He uses it to tighten the prosthetic right leg that attaches midway through his knee. Emelio had his leg amputated at age 6 during a bout with osteosarcoma, a type of cancer.

He has a long name — Luna Maliuga Tuaolo Apele Kekoapono Emelio in its entirety — but an even bigger aura on the practice field at King Kekaulike High School.

After his amputation, he used crutches before his dream of walking again became possible when he received his first prosthetic leg as a 5th-grader.

He also dreamed of playing football as he watched his older brother, Spencer, do so for 'Aiea High School. That goal came true when he tried out and made the junior varsity squad at King Kekaulike.

''I had cancer when I was 6, it got amputated when I was 6,'' he said to The Maui News. ''I never really wore a prosthesis, but I wanted to play football. They started making special ones for me to play football. I have been wearing it since 5th grade. When I first got it, it was like, 'Hey, I can walk.' ''

He didn't play much as a freshman, but as a sophomore he started and played extensively at nose guard.

'''My freshman year I really didn't get that much playing time because I had to get used to everything,'' he said. ''When I was younger I always wanted to play. That is why I am out here.''

Last season on the varsity his play was limited, but he walked away with a Division II state championship ring.

This season, as Na Ali'i are struggling through a 2-5 season with two games to play, Emelio has seen his time on the field grow to about 10 snaps per game.

''I go in and play when my coaches tell me to go in,'' he said. ''It doesn't hurt.''

He can hold his own, according to coach J.W. Kenton, who added there are times when the pain is clearly a factor for Emelio.

''I don't know him from childhood, but I know him from the last couple of years around here,'' Kenton said. ''I remember from JV where he played a lot. He plays less on varsity, but he is in it for all the right reasons, he loves football and we like having him around. He probably gets out there about 10 plays a game, but even one play for him is overcoming many obstacles, so it is a big deal when he is out there for us.''

Kenton said Emelio's teammates notice what he does.

''I know they see him running around out there when they are tired and he is tired,'' Kenton said. ''That has to be some kind of motivator. We are just trying to become a team and he is part of it.''

Emelio doesn't seem ready to have the season wind down.

''It is pretty sad because our season is short this year,'' he said. ''We only have about a week and a half left of our season. So, I am going to miss it. The state title is a good memory. I will never forget that.''

Emelio will leave a legacy on the Upcountry campus. He certainly doesn't mind talking about his challenges.

''It is pretty easy to take it off,'' he said of the $50,000 prosthesis. ''I show my friends sometimes. They are all cool with it. I just press a button and it comes off. It stays on with suction.''

Emelio went unnoticed as he learned the game as a freshman, but when he hit the field as a sophomore for Na Ali'i's JV, he turned heads.

''A lot of Maui didn't know when I first started playing because my freshman year I didn't get any playing time, but then in my sophomore year I was the starting nose guard for JV,'' he said. ''That is when people started noticing me. They said, 'That's nuts.' They trip out. They don't believe it at first.''

Kenton has been a large part of the memories Emelio, who is 6-foot, 220 pounds, will take with him.

''He has meant a lot. He is a pretty cool coach,'' Emelio said. ''Like, he cares about us a lot. He gave me the opportunity to play. He is probably the best coach I have had so far.''

The respect is mutual.

''In Luna's case, he is just a different character,'' Kenton said. ''He trains hard in the weight room. He is super strong, upper body he is the strongest guy on the team. He gives everything he can. He has to bring a screwdriver to practice to tighten that thing up.

''Sometimes, because he has little muscle development in his quadriceps muscles, they are just on fire because the good leg can handle anything, but in the prosthetic the quad is doing all the work because there is no help from anywhere else. He is in pain sometimes, but he is willing to do it. He does everything that all these other kids do out here.''

And he does it well.

''I don't have trouble running. It is all right,'' Emelio said. ''Nobody babies me, because I hate it when people baby me. I can beat a couple of my teammates in the 40.

''It makes me feel good. I don't want everybody to be out there and I am sitting down. I want them to know that I am going to do what they do because everybody has to do the same thing to be on the team. I don't want to have a reason to say that I am not a part of the team. I run every single sprint that everyone else does, do every little thing that they do.''

Emelio had one message for youngsters looking at the same type of obstacle he has overcome.

''Don't give up, don't let anybody put you down because of your disabilities or whatever,'' he said. ''Just do what you got to do for your dreams.''

He has earned a special place in Kenton's heart.

''I am just proud to be his coach,'' Kenton said.