Chow has much to consider when choosing right kicker

It is long-established routine at the conclusion of the University of Hawaii’s football practices that players crowd around a spot where the place-kickers engage in a field-goal duel.

The scene is designed to replicate a game-deciding situation, the atmosphere made more intense by the loud din raised by more than 100 tightly bunched players and coaches.

These days, for the first time in years at UH, it is more than manufactured drama as Mauro Bondi and Rigoberto Sanchez engage in the final days — or, possibly, day — of a determined shootout for the front of the crowded place-kicking line.

Who emerges atop the competition will decide not only who gets the coveted field-goal job but likely set the pecking order for kicking off and punting assignments as well for the Sept. 3 season opener against Colorado and beyond.

Also in the kicking-game mix are JC transfer Aaron Novoa and freshman punter Alex Trifonovitch.

It is the kind of showdown that was largely absent for the past four seasons, when Tyler Hadden ruled the place-kicker position with precision and consistency.

But Hadden is gone after leading UH in scoring two of the past three seasons, and in attempting to replace him the Rainbow Warriors have gone, in the space of four months, from a lack of options to a sudden abundance.

After a so-so spring practice head coach Norm Chow determined the ’Bows needed more competition at the position and made it a point of emphasis. UH scoured the junior college ranks and the Division I waiver wire, dangling the promise of a scholarship for the eventual winner.

Enter Sanchez, who arrived from Butte (Calif.) Community College, and Bondi, a fifth-year senior transfer from Nebraska, both well recommended to UH.

“These guys are good,” Chow said. “There is no question in my mind, no doubt at all, that we can (win) with either one of them.”

As evidence, both were deemed worthy of scholarships, a rare investment at UH. That raised to four the number of players on the kicking team on full rides.

While the latest situation is much more desirable than what the ’Bows had going for them in the spring, its resolution isn’t clear cut. “They’ve made it interesting,” Chow said. “They’re both doing a good job.” Both have made good on field goals from 50 yards — or more.

At issue now is not only who is best but the optimum way to deploy their skills for travel roster purposes. Bondi also is keenly suited for kickoffs, while Sanchez has a demonstrated ability to kick field goals, kickoff and punt.

Bondi proved a strong leg for the Cornhuskers, achieving touchbacks on 63 of 111 kicks in three seasons. But he got the call on field goals (2-for-2) and PATs (nine of 10) in Lincoln a lot less often and is bidding for a wider role at UH.

Sanchez made good on 22 of 35 field goals in junior college and 76 of 77 PATs while punting for a 38.5-yard average.

“We were fortunate to get these guys,” Chow said. “Now, we’re just going to have to sit down and sort it all out what we do with them.”

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.