Kalaheo grad's winding road ends in Boise
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
Kealoha "Loa" Emmsley was poised to play football for the University of Hawai'i three years ago. This season he may play against UH instead.
Emmsley, who walked on and red-shirted at UH after his graduation from Kalaheo High in 1999, could be playing defensive end for Boise State when Hawai'i visits the preseason WAC favorite on Oct. 5.
He left UH a week into spring practice in 2000 for several reasons. "I was not really ready," he said. "I was too young, just 18.
"I was not getting the opportunity to play, my dad had a heart attack and my mom was out of work because of carpal tunnel syndrome. It all kind of ganged up on me."
To help his family financially, Emmsley went to work as a painter's helper for his future uncle-in-law.
"I thought football was finished for me, that I would never be able to play," he said.
But a year later, his father had returned to work, and told Kealoha: "You just have to go back and play."
So Emmsley found himself at Fresno (Calif.) City College last fall. "It was the first year I actually played since high school," Emmsley said.
He reunited with the game spectacularly. Emmsley was chosen third-team All-America by J.C. Grid Wire and was on a list of the 101 top junior college recruits.
He had 10 1/2 quarterback sacks and 22 tackles for losses and recovered four fumbles to help Fresno achieve a 10-1 record.
That performance attracted plenty of attention. Emmsley said he was offered a scholarship by Tennessee and took official visits to San Jose State, UNLV, Arizona State and Baylor.
Boise State won out, partly because his wife, high school sweetheart Noelle Shiroma, has family in Boise.
Boise has no returnees at his defensive end position in its 4-3 defense, giving Emmsley, who is 6 feet 3 and 280 pounds, a good shot at starting. Camp opens Aug. 5.
EXTRA POINTS: Kealoha Emmsley nicknamed himself "Loa" on the Mainland. "People couldn't pronounce my name and I got irritated and told them to just call me Loa," he said ... Another Fresno all-star last season, Matt "Rocky" Faga (Kaimuki '00), a 6-4, 320-pound nose guard, signed with Hawai'i ... Sophomore defensive end Iakopo "Jacob" Leota (Waipahu '00) red-shirted at Fresno last season. "Jacob will be a good player this year," coach Tony Caviglia said ... Linebacker Jeremiah Leota (Waipahu '01) and defensive lineman Benito Reyes (Farrington '01) gray-shirted (attended school part-time to conserve their eligibility) ... Running back Arthur Isa (Kaimuki) also returns ... They will be joined by 2002 graduates Chris Williams (McKinley), an outside linebacker, and Tafa Samuela (Waipahu), a lineman, Caviglia said ... David Tautofi (Kaimuki '99), a standout at Fresno in 2000, is the No. 3 defensive end on the preseason depth chart at UCLA, where he is a junior ... Fresno has a 29-4 record in coach Caviglia's three years, including season-ending losses to national-rankings champion City College of San Francisco in the Hawaiian Punch Bowl (honest) the last two years ... Caviglia says if he can pick up a couple more 6-4 linemen from Hawai'i, Fresno can continue to contend for national honors.
