On Dec. 23, 1997, Michelle Mizutani’s grandfather John Lindsey died.

Exactly two years later, Tai-John was born to Michelle and Ron. Tai-John is now a 17-year-old student-athlete with a 3.3 grade-point average.

“My mom said that day used to be a sad day,” Tai-John said. “Until I was born.”

The youngster grew up on the Windward side, but has been flourishing at ‘Iolani since kindergarten. The recent era of ‘Iolani football has been intriguing and painful, sharpening and, now, fulfilling. Mizutani, a third-year starting quarterback, entered Oahu’s top 10 of career passing yardage leaders last month and continues to rise.

With 209 yards in roughly one half of action during a win over Pac-Five on Friday, Mizutani now has 6,997 yards and ranks No. 6 all-time on the career list. He passed former Punahou great Larry Tuileta. He previously passed Taulia Tagovailoa of Kapolei (6,703 yards), Reece Foy of ‘Iolani (6,620) and Bobby George of Saint Louis (6,577).

Foy was a smooth operator from 2010 to ’12, when the Raiders gave ILH D-I powerhouses some of the closest battles in school history. Mizutani credits quarterbacks coach Joel Lane and passing guru Vince Passas for his development on the field, and he points to Foy as his mentor in other ways.

“Reece has helped me the most with just settling me down. I know right now he’s in college (Amherst), but he’ll call me and text me with what he would do as a player. I appreciate what he taught me with technique, but his words about what he does in a game, everything he’s been through, those helped me out a lot,” Mizutani said.

Foy played in an era when all teams in the ILH faced each other regardless of classification. During his stint, ‘Iolani beat Kamehameha (2010) and won three Division II state crowns.

Mizutani’s timing was similar. The Raiders moved up from a D-II-only schedule to D-I during his sophomore and junior seasons. In ’17, the program moved back down to D-II.

“Even though I broke his record, he’ll always be the best ever quarterback at ‘Iolani,” Mizutani said of Foy. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Longtime head coach Wendell Look has seen Mizutani grow. At 6 feet 2 and 180 pounds, Mizutani packs much more strength now than he did as an intermediate-team slinger.

“I think playing in Division I these past two years have made him grow up faster as a football player. In order to compete, you’ve got to work harder and step up your game every week. You can’t relax and take things for granted,” Look said. “Having to face the best has made him a better quarterback.”

For Look, it’s not just about titles, even as the Raiders (4-4, 3-3) prepare for the ILH D-II playoffs.

“I think he wouldn’t trade his teammates for any other team. The guys around him have come through. They play hard for him. That’s what makes him who he is,” Look said. “He doesn’t complain about anything. He goes out and gives it his all, all the time, and strives to help his team win.”

The career numbers: 599 completions in 1,033 attempts, 52 TDs, 33 interceptions in 29 games. Of all the great passers in the top-10 yardage list — the first five are Tua Tagovailoa of Saint Louis, Tim Chang of Saint Louis, Andrew Manley of Leilehua, McKenzie Milton of Mililani and Brett Kan of Punahou — Mizutani has the smallest line of protectors, but arguably one of the most cohesive. He also has one of the state’s top pass catchers in Justin Genovia.

“Almost all our receivers are back from last year: Geno, (Rayden) Kaneshiro, (Jonah) Miyazawa,” Mizutani said.

First-year starter Carter Kamana broke ‘Iolani’s single-game receiving yardage mark held by Keoni-Kordell Makekau, racking up 222 yards against Pac-Five on Sept. 16.

Mizutani owns the top four spots on the school’s single-game passing yardage list: 503 yards against Kaimuki (’17), 485 against Kamehameha (’15), 430 against St. Francis (’17), 426 against Pac-Five (’17).

The 430 yards against St. Francis two weeks ago helped the Raiders win 45-29. That knocked St. Francis out of contention for the first-round title. The Raiders began the season slowly, getting bowled over by Hilo, Damien and St. Francis, but might be playing the best football of any team in D-II once again.

“We had a makeshift (offensive) line in the summer, but as preseason came, our guys did a good job of adjusting,” Mizutani said. “I’m definitely not surprised how explosive our offense has been.”

His father, former KHON sportscaster Ron Mizutani, spent years as one of the spearheads for “Hawaii Sports Final,” a Sunday evening recap show. The son, who loves writing and literature, has similar aim.

“If I could make it big-time on ESPN, of course I would go there. I wouldn’t mind doing what my dad used to do,” he said.

PROFILE

Tai-John Mizutani

>> School: ‘Iolani

>> Grade: Senior

>> Sport: Football

>> Favorite Athlete: Baker Mayfield

“I like his attitude toward the game. He’s not going to back down to anybody. He’s not scared of anybody. He’s not the the prototypical quarterback. He plays like an animal.”

>> Food at home: Korean Chicken

“My mom (Michelle) makes good Korean fried chicken. I’m pretty sure she makes the sauce from scratch: shoyu base, brown sugar, ginger, all that stuff and she pours it on while the fried chicken is still hot.”

>> Food eating out: Kikuya Japanese Restaurant.

“It’s in Kaneohe, a hole in the wall, kind of. I get the salmon or the fried saba. My dad used to take me there all the time. Japanese is my favorite kind of food. I know it’s expensive, though.”

>> TV Show: The Walking Dead

“Now, it’s just people versus people, not people versus zombies. There’s more drama between people. I watched it from the beginning. If people have the time, I suggest watching it, but watch at your own risk because you’re going to get hooked real fast.”

>> Teacher: Mrs. (Daryl) Kuioka

“I have had a lot of incredible teachers, but if I had to choose I would pick Mrs. Kuioka.”

>> What is something most people would be surprised about.

“I like to write. I tend to write more about sports because I plan on becoming a sports journalist.”

>> Bucket List: Work for ESPN and be a Sports Analyst.

“If I could make it big time on ESPN, of course I would go there. I wouldn’t mind doing what my dad used to do.”