LOS ANGELES » Hawaii high school rivalries never die. They just get put on hold while guys wear the same college colors … and the good-natured ribbing never takes a break.

As Punahou graduate Davis Miyashiro-Saipaia was being interviewed Monday at media day for the Rose Bowl by the hometown paper, Oregon teammate Bronson Yim kept repeating to him, "Shout out to Saint Louis! Shout out to Saint Louis!"

Of course, that wasn’t going to happen. The Buffanblu and Crusaders are bitter foes in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.

Yim, like the Ducks’ superstar quarterback Marcus Mariota, is a fourth-year junior in eligibility. They were high school teammates and close friends at Kalaepohaku.

Yim won’t be drafted by the NFL. He’s a walk-on reserve safety. But, again like Mariota, he will face the decision of whether to return to Oregon for graduate school and another season of football or move on in his life.

I playfully suggested another consideration for him to ponder: If he and Mariota leave Eugene, Ore., early, the Buffanblu will dominate the Hawaii representation on the Oregon roster next year. Right now, with senior linebacker Isaac Ava of Saint Louis and fourth-year junior DeForest Buckner of Punahou (who would also be drafted in an early round if he declares), it is Saint Louis three, Punahou two. Tight-end Koa Ka‘ai, a Kamehameha graduate, also has a season of eligibility available.

Prized recruit Canton Kaumatule is headed to Oregon, and his cousin Semisi Uluave might be on his way too. Both are standouts on the Buffanblu team that won the state championship in 2013. The top senior on the team to which they lost in the 2014 final, Rex Manu of Mililani, is also an Oregon commit.

And defensive back Dylan Kane of Kamehameha, the state sprints champ as a junior, is also set to join the Ducks.

That’s quite a pipeline … and with Mariota winning the Heisman Trophy and the Ducks making it to college football’s first final four there’s no reason to see it slowing down in the near future.

In the past, Oregon traditionally plucked a few of the top Hawaii prep football players here and there. But it was never what you would call a steady stream. Other Pac-12 teams, especially Washington, UCLA and USC, got their fair share of the cream of the crop from the islands.

In his typical fashion, Mariota deflected the idea that he is the sole source of attracting islanders to Oregon.

"I would hope that kids back home would look not only at myself but guys like Koa Ka‘ai or Miyashiro, guys who have been there, and hope they realize that they can find opportunities on the mainland and take that and run with it," he said Monday.

A broken arm while practicing for the Fiesta Bowl two years ago slowed Ava’s progress at linebacker, and he described his Ducks career as "plenty of ups and downs."

But he’s always felt comfortable in Eugene.

"Great people, great town," he said. "Reminds me a lot of Hawaii except for the weather and no beach."

Yim was a USC fan before another Crusader, Jeremiah Masoli, quarterbacked Oregon in 2008 and 2009.

He went to camps with Mariota, and Oregon offered him preferred walk-on status. He’d originally planned to go to Portland State and had other small college offers where he could’ve played much more.

"But a chance to go to your dream school and be teammates with your best friend? That opportunity doesn’t come too often," Yim said.

And, there’s nothing wrong with Portland State — but it will never get you to the Rose Bowl.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.