Warriors' Ayat getting more of a kick
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
University of Hawai'i football player Justin Ayat is one of the few athletes who is competing against himself.
Advertiser library photo
Ayat, a redshirt freshman from Kamehameha Schools, knows about the loneliness of the long-distance kicker. Not only is Ayat the only UH placekicker competing in spring practice, but special teams coach Dennis McKnight is absent while recovering from knee surgery.
Kamehameha Schools graduate Justin Ayat is making the adjustment to placekicking without a tee.
Still, associate head coach George Lumpkin, who is overseeing spring practice, said Ayat has improved since last fall, and "he'll be a great one."
Ayat struggled last season before deciding to redshirt. For Ayat, the difference between high school and college kicking came down to an inch. In high school, kickers are allowed to use a tee on field-goal and extra-point attempts. In college, a tee is only allowed on kickoffs.
"It may not seem like a big adjustment, but it was," Ayat said.
Weight training and kicking drills helped Ayat improve his range and accuracy. In high school, he could convert field goals from more than 60 yards in practice; he made a 52-yard attempt during a game. Now, he said, he can convert from 55 yards off the ground. Lumpkin said Ayat is consistent from 45 yards.
"Just the fact that he can kick it from that distance is significant," Lumpkin said. "He totally feels good kicking off the ground now."
Ayat said he kicks about 40 times a day. He also spends a great amount of time in the weight room. He can bench press 300 pounds five times; his best bench press is 350 pounds. He also said he has lost a few pounds.
"It's all of the running we do," he said.
Next for Ayat is to find a permanent holder. Bronson Liana was the holder last year, but the coaches want to try punter Mat McBriar. McBriar, who was raised in Australia and did not play football until last summer, has struggled as a holder.
• Weighty issues: Since January, slotback Gerald Welch has lost the equivalent of a 20-pound rice bag. His slim-fast method is running daily and "laying off the rice."
"I'm trying to get back into shape," said Welch, who was admittedly out of condition last fall.
Welch, who graduated from St. Louis School last May, weighed 185 pounds as a high school senior. He said he did not work out much last summer and, "I just got out of shape."
The 5-foot-7 Welch weighed as much as 214 pounds last season. He now weighs about 195, and hopes to lose another 10 pounds before the start of training camp in August.
"I feel better," he said. "When I run, I feel like I'm in high school again."
SPRING FLING: There are 1,800 tickets remaining for the Warrior Spring Football Challenge Sunday at UH's Cooke Field. In addition to an intrasquad scrimmage, there will be challenges for the quarterbacks, receivers and linemen, a pizza-eating contest, and a kicking-for-cash event. The first 1,000 fans through the gate will receive T-shirts. Fans also will be eligible for a trip to Las Vegas, a trip to Reno, a cellular telephone and football autographed by UH coach June Jones.
Kahi'au and Sean Na'auao will perform during a concert. The gates open at 4 p.m., with the pre-game activities beginning at 4:30. Pre-sale tickets, sold at the Stan Sheriff Center Box Office, are priced at $7 (adults), $6 (Na Koa members) and $5 (ages 4 through high school). At the gate, tickets are $8 (adults), $7 (Na Koa members), $6 (ages 4 through high school) and $4 (fans with March 25 baseball ticket stubs). There is no admission fee for children 3 and younger and UH students with current IDs.
