Battle-tested Tiger
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Abel Werner's leadership skills led to his being named McKinley football captain as a junior last season.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Taking hits from Kahuku or Farrington linemen more than 100 pounds heavier will teach that, but Werner learned to be tough long before being sacked in the pocket for the first time.
He learned it from being the lone Caucasian kid trying to fit in with a group of Polynesians at Mayor Wright housing in Kalihi. He learned from not having a father around since birth.
And he learned from Trinidad Werner, a single mother who raised three kids on a tight ship in one of Hawai'i's most rough-and-tumble neighborhoods.
"My mom is very strong, very tough," said Werner, a senior. "She's self-employed — she runs her own daycare business — and she's very big on discipline in our house. She's very strict with rules, especially cleaning. Every morning, I have to fix my bed before I go to school, and when I come home I always gotta do my chores. You can eat off our ground, it's so clean. I'll mop the floor, and she'll make me do it again. I'll say, 'I did!' But I'd still have to do it again."
Werner had a monster junior season, completing 223 of 366 passes (61 percent) for 3,026 yards in 13 regular and postseason games, with 25 touchdowns. He also guided the Tigers to one of their greatest seasons ever, helping them reach the state semifinals, and was named Hawai'i's Gatorade Player of the Year — believed to be a first for an underclassman here.
But none of that excused Werner from his household chores.
"I'd come home, and my mom would say, 'Oh, you're the Player of the Year, huh?'" Werner said, laughing. "Then she'd say, 'Well, you still gotta do your cleaning.'"
The work ethic and discipline Werner learned at home carries over to the football field, where Werner said he refuses to rest on his laurels.
"Last year we got together and said we're not going to take any game for granted, and that's how it's gonna be again this year," Werner said. "I have to respect every team, I gotta always step down and be humble. What happened last year was great, and I got a lot of attention, but now it means I gotta watch what I say in class, and in front of little kids. And especially on the field, I gotta not act like I'm The Man."
Werner's childhood likely will always keep him grounded, but it also gave him a fighting spirit that accounts for much of his success. Although he has been a vocal leader at McKinley, it wasn't always that way.
"I've known him since kindergarten, and he used to be kinda quiet," said Tigers senior defensive lineman Randy Faletoi. "He never hanged around us till about fifth grade, and then he was the only white guy to be with us Samoans. But he was always tough, the type of guy who was not scared."
It was during their days at Central Intermediate that Werner, Faletoi, Wes Lua'ao, Golden Lawrence, Daniel Desoto and others would play football at recess and after school every day, then go watch McKinley games on Friday nights.
"McKinley had good players, but they never could seem to get over that hump," Werner said. "They'd always lose or miss the playoffs by a hair. We just couldn't understand it, and we couldn't wait for our turn. We always wanted to play, and we said, 'One day, we'll be there.'"
Werner, who never played organized sports as a youth, first started workouts at McKinley the summer after eighth grade.
Tigers coach William Moeava, who was the JV coach at the time, said he and his staff noticed Werner's leadership ability right away.
"He would tell the kids, 'Do this,' and they would do it," Moeava said. "We knew right then that we could depend on this guy, that we wouldn't have to worry about a quarterback."
Werner guided McKinley to the JV championship game, then became a part-time varsity starter as a sophomore. Last year, he was named team captain as a junior — the first non-senior to be named a Tigers captain in at least 10 years.
Werner mastered McKinley's run-and-shoot offense, but more importantly, became the team's undisputed leader.
"The reason he's so good is his attitude," Faletoi said. "He no mo' great arm strength, and he's not extra fast, but he's so energetic and he never gets tired. Every play, he'll tell us, 'C'mon! Let's go!' And he'll put himself on the line for us any time."
Despite his gaudy stats and proven record as a winner, Werner is receiving little interest from colleges. Faletoi, who is one of the state's top recruits, says those colleges don't see what the Tigers do.
"I would tell (recruiters), 'Don't judge him by his size, judge him by his heart," Faletoi said. "If you give him a chance, he'll give you 100 percent. No matter how many times he gets whacked, he'll get back up."
That's toughness.
