 2016 after one season at Riverside (Calif.) Community College. Holani played in 17 games on the defensive line for Kansas over three seasons — including a medical redshirt year in 2017 — while contributing two sacks and 11 tackles during his fifth-year senior campaign in 2018.
Todd remembered Holani for the perseverance that led him to Lawrence, Kansas. After leaving Hilo, Holani played his next season at Reedley College in California.
“He really took the difficult route to pursue D1 football,” Todd said. “Very few Hawaii kids play JC ball and make the transition to a D1 scholarship – they get homesick, or there’s a culture shock they aren’t prepared for.
“Isi making it through that and overcoming injury when he was at Kansas speaks a lot to his inner strength and also to his family always being there to support him.”
“He truly made us all proud,” Drummondo said.
Holani also was a BIIF champion thrower at Hilo who captured a gold medal in the discus at the 2014 HHSAA track and field championships.
“He was a multisport athlete and he always kept himself busy,” Drummondo said. “Other athletes saw that and he definitely set the bar high for others to follow.
“On the field he was a safety blanket in a sense. When he was on the field you expected and knew something good was going to happen.”
In 2019, Drummondo would have put him on his staff full-time if Holani’s schedule allowed it, saying, “We cherished the time we had him at practices.”
Former Kansas quarterback Carter Stanley told the Kansas City Star on Sunday he remembered Holani as one of the best guys to be around in the locker room.
“Always was fun and joking around,” Stanley said, “but when it came to football he was locked in and always working to not only better himself but others on our team as well.”
Holani also was well known for his cookout skills – “That guy knew how to work a grill,” Stanley said – with other Kansas teammates taking to social media to remember him Sunday.
“I’m truly lost for words, just … doesn’t seem real,” former KU defensive lineman Daniel Wise tweeted. “My great friend Isi Holani was called home early yesterday. He was a true warrior, a great man, friend and brother. Always in good spirits, and full of life! Love you bro.”
Kameron McQueen, a former Kansas receiver, said that Holani was one of the first people to introduce himself when McQueen arrived as a freshman.
“I’ll never forget that! Always the brightest light in the room, and somebody you could always have a good time with,” McQueen wrote on Twitter. “You will be missed 6. Rest Easy Brudda.”
KU offensive lineman Hakeem Adeniji — now with the Cincinnati Bengals — posted, “Fly High bro, can’t count how many laughs we’ve shared over the years, no matter what this man would always put a smile on your face. Love you dawg.”
Tribune News Service’s Jesse Newell contributed to this report.