Warriors get pledge from speedy back

The Hawaii football team just got faster.

Diocemy Saint Juste, a speedy running back from Santaluces High in Florida, told the Star-Advertiser he has accepted a football scholarship from the Warriors.

Saint Juste is 5 feet 9 and 180 pounds.

"He’s built like a big back, but he has the speed of a little back," Santaluces offensive coordinator Matt Starr said. "He’s unbelievable. The first (defender) is definitely not going to tackle him."

Saint Juste said he is capable of running 40 yards in 4.42 seconds. His best time in the 100-meter dash is 10.8 seconds.

Sainte Juste missed four games because of a hip pointer this past season. He rushed for 1,243 rushing yards, an average of 7.49 yards per carry, and 16 touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes for 114 yards and a score.

"He’s definitely electric," Starr said. "He’s a great all-around player. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He blocks extremely well. He never gives up on any play."

Starr said there were at least three times when he and head coach Daryl Drinkwater looked at their offensive charts for the next play because it appeared Saint Juste was stopped.

"The next thing you know the crowd is going nuts because he’s breaking another tackle," Starr said.

Starr said Saint Juste had six scoring plays covering at least 50 yards.

"We can’t compare him to anybody else because we’ve never coached anybody like him," Starr said. "He’s the most electric kid we’ve ever coached. He’s a great kid. He’s a great athlete. Nobody has a bad thing to say about him. Hawaii is getting a great one."

Saint Juste was born in Haiti and moved to Central Florida as a young child. He moved to South Florida for high school. Saint Juste was under the proverbial radar because he changed schools between his sophomore and junior years.

In September, the Warriors were the first to offer Saint Juste a scholarship. Since then more than a dozen schools made recruiting pitches, including Illinois, Rutgers, TCU, Nevada, Memphis and Colorado State.

Saint Juste said the choice was easy.

"I like everything about Hawaii — the environment, the location, the atmosphere, the coaches, the players," Saint Juste said.

Saint Juste completed his recruiting visit Sunday morning, a stay that included paddling and meeting with academic counselors. He said three Florida-raised Warriors —receiver Allen Sampson and defensive backs Ne’Quan Phillips and Marrell Jackson — served as hosts.

One of the best attractions? "The food is amazing," Saint Juste said.