Kahuku safety Nauahi making up for lost time

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Viliami Nauahi, second from left, didn't know how to put his pads on in his freshman year; now he's one of the state's top players. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser Hawai'i High School Athletic Association/First Hawaiian Bank Football Classic WHO: Kahuku vs. Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 5 p.m.; St. Louis vs. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 8 p.m. WHEN: Saturday WHERE: Aloha Stadium

"I didn't even know how to put on the pads," admitted Nauahi about his venture into football as a freshman at the North Shore school.

Kahuku's opponents probably wish he never showed up for football practice four years ago. But at Kahuku, turning out for the team is a ritual.

"Just being raised in the country side in Kahuku and La'ie, a lot of people played football," Nauahi said. "That made me want to play football."

Kahuku coach Siuaki Livai said Nauahi's story isn't any different than most boys trying out for football.

"Everybody doesn't know anything about football in ninth grade," he said. "They just get in and play. That's how you learn the game."

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior has come a long way. While most of Kahuku's past college prospects have spent three full seasons with the varsity, Nauahi started his sophomore year on the junior varsity. He did get promoted to the varsity in time for the 2000 state championship game against St. Louis, the last time the Crusaders won the title. Last year, Nauahi was a second-team Advertiser all-state selection.

"He has a good nose for the ball," St. Louis coach Delbert Tengan said. "He's very aggressive and makes big hits."

Livai compares Nauahi to former Kahuku all-state safety Aaron Francisco, now a starter for Brigham Young.

"He's got the height, good vision and he's a hard hitter," Livai said of Nauahi.

Nauahi's athleticism — he plays basketball and does the high and long jumps in track — might have allowed him to succeed in football, while still learning the nuances of the game. He said he's still a work in progress and has tried to improve.

He attended a Utah football camp during the summer before going to Idaho to train with his uncle, Phil Nauahi, who lettered at BYU in 1987 and 1988.

"He wants me to go to BYU, but told me to keep my options open," Nauahi said.

Actually, a lot of Division I programs want Nauahi. Utah and BYU have already made offers, Nauahi said. Penn State, Colorado, Washington and Wisconsin are also courting him. He hasn't heard from Hawai'i yet.

"I wouldn't mind going to UH," he said. "But I'm not looking at colleges yet."

That's because Nauahi has something bigger on his mind. His two-time defending state champion Red Raiders (3-0) will play their biggest game of the season to date when they meet Long Beach (Calif.) Poly (1-0), ranked third in the USA Today Super 25, in the first game of a doubleheader in Saturday's HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank Football Classic at Aloha Stadium.

"It means a lot," Nauahi said. "There's a lot of pride at stake in this game. I'm representing my family, my town. But it's not just me. It's the team. It means a lot to us. This is a great opportunity to show Hawai'i we can play ball."

The Red Raiders are the only unranked team in the USA Today Super 25 among the four in the Classic. Although Kahuku is 3-0 in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference's Eastern Division, their victories haven't exactly been as crisp as they were during last year's postseason.

But Kahuku is a notoriously slow-starting team. It might be why the Red Raiders are decided underdogs — 17 points, an anonymous house volunteered to The Advertiser — against the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section power.

"I feel more pressure on us because we're playing in Hawai'i, our hometown," Nauahi said. "There's a lot of talk going on, a lot of doubt about Kahuku because of our recent games. It's very irritating. Our team has to pick it up and prove everyone wrong."

Nauahi said the Jackrabbits are a formidable foe.

"All I know is that they're fast and have height, too," he said. "It's very important that the whole team performs well, from coaches to players. We have to execute every play."

Nauahi said pressure is building for the game. Everyone in the community asks players if they're ready. "You can't really answer that question," he said. "You have to wait and see.

"But this is more important than the state championship because we're playing one of the best schools in the nation. Last year's team gave us this opportunity. This is our opportunity to represent our island and Hawai'i."

HHSAA/First Hawaiian Bank Football Classic

TICKETS: At Aloha Stadium box office, today-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 9 a.m. day of the games, and charge line (484-1122); Ticket Plus outlets $24 (mauka and makai sidelines, orange and blue levels); $19 (mauka and makai sidelines red and yellow levels); $14 (south end zone: orange, blue, red and yellow levels); $8 (north end zone orange level: Honolulu Advertiser Zonies Section); $5 north end zone (blue, brown, red and yellow)

PARKING: $2

GATES: Parking lot opens 2 p.m., turnstile 3 p.m.

TAILGATING: Allowed, but not after the last game

ALTERNATIVE PARKING: Leeward Community College ($2 shuttle service), Kam Drive-in ($2, free shuttle), Radford High School ($1, no shuttle). Shuttles run from 2 to 5 p.m. and return trips from 8 p.m. No tailgating at alternate parking sites

SECURITY: Fanny packs allowed, but subject to check. All other bags, purses, outside containers prohibited