They first met on the Saint Louis School football field up on Kalaepohaku, where on a clear day of untethered dreams, it seems you can see forever. Maybe even glimpse the future.
There, between passes, Marcus Mariota dished out pointers and praise to the younger, eager Anu Solomon.
Friday they hook up again, this time in the biggest game of either of their lives, as opposing quarterbacks in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game.
So it is, perhaps, small wonder that coaches see some similarities in the two Hawaii-born QBs who now sling it for third-ranked Oregon (Mariota) and No. 8 Arizona (Solomon).
"Anu is not as quick or as big or as fast, but, I think, from a competitive standpoint, from a quiet leadership standpoint and feel for the game, he’s got some of Marcus’ traits," Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez marveled on Monday’s Pac-12 conference call. "Anu probably learned from watching him."
Or, as Oregon coach Mark Helfrich put it, "They have a really good balance of playmaker combined with a kind of point guard distributor-type mentality."
They were first brought together at Vince Passas’ "Get Better" Camps when Mariota was entering his first year as the Ducks’ starting quarterback and Solomon was to start his senior season at Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High.
Passas, who has mentored a Who’s Who list of local quarterbacks at his camps and clinics for nearly 20 years in addition to Saint Louis and Kaiser High, sees young, aspiring players gravitate to those they envision as role models.
"They give the younger ones hope that, through hard work, they can be just like them one day," Passas said.
In 2012, the one they had come to idolize was Mariota. "We can get 20-40 quarterbacks from all over the state, but when Marcus is in town and when the word spreads, we can get more than a hundred," Passas said.
Solomon was one of them, visiting from Las Vegas, where his family had moved from Alewa Heights. "He really looked up to Marcus," Passas said. "They all do — that’s the kind of a guy Marcus is."
Mariota and Solomon "were a lot alike, hard-working, humble guys from good families," Passas said. "Anu reminded me of Marcus, always smiling, giving compliments to others."
They eventually met again nine weeks ago in Eugene, Ore., where Solomon, a redshirt freshman, and the Wildcats claimed a 31-24 victory, Oregon’s only loss this season.
Afterward, Solomon sought out Mariota on the field for a photo and some words. In a posting on Instagram, Solomon wrote: "Huge fan of this guy! May God bless you to be victorious in all that you do. I know that all of the (Polynesians) look up to you and you’ve done a tremendous job of leading your team into being a national powerhouse. I respect that…"
When the two former pupils go up against each other at Levi’s Stadium In Santa Clara, Calif., Passas said, "It will be great to have two representatives from the 808 that we can be proud of. I hope they both do well. I hope they put on an offensive show — and Marcus has the last score to win."
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com.
