As a diversion, Nabarro spends non-game day Saturdays at the raceway park in Hilo, racing stock cars for about the past two years. Although there is a high-school division, Nabarro races in the "street" bracket. He is the only youth in his bracket, but has held his own, surviving four qualifying heats to advance to the main racing events.

"I love football," Nabarro said. "Racing, it's just a hobby for me, something for me to do in my free time."

Actually, much of his free time since last season was spent improving himself for this season. Royden Nabarro Sr. helped by taking his son running at Kea'au Shipment Park.

"He was a big part (of my improvement)," Nabarro said of his father. "He pushed me hard during the summer."

Nabarro knew he was getting good advice. His father was the 1982 BIIF rushing leader with "close to 1,000 yards," according to a Hawaii Herald-Tribune article. The elder Nabarro was named the BIIF Top Offensive Back that season by the Hilo-based newspaper.

But it wasn't just running that kept Nabarro in shape. There was strength training in the weight room and on the field.

In the past, Hilo players would drag a 31-inch wide tire with a harness for conditioning and leg-strengthening. But the tires had a tendency to bounce, causing stress on the players' backs. So Nabarro's father and a friend designed a weighted sled, which weighs about 40 pounds. Forty-five-pound plates can be added for more resistance. Hilo's backs pull the sled the width of the football field for about 15 minutes during workouts Monday through Wednesday, according to Hilo coach Albert Kawelu Jr.

"The first time (I tried it), it felt like dragging boulders across the field," Nabarro said. "Now, it's getting a little bit easier."

The results are evident with his 12 rushing touchdowns. But his talent isn't limited to taking handoffs and pitchouts. He also is a threat when catching passes and returning kicks. In Friday's 48-0 win against Kea'au, he rushed for 158 yards and three TDs and returned a kickoff 85 yards for another score. He had two TDs nullified — one on a 38-yard reception and another on a 35-yard run — in that game.

"This kid can play," Kawelu said. "When I watch TV, I see these 5-5 (5-foot-5), 5-6 guys playing D1 (Division I college football) and he's as good as any of them, if not better. He's got great hands and he's good on the short passes."

Nabarro, who also plays soccer and baseball, has drawn some interest from football recruiters after attending a Hula Bowl Camp, as well as another one at Brigham Young-Hawai'i that focused on training and SAT preparation.

"I want to go to college, to see if I can go on with football," he said.

Nabarro said he tries not to think of breaking his single-season rushing record, but can't avoid it because it has been mentioned weekly in his town's daily after pulling off five consecutive triple-digit rushing games.

"Everybody works together," he said, referring to those who block for him. "Everything comes together when everyone does their job."

The same happens at the race track for Nabarro. His family is into the racing scene, tuning his Cadillac's engine as members of his pit crew. Until it was discontinued, his father was into the demolition derby. Nabarro Sr. sees a correlation to their running styles.

"My son has the speed," Nabarro Sr. said. "I was more into hitting guys, whacking guys over. He's more into juking them."

But occasionally, the son shows some of his father's traits.

"He knows how to give a hit," Nabarro Sr. said of his son. "He knows how to dip his shoulder and deliver."

That's what keeps football and autos all in the family for the Nabarros.