Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
Crusader tops big Nike football combine field
Fred Ulu-Perry had a memorable weekend.
First, he attended the Nike Football SPARQ Combine at Cerritos, Calif. Then the Saint Louis left tackle took part in the SoCal Nike Camp in Redondo, earning offensive line MVP honors.
"There were a lot of great offensive linemen there," said Ulu-Perry, a three-sport athlete. "I had that mind-set. My connection with God and my family helped me."
After pass-protection work for about an hour, the linemen engaged in 1-on-1 drills. Then came the awards.
"Once I heard the words ‘Saint Louis, Honolulu, Hawaii,’ it was a pretty cool blessing," the 6-2, 310-pound junior said. "I was relieved, but not satisfied."
His teammates, wide receiver Drew Kobayashi and defensive back Siake Alualu, also participated in the events. Kobayashi, a 6-2, 185-pound sophomore, posted the fourth-best rating at the SPARQ Combine out of a group of 1,400 athletes.
Hawaii and Washington State had early scholarship offers to Ulu-Perry, but since football season ended, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, San Jose State and Texas Tech have made offers, too.
"Growing up, Hawaii was my favorite team, but now I like USC," Ulu-Perry said. "They’re building up a little bit. But I wouldn’t mind seeing myself at any of the seven schools."
Waiakea ace Medeiros rated 18th nationally
MaxPreps has ranked Waiakea pitcher Kodi Medeiros as the No. 18 prospect in its Top 100 Seniors list.
Medeiros was a key contributor to the Warriors during their state-championship run in 2012. He was hindered by injury last year.
Martinez steps down as Moanalua coach
This time, Arnold Martinez is stepping away for good.
The Moanalua football coach announced his resignation last week after 11 seasons at the helm.
In his statement on the team’s website, Martinez wrote: "First and foremost, I want to thank God for the opportunity to lead the football program here. It was a blessing and period of our lives that we will never forget. I believe that we succeeded in our mission: to build a foundation of character and provide a culture of excellence where our players could grow and reach their highest potential to compete as great people, students and athletes."
He also thanked his family. Two years ago, Martinez contemplated resigning to spend more time with his two young children.
KIF might get Friday night football back
The Garden Island newspaper has reported that Friday night football might return to the KIF.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz is seeking a compromise of sorts that would permit football at Vidinha Stadium in Lihue. Currently, night football and the stadium lights are banned due to the dangers to an endangered bird species, the Newell’s Shearwater.
Since 2010, KIF football games have been played at the facility on Saturday afternoons. The decrease in gate revenue is estimated to be anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 per year. That doesn’t include concession-stand funds.
"As far as the ADs, we haven’t really discussed it. It would be great if we could bring it back on Friday nights, even Saturday nights," Kauai interim athletic director Dino Pabre said.
The Newell’s Shearwater fledgling season is from September to December, and often enough, the young birds making their first flights get confused by those bright lights.
On the south and west side of the island, Pabre said, all night-time lights at fields and courts are banned during the fledgling season.
"It goes beyond football," he said.
The fine for not abiding by the Federal law is well into five figures.
71