For Kahuku senior Richard Torres, playing quarterback was a sacrifice. The team and community meant more than any personal gain he could have achieved at his best position: cornerback.

"There's no regret in me because I didn't want to be selfish," said Torres, whose touchdown pass to Jordan Kapu with 23 seconds left helped Kahuku beat Saint Louis, 7-6, for the Division I state title Friday at Aloha Stadium. "I was happy to be quarterback for our team."

Torres is one of a 100 high school seniors who will participate in the 16th HUB (Hawaii Union Builders Foundation) Goodwill Senior Bowl, 7 p.m. on Saturday at Kunuiakea Athletic Stadium on the Kamehameha Schools campus. The game is usually held at Aloha Stadium, but was moved because of Saturday's U2 concert.

At the season's outset, it was anticipated that Torres would be a starting cornerback; he had four interceptions in the team's last five games last season. He started this season with two interceptions that he returned for touchdowns, only to be nullified by post-possession penalties. His father, new Red Raiders coach Reggie Torres, hoped to groom another player for quarterback. But trials in nonleague and even in early O'ahu Interscholastic Association East games didn't work out for them. Coach Torres had to settle on his son, who was not just adept at running the option, but displayed leadership needed from the position.

As a cornerback, Richard could have garnered league all-star and possibly all-state honors. But it goes beyond that.

"It wasn't just a sacrifice for individual goals," coach Torres said. "It also hurt his chances of possibly getting a scholarship. He doesn't have the size (to be a college quarterback) — he's only 5-9 — so his shot at college would be to make it as a defensive back. But we needed a quarterback, so we made the sacrifice for the team."

Richard's sacrifice went beyond the position change. He heard the criticism, not all necessarily aimed at him, but at his father. In a community where football rules, it's not easy to please everyone.

"I was so proud of him," coach Torres said. "He was strong because he can hear it. For him, it didn't even matter what the people were saying. What mattered most to him was looking in his teammates' eyes and having their respect. His teammates were behind him all the way. They knew he was the best man for the job. They believed in him and he believed in his teammates."

Fortunately, things have a way of working out for those who place priority on team. East coach Nelson Maeda said he will use Richard as a cornerback. The East already has three other QBs in Castle's Bryson Ukauka, Farrington's Elijah Filifili and McKinley's Tilton Kaluna.

"He sacrificed so much for his team because there was nobody else," Maeda said. "It's better for him. If he wants to pursue the next level, it would likely be as a cornerback. This will give him the opportunity to show what he can do at a position he wanted to play."

Even though most of his season was at quarterback, apparently colleges still recognized Richard's talent.

"There's some schools who have asked about him playing other positions, UH being one of them," coach Torres said. "Idaho State wants to see film on him (from last year when he played cornerback).

"When UH asked if he was willing to play another position, he was elated."

Saturday's game is between the East and West. The East is made up of OIA Eastern Division schools, as well as 'Iolani, Pac-Five and Saint Louis from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. The West is made of OIA West schools, plus Damien, Kamehameha and Punahou from the ILH.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.