A few pen strokes brought out years of pent-up emotion.

"I kept asking him if I could cry now," said Jill Shibata, whose son, Matt, of Mid-Pacific Institute, yesterday signed a binding document to play football for the U.S. Naval Academy.

"I feel he made the right choice," she said. "The important thing is he feels he made the right choice. I think he's really going to enjoy this and take it as far as he can go."

Yesterday was National Letter of Intent Day, the first day high school student-athletes in sports such as football can commit to play for a college, often in return for a scholarship.

Signing day has intensified in recent years, with ceremonies being held yesterday throughout the state, including one on Maui for the first time, and across the nation. ESPN2 also televised a signing-day segment.

The Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance, which offers a service that pairs an athlete to a college, held a morning signing ceremony yesterday at Mission Memorial Auditorium on the grounds of City Hall. Parents, relatives, coaches and friends flowed into the auditorium at 6 a.m. to witness more than 40 football players and two girls soccer players sign commitments. Parents also have to sign the document, which is then faxed to the college.

"It's exciting," said Sione Sione Jr., whose son, Earvin Sione, a McKinley High School football player, signed with the University of Hawai'i. "You'd always like your kids to stay home but you also want them to go away so they can grow up."

ROLE MODELS

Shana Siavii, mother of Leilehua senior and Advertiser Defensive Player of the Year Robert Siavii, said signing the letter felt as if she was the one going off to college.

She hopes her son, the oldest of seven, will set an example for his siblings. Robert helped lead Leilehua to a state football title in December and is now headed to the University of Idaho.

"I'd like to follow his footsteps," said Russell Siavii, Robert's brother and an eighth-grader at Wahiawa Middle School.

"He thinks of his family first and watches his brothers and sister."

Lahainaluna's Lake Casco, the only Neighbor Island participant in yesterday's PIAA ceremony, remembers how his older brothers set an example for him. Casco will play for the University of Pennsylvania and chose the school because of its engineering program.

"One of my brothers went to Utah, the other is going to Portland State," Casco said. "They showed me that to get ahead, you need to go to college ... and if football is the way to take you there, you have to try hard and work hard."

In most instances, football is the way to pay the bills.

A college offers an athletic scholarship in exchange for a commitment. Such scholarships, which can run up to five years and cover the cost of tuition, fees, room and board, can easily be worth more than $100,000 over the life of a scholarship.

Eugene Bailey said he was wowed by the experience.

"It was probably one of the biggest days of my life," said Bailey, whose son, Kama, was the state's top rusher for Damien Memorial School. "I almost wanted to cry.

"I'm not only proud of him, but of the boys who are going away or staying home. Hopefully they can do a good job and open up the eyes of a lot of the others kids in the following years."

LOCAL CONNECTIONS

Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who gave the opening speech, reminded players to focus on their college education and of the impact their parents and coaches have made.

"Without them (coaches), he wouldn't have gotten this far," Dolly Sione said of her son, Earvin, who has been playing sports since he was 5.

Parents of players heading to Mainland colleges found comfort in local connections at those schools. New Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo, who played at Radford and Hawai'i, visited the home of Kamehameha's Kahikolu Pescaia.

"A local coach really makes you feel more comfortable," said Pescaia's father, Damon. "Coming from the same culture, growing up in the Islands, he knows what these boys are going to go through."

Punahou soccer players Brittney Sanford and Erin Rementer are both headed to Loyola Marymount in California.

"I feel safe," said Brittney's mother, Melinda. "I feel she'll always have somebody and they can help each other."

The ceremony ended with numerous pictures taken and the presenting of lei from family and friends. With their senior year in high school near the end, yesterday will just be the beginning of more emotional days to come.

"The day he leaves, that will be another big day," Eugene Bailey said. "Then he'll be really gone.

"I always wanted him to go away and see the world. He took advantage of it, had a great season, he's doing a good job in school and it's paying off."

Reach Stanley Lee at sktlee@honoluluadvertiser.com.