Reece Foy finds his comfort zone

Five days ago, ‘Iolani sophomore Tai-John Mizutani broke the ILH Division I record for passing yards in a game with 485.

It was nearly 100 yards more than the previous high by an ‘Iolani quarterback Mizutani knows pretty well.

Reece Foy, who graduated in 2012 fourth on the all-time Oahu passing list with more than 6,600 yards, spent most of August working with Mizutani and the other ‘Iolani quarterbacks as a volunteer assistant coach.

Before leaving for Amherst, Mass., Foy watched the first three ‘Iolani games, in which Mizutani eventually beat out two upperclassmen for the starting job.

When it was Foy’s turn to head back to college, he knew some of his ‘Iolani records might be in trouble.

“I knew from the first day he had a ton of potential, but he was also going up against two upperclassmen who were more experienced with the system and who were in their own right very good quarterbacks,” Foy said.

Foy would spend ‘Iolani’s first month of practices watching the kids throw, but he also got in some work himself. When practice was over, he would stay behind and work with quarterbacks coach Joel Lane, preparing for a season of his own.

The 5-foot-11, third-year sophomore had a quarterback competition to win at Amherst College, where he is currently 4-0 as a starter following a 31-13 win against Colby.

Foy is in his second year of Division III football after transferring from San Diego, where he spent only one year.

He’s completing 61 percent (75-for-124) of his passes for 916 yards and five touchdowns with only one pick in his first four games after failing to take advantage of a starting opportunity last season.

“I was coming from a I-AA school to Division III and figured I’d be able to come in and be the man right away,” Foy said. “I took over in Game 3, started Game 4 thinking now it’s my time and we ended up being ahead only three points at halftime.

“They gave me three more series to get it rolling and then brought in this senior off the bench and they scored 35 points on their last five series.”

Foy didn’t take another snap in 2014 as Amherst went on to finish 8-0 and win its conference.

This season, with the help of a coaching staff that has installed a new offense more to his liking, Foy is thriving as the No. 1 guy on the depth chart.

“We play a pro-style that takes every snap out of the shotgun with one running back and one tight end,” Foy said. “It’s similar to a lot of what we did at ‘Iolani. You’ve got to give the coaches a lot of credit. They took a leap of faith and threw out a playbook they’ve used for 25 years.”

If Foy can match the output he had in high school, Amherst will be just fine. Foy went 26-10 as a three-year starter with three Division II state titles and tossed 70 touchdown passes on 61.6 percent passing. When he graduated, he was fourth all-time on Oahu in passing. He has since been passed by Punahou’s Larry Tuileta and Mililani’s McKenzie Milton.

After such a successful high school career, Foy knew he was going to greyshirt his first season at USD, but expected to compete for a starting job after that. However, two weeks before the start of summer break, his head coach told him he was bringing in five freshman quarterbacks and didn’t promise Foy a spot on the fall roster.

“I went home for the summer and there was some possibility I might play (as a slot receiver) but not at quarterback and I was feeling a little bit bitter,” Foy said. “I loved the school and didn’t want to leave and was pretty set on staying there, but then when I started working out, I realized I didn’t know if I can go without having this game being a part of my life.”

Amherst had recruited him in high school, and although it was June, he reached out and was told he’d have a spot on the roster. It took a five- to six-hour session with a youth pastor back home that convinced him to head east.

“My brother played Division III football about an hour away from Amherst and I used to tease him all the time about playing Division III and where it was so cold,” Foy said. “Playing Division I football was my dream and so this wasn’t my dream, but the one thing Amherst did have was a chance to play (quarterback) and to play right away.”

Now, Foy is in a place he truly loves and at a place where he is able to thrive.

“I’m so happy that I’m here. It’s the best thing that could ever happen to me,” Foy said. “It’s funny because it definitely wasn’t what I wanted for myself. It was a cold place at first, both literally and figuratively, but now I’m just so happy to be here. It’s all worked out for the best.”

Chow second at Stanford after shooting 1-over 72

Pepperdine senior Marissa Chow, a two-time All-American, shot a final round 1-over 72 on Tuesday to finish in second place at the Stanford Intercollegiate in Stanford, Calif. Chow, who was searching for her third collegiate victory, entered the final round with a one-shot lead. Her final 18 holes were her worst round of the tournament as she finished at 5 under overall, three strokes behind the winner. The 2012 ‘Iolani alumna opened the tournament with a blistering 5-under 66 on Sunday. She matched her career-low score with six birdies and only one bogey that day. Chow followed that up with three birdies and two bogeys en route to a 1-under 70 to take a oneshot lead heading into Tuesday. Chow started the final round with bogeys on the par-4 second and par-4 fifth before closing the front with a birdie on nine. She got back to even par on her round with a birdie on 12, but a bogey on the par-3 14th dropped her to 1 over, where she finished. Northwestern junior Kacie Komoto (Punahou ’13) finished in a tie for 23rd place after closing with an even-par 71 to finish at 5 over. Komoto entered the tournament ranked No. 33 in NCAA Division I while Chow was 94th.

Football

» Tau Lotulelei, Maui ’12: The UNLV linebacker made seven tackles with two for a loss in a 31-28 loss to Fresno State on Friday.

» Kamalei Correa, Saint Louis ’12: The Boise State linebacker made six tackles with 11⁄2 for loss and a sack in a 52-26 loss to Utah State on Friday.

» DeForest Buckner, Punahou ’12: The Oregon defensive lineman made six tackles with two for a loss and 11⁄2 sacks in a 26-20 win over Washington on Saturday.

» Psalm Wooching, Kealakehe ’12: The Washington linebacker assisted on two tackles with half of a sack against the Ducks.

» Taylor Taliulu, Kamehameha ’12: The Washington State safety, who has started all six games this season, made four tackles in a 52-31 win over Oregon State on Saturday.

» Titus Failauga, Mid-Pacific ’13: The Oregon State defensive end had one sack against Washington State.

» Ronley Lakalaka, Punahou ’15: The San Diego State linebacker made three tackles in a 30-7 win over San Jose State on Saturday.

» Kaimi Fairbairn, Punahou ’12: The UCLA kicker made field goals of 33 and 36 yards, all three extra points, and booted four of his seven kickoffs for touchbacks in a 56-35 loss to Stanford last Thursday.

» Breiden Fehoko, Farrington ’15: The Texas Tech defensive lineman made three tackles with one for a loss in a 30-20 win over Kansas on Saturday.

» Warner Shaw, KS-Hawaii ’12: The Pacific (Ore.) quarterback went 14-for-18 for 239 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-28 win over Lewis & Clark on Saturday.

» Bronson Barretto, Kamehameha ’12: The Pacific (Ore.) running back rushed for 68 yards and scored on TD runs of 1 and 3 yards against Lewis & Clark.

» Kaimana Pimental, Saint Louis ’12: The Pacific (Ore.) running back rushed for a 4-yard touchdown and finished with 27 yards on seven carries and had one catch for 8 yards against Lewis & Clark.

» Chad Aragon, Moanalua ’14: The Pacific (Ore.) sophomore wide receiver caught a 15-yard touchdown pass against Lewis & Clark.

» Trey Kodama, Kamehameha ’12: The Pacific (Ore.) linebacker made a game-high nine tackles with 21⁄2 tackles for loss and 11⁄2 sacks against Lewis & Clark.

» Kaea Iwasaki, Kauai ’14: The Pacific (Ore.) sophomore defensive back made four tackles against the Pioneers.

» Jesse Correa, Saint Louis ’12: The Western Oregon kicker made all four extra points and booted a 32-yard field goal in a 31-25 win over Central Washington on Saturday to give the Wolves their third straight win.

» Tristin Kamaka, Leilehua ’14: The Midland (Neb.) University sophomore caught a 23-yard touchdown pass and finished with three receptions for 60 yards and 109 all-purpose yards in a 41-38 overtime loss to Concordia University on Saturday.

» Bronson Ader, Mililani ’14: The Southern Oregon receiver caught a 50-yard pass in a 28-27 win over Carroll (Mont.) on Saturday.

» Awa Poggi, Kailua ’11: The Dickinson State defensive back made 12 tackles and broke up a pass in a 54-21 loss to Dakota State on Saturday.

Men’s Golf

» John Oda, Moanalua ’14: The UNLV sophomore closed with a 2-over 74 to finish in a tie for 23rd place at 6 over after the third and final round of the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday.

Men’s Soccer

» Aaron Yanagi, ‘Iolani ’14: The Whitworth (Wash.) defender assisted on the second goal of a 3-0 victory over Pacific (Ore.) on Sunday.

Women’s Soccer

» Noelani Kong-Johnson, Punahou ’15: The Princeton freshman goalkeeper made three saves in recording a 2-0 shutout against Lehigh on Oct. 14 in her second career start.

» Lexi Felix, ‘Iolani ’12: The Redlands (Calif.) goalkeeper made four saves in a 1-0 shutout of Cal Lutheran on Oct. 14 to improve to 6-3-2 as the starting goalkeeper for the Bulldogs this season.

» Julie Khil, Mid-Pacific ’13: The Occidental (Calif.) forward assisted on a goal and scored another in a 4-1 win over Chapman on Oct. 14.

» Michaela Tsuha, Punahou ’12: The Occidental (Calif.) senior scored an unassisted game-tying goal in the win over Chapman.

» Lily Sender, St. Andrew’s Priory ’13: The UNLV junior forward came off the bench to assist on the second goal of a 3-0 victory over Colorado State on Sunday.

Women’s Volleyball

» Adora Anae, Kahuku ’14: The Utah sophomore outside hitter hit .354 with a career-high 27 kills, 25 digs and three block assists in a five-set loss to California on Sunday.

» Silerolia Gaogao, Moanalua ’15: The Montana freshman had 18 kills, 15 digs, five block assists and two aces in a five-set victory over Eastern Washington on Friday.

» Michelle Robinson, Mid-Pacific ’13: The Montana junior finished with 10 digs and three assists in the win over the Eagles.

» Haley Pa‘akaula, Kamehameha ’12: The Towson (Md.) senior outside hitter posted a double-double with 14 digs and 13 kills and added two blocks in a four-set victory over College of Charleston on Sunday. It was the Tigers’ first win over the Cougars in six tries in conference play.

» Tiyana Hallums, Kamehameha ’15: The Brigham Young freshman had eight digs and an assist in a three-set loss to Gonzaga last Thursday.

» Loxley Keala, ‘Iolani ’13: The Missouri junior setter had 28 assists, six digs, a block assist and a kill in a four-set loss to Northwestern on Sunday.

» Ashley Kelsey, Campbell ’12: The New Mexico sophomore had 17 digs, six assists and an ace in a four-set win over UNLV on Saturday and added seven digs in a sweep of Fresno State last Thursday.

» Carly Kan, Punahou ’13: The Missouri junior hit .316 with nine kills, seven digs and a block assist in a sweep of Georgia on Sunday and added a game-high 17 kills, eight digs, an ace, an assist and two blocks in a four-set win over Ole Miss on Friday.

» Chelsey Keoho, Kamehameha ’12: The Oregon senior had a match-high 14 digs and an ace in a four-set victory over Washington State on Sunday.

» Jamie Hirai, Mid-Pacific ’14: The San Jose State sophomore had a team-high 10 digs in a four-set loss to Colorado State on Saturday.

» Zoe Leonard, KS-Hawaii ’15: The Dartmouth freshman had 11 digs, three assists and an ace in a five-set victory over Columbia on Saturday.

» Allie Yamashiro, Kamehameha ’13: The Manhattan College junior had nine digs and three aces in a sweep of Quinnipiac on Sunday.

» Marissa Behrens, Punahou ’14: The Manhattan College middle had three kills, a dig and an assist against Quinnipiac.

» Faith Ma’afala, Kamehameha ’14: The Southern Utah setter had 34 assists, 14 digs, five blocks and an ace in a four-set victory over Weber State on Saturday.

» Remo Gaogao, Punahou ’14: The Southern Utah outside hitter finished with 14 digs, three kills, three blocks, two aces and an assist against the Wildcats.

» Courtney Uyeda, Moanalua ’12: The Linfield (Ore.) senior had a team-high 26 digs, six assists and an ace in a five-set victory over Pacific (Ore.) on Oct. 14.

» Quinn Takashima, Punahou ’12: The Linfield (Ore.) senior defensive specialist added 15 digs and an assist in a win over the Boxers.

» Jamie Talbo, Maryknoll ’14: The Linfield (Ore.) sophomore had 12 digs, eight kills, six assists and three block assists in a win over the Pacific (Ore.).

» Casie Gaza, Mililani ’13: The Linfield (Ore.) setter had 11 digs, 11 assists, an ace and a kill against the Boxers.

» Eryka Keoho, Kapaa ’15: The Linfield (Ore.) freshman had eight assists, seven kills and three digs against Pacific (Ore.).

» Lia Zablan, Kamehameha ’13: The Pacific (Ore.) junior finished with a match-high 29 digs and three assists against Linfield (Ore.).

» Marie Rewick, Punahou ’12: The Pacific (Ore.) outside hitter had a team-high 11 kills, 22 digs, two assists and an ace in the loss to the Wildcats.

» Karissa Komo, Makua Lani Christian ’14: The Pacific (Ore.) sophomore had 10 digs and two kills against Linfield (Ore.).

» Tiare Kaopua, Nanakuli ’13: The Pacific (Ore.) outside hitter tallied nine kills and four digs in the loss to the Wildcats.

Stats compiled by Billy Hull, Star-Advertiser. To submit a collegiate athlete for publication, email bhull@staradvertiser.com.