Hula Bowl adds two linemen

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

Two former Hawai'i high school linemen have been invited to play in the Hula Bowl Maui on Feb. 2, bringing the number of players in the game with Hawai'i ties to 15.

Lenny Klompus, chief executive officer of the college all-star football game, yesterday said "with our QBs, our coaches feel we need lots of protection. Therefore, we have added Faaesea Mailo and Kika Kaululaau."

Mailo, a 1996 Kahuku High graduate from Waialua, played at Southern California and Kaululaau, a 1997 Wai'anae High graduate, played at Nevada.

Another offensive lineman, Arizona's Steven Grace, was inadvertently omitted from a list supplied by the Hula Bowl Tuesday.

Grace, a 1997 Kamehameha Schools graduate from Mililani, started three years at Arizona, playing both offensive guard and center. The 6-foot-3, 293-pounder was named second team All-Pac 10 in 1998 and won honorable mention in 2001. He missed 2000 with a shoulder injury.

Grace's teammates elected him a co-captain at the end of his senior season.

"I never had player from Hawai'i who did any better than Steven Grace," former Arizona coach Dick Tomey said yesterday. "He was the total package, academically, athletically, and everything else."

Mailo, 6 feet 4 and 330 pounds, was also a two-position player, starting at both left guard and right tackle for Southern California. He also played blocking fullback in some short-yardage situations.

Kaululaau, who played left guard for Nevada, was chosen second-team All-WAC. Nevada assistant Steve Morton, a 27-year veteran college coach, said that "For his size (6 feet, 329 pounds), Kika is as good a football player as I have coached."