Warriors will have new look this season
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
The coaches insist this year's University of Hawai'i football team is bigger, faster and stronger.
Here are the biggest, fastest and strongest:
• Biggest: Offensive tackle Ryan Santos has been fitted for a size-52 shirt, roughly the same size that KITV sportscaster Robert Kekaula wears.
While the 6-foot-5, 294-pound Santos is neither the tallest nor heaviest Warrior, his top-heavy build requires the team's largest jersey.
"I've always worn big clothes," Santos said.
Santos said he weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces at birth. "My sister was bigger than me," he said.
Advertiser library photo • Nov. 4, 2000
• Fastest: Men don't lie as much as they exaggerate. They will inflate their SAT scores, income and love conquests. So when it was announced that wideout Ashley Lelie ran 40 yards in a hand-timed 4.27 seconds, it was as well received as an "I'll call you" promise.
Ashley Lelie ran 40 yards in 4.27 seconds.
But UH coaches back up the claim of the Philadelphia Eagle scout, who timed Lelie at Cooke Field in March.
In any case, Lelie is considered to be the fastest Warrior, a distinction that is the product of intensive training. During the offseason, Lelie lifted for two hours in the morning, then ran a series of sprints.
"I worked on my form, on swinging my arms and picking up my legs," he said. "I try to run naturally, not overstride or anything, and let my arms swing into each step."
Advertiser library photo • March 5, 2001
• Strongest: Middle linebacker Chris Brown Jr. became a fan of heavy metal several years ago.
Chris Brown Jr. can bench 225 pounds 42 times.
"He was always a strong kid," his father said. "He was always gifted in the weight room. That was his second home."
At UH, strength is measured in bench presses. Each player is tested on how many times he can bench press 225 pounds and the maximum weight he can bench five times. The NFL uses the 225-pound repetitions to gauge power and endurance. UH coaches believe an accurate measure of a maximum lift can only be achieved over a span of at least five bench presses.
Brown set a school record by bench pressing 225 pounds 42 times. His previous best was 39 225-pound lifts.
"I worked for a long time on trying to breaking the record," he said. "My goal was 40. When I got to 39, I said, 'I can do it.'"
Brown tied offensive guard Vince Manuwai with a maximum lift of 425 pounds. Brown has bench pressed 475 pounds, but not five times.
The key, Brown said, is "you have to want to lift. You have to go into the gym knowing what you want to do. A lot of guys joke around the whole time, talking story. Before you go into a weight room, you have to get yourself mentally ready. If not, you're just wasting your time."
• Smartest: In six semesters and three summer sessions at UH, reserve quarterback Shawn Withy-Allen has received As in all but four classes.
Of his four Bs, two were in Spanish. "And I missed an A by only a few points each time," said Withy-Allen, a communications major.
His cumulative grade-point average is 3.86, highest on the team. Next, he said, he would like to increase his playing time. He has yet to throw a collegiate pass; in comparison, running back Jonathan Kauka threw two last year.
"I'm working hard, and whatever happens, happens," he said. "I leave it in God's hands."
