Mana Rosa was a high-profile recruit from Baldwin.

Devon Kell was a baseball player from Hilo.

Two very different backgrounds have come together in Corvallis, Ore., where the two big boys started alongside each other on the defensive line in last Saturday’s disappointing 69-27 loss to Washington.

The Beavers, who opened the season with a stunning loss to FCS-member Eastern Washington, beat Hawaii the following week to start a six-game winning streak.

The strength of the Pac-12 Conference caught up to Oregon State, however, as the Beavers have lost four straight since, including three games to teams ranked in the BCS top 25.

"We started off the season rocky, then we had a good six games in a row, but it’s been a little rocky lately," Kell said. "But we live each week in a vacuum and have put last week behind us."

Kell has worked his way into the starting lineup at defensive end after joining the team as a walk-on in 2009.

He played quarterback in high school, but was recruited by colleges as a baseball player.

On his way back from a baseball recruiting trip, he stopped off at the Oregon State campus, where he was invited to walk on in football.

Two years later, he earned a scholarship and is now a valuable part of the Beavers defense.

He assisted on three tackles against Washington and has 16 total this season with two sacks as he’s seen his playing time increase in recent weeks.

"I’m very happy because I always thought I would get to this point," Kell said. "I wasn’t here and I wanted to get here, so I put in the work, a lot of work, and I’ve achieved my goal."

Kell now starts alongside Rosa, who has 46 tackles and a sack this season primarily as a defensive tackle.

Rosa has moved inside as he’s developed into his 6-foot-3, 282-pound frame.

The 2009 Baldwin alumnus was offered by Washington and Hawaii among others coming out of high school, but chose Oregon State to get away from the islands.

"I just needed the experience of mainland life and to be on my own in a college town," Rosa said. "Part of it, too, was I needed to get away to keep my mind-set right. It’s easy when you stay at home to go to the beach and relax, but I needed to be here to stay away from the distractions and put everything I have into football."

The Beavers are bowl eligible and finish the regular season on Friday with the annual Civil War rivalry game against Oregon.

The Ducks have won the past five in the series.

It’s an opportunity for both Rosa and Kell to chase after another Hawaii product in Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

"It’s going to be huge," Rosa said. "This is one of the biggest rivalries in the nation and it’s one of those things where you want bragging rights in the entire state of Oregon."

"The whole area shuts down whenever there’s an OSU and UO game because everyone is at the stadium," added Kell. "There aren’t many people up here that don’t care about it. Everybody is on one side or the other."

The game will be televised Friday at 2 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.