Hilo High’s Koa Akui and Tysen Kaniaupio will represent the Big Island at the Polynesian Bowl, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Kamehameha-Kapalama in Honolulu and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
Hilo High’s Koa Akui and Tysen Kaniaupio will represent the Big Island at the Polynesian Bowl, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Kamehameha-Kapalama in Honolulu and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
Akui was a late addition to the high school football all-star game for seniors. Vikings coach Chris Todd said Akui – a 5-foot-10, 165-pound wide receiver and jack of all trades for Hilo – earned an invite to the game Monday, a day after he attended a combine/clinic.
While Todd lauds Akui as one of his most improved players since his freshman season, Kaniaupio, a defensive lineman, would have been a four-year starter for the Vikings if not for the pandemic.
In addition to Akui, there are 25 players who played high school football in Hawaii this past season listed on the Polynesian Bowl rosters.
The game – which welcomes players from other ancestries but emphasizes the Polynesian culture – also includes former Kaimuki quarterback Jayden Maiava and former Mililani receiver Jarinn Kalama, who both moved to the mainland during the pandemic.
Tribune News Service contributed to this report
