Baldwin linebacker a recruiting magnet

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

After two years of boarding at the Kamehameha Schools' Kapalama campus, Kaluka Maiava returned to Maui to be closer to home. But a year from now, Baldwin High's middle linebacker wants to be far from it.

Maiava

While in California attending a camp at USC, Maiava said his father got a call from UCLA. The UCLA official told his father, Scott Mahoney, who played at Colorado from 1969 to 1971, to have his son visit the Bruins since he was in Los Angeles.

"They offered me right there," Maiava said. "All my other offers came in the mail, so I didn't have to say anything. You just can't tell them, 'no, thanks.' But I really did like the school."

Maiava said he's still listening to other schools. Colorado, Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington, BYU, Utah and Texas-El Paso have offered him. He said Hawai'i has yet to make an offer.

"But I want to go to the Mainland, anyway," he said. "I want to get out of Hawai'i. There are more things happening on the Mainland."

Maiava, whose grandfather was the popular professional wrestler Neff Maiava, found a home at linebacker last season. While at Kamehameha, he played defensive line for the intermediate team. When he went out for Baldwin's JV as a freshman, he was a fullback. His first year on the varsity as a sophomore, he still was a fullback, but injured his ankle in nonleague game against Kamehameha.

Last year, he was one reason the Bears were able to contain Kailua's high-powered ground game in a 20-13 win in the state quarterfinals.

Maiava, who also plays soccer and has taken up boxing recently, spent the summer attending football camps at a number of college campuses. The exposure got him ranked in several recruiting services. TheInsiders.com West Hot 100 ranked Maiava 54th, while School Sports magazine published by The Sporting News had him 85th in the West region's top 100.

But Maiava said he still has to step up his performance.

"(Coaches at the camps) told me to play with fire and passion, to be a total animal," he said. "It's something I really didn't have last year. This year, I gotta chase everything down, so I did a lot of extra running."

He said he uses a treadmill at home, runs around his neighborhood and runs through the hill in 'Iao Valley, as well as weight trains. He also studies game tapes daily.

"What makes Kaluka good is his will to win," Baldwin coach Chad Kauha'aha'a said. "His work ethic is unbelievable. He lives in the weight room. When it comes to conditioning, he always strives to be the first in line. He's a student of the game, always wanting to learn. He puts in that extra time to become a better ball player."

In last Saturday's 14-14 tie against Kamehameha, Maiava registered 12 tackles, three for losses, and tipped three passes, one of which he intercepted.

Baldwin opens the MIL season tomorrow against King Kekaulike. Although the Bears are favorites to win their third consecutive MIL title, the league's coaches see a very competitive season among the four Division I schools: Baldwin, King Kekaulike, Lahainaluna and Maui.

"The four schools are as good as I've seen in 20 years," said Maui coach Curtis Lee, the dean of high school coaches in the state as he enters his 21st season. "Baldwin's gotta be favored, but as far as talent (around the league), this is an good a year as any."

Maui teams went 2-1-1 in the first week of nonleague games. King Kekaulike beat Honoka'a, 46-0, and Lahainaluna defeated Kealakehe, 29-19. Kealakehe has been a Big Island contender in recent years. Baldwin played Interscholastic League of Honolulu power Kamehameha to a standoff, while the league's newest entry, Kamehameha-Maui, lost to sister school Kamehameha-Hawai'i, 17-14.

King Kekaulike handed Baldwin its only league loss last year. Lahainaluna, which represented the MIL in the state Division II tournament, will field a talented and physical squad.

"They're proven champions," Kekaulike coach Dennis Dias said of the Bears. "But we beat them last year and feel we can compete with them."

The Lunas are Division I in league, but have an opportunity to represent Maui in Division II, MIL executive secretary Stephen Kim said. Kim said if both Division II schools — Kamehameha-Maui and Pac-Three — have attrition problems and decline to advance, Lahainaluna can fill the Division II spot in the state tournament. The league has already declared Lahainaluna as Division II to the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association.

The MIL's second-newest program is Pac-Three, now in its second season, but first under Jim Klaczak, who had been an assistant at Lahainaluna the past three seasons. Klaczak also served as an assistant at LSU, Texas A&M and Arizona State.

"I owe Coach (Bobby) Watson (of Lahainaluna) a lot for giving me a chance to coach on Maui," Klaczak said.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.

• • •