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Savvy and responsible are two of the adjectives Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho uses to describe some traits of Red Raiders senior cornerback Kaonohi Kaniho.
The responsible part fits for Kaniho’s life off the field, too. Ten months ago, he and his girlfriend Raita had a baby girl, Teavana.
“At first, it was weighing down on them, but they’ve accepted the responsibility and the challenges,” Carvalho said during a practice last week. “He now has to work twice as hard as a student and a football player and a dad. How successful he’s been shows what type of man he is.”
When you are a starter for Kahuku, you tend to become a man pretty fast anyway, so as a four-year starter for the Red Raiders, Kaniho was already well on his way to full maturity.
As a freshman, the 6-foot 180-pounder was lucky to be in the same starting lineup as his brother, Kekaula, another cornerback who was a senior at the time. That same serendipity might happen again. Kekaula is a junior starter at nickel back for Boise State, and Kaonohi has committed to play for the Broncos next fall.
“He’s done a lot for me, teaching me stuff,” Kaonohi said about Kekaula. “He helps me with everything I do on and off the field. Especially when he went away. He’s been giving me techniques and things to work on down here from those higher-level coaches.”
There’s been a Kaniho in the Kahuku defensive backfield for most of this decade, and to the untrained eye, it might appear that Kekaula and Kaniho are complete mirror images out there. As far as the ability to make plays and the added traits of punt and kick returning, there are a lot of similarities.
Carvalho, however, sheds light on their differences.
“This one (Kaonohi) plays more patient,” he said. “Kekaula was downhill, really aggressive. This one knows the angles and knows when to take chances. They are both great athletes and students of the game and you can tell that they’re students of the game.”
Asked if he thought Kaonohi would successfully make the transition to college ball, Carvalho said, “No problem. Easy transition, plus he has the tutelage of his brother, who is already giving him a head’s up on what to expect. What a big help and plus that is for ’Nohi.”
Proper focus on the field is a big thing for Kaonohi.
“There’s a lot of emotions when you’re going into a game,” he said. “So it’s important to stay cool and calm and really focus on my 1/11 (one out of 11 players who have a job to do) assignments and doing it to the best of my abilities and trusting in the preparation that we put into the game that’s it’s really going to work out.”
The proudest moment of Kaonohi’s career came during his freshman season, when he was on the same field as his brother in Las Vegas playing the nation’s No. 1 team, Bishop Gorman, even though the Red Raiders were on the losing end of a 35-7 decision.
His most memorable highlight came a year later.
”My sophomore year in the OIA championship game against Mililani (a 35-31 victory),” he said. “I caught the game-winning touchdown pass with a minute left. That was definitely one to remember. We were on their 40 and it was first or second down. They put me out there (on offense), thinking that we’ll just take a shot. I beat my 1-on-1 matchup on a go route and Sol-Jay (Maiava) gave me a great ball. Sol-Jay, I definitely miss him, yeah, that was my dude. He did what’s best for him (transferred to St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C.) and I’m glad he’s doing good.”
Kaniho went on his official visit to Boise State a few weekends ago.
“They took care of me and it was really good to touch base with the coaches,” he said. “We went over film and stuff and I asked them some questions on what might help me down here at states. One of the reasons I committed to Boise was they give all freshmen an opportunity to play if you earn it. I’m trying to play as a freshman.”
So far, so good at states. The Red Raiders (9-3) got past Campbell 21-19 in the Open Division semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships on Friday at Aloha Stadium. Next up: three-time defending champion Saint Louis (11-0) this Friday, the third (and marquee) game of a tripleheader.
“To win, we will need to dominate all three phases of the game,” Kaniho said.
KAONOHI KANIHO
>> School: Kahuku
>> Grade: Senior
>> Sport: Football
>> Position: Cornerback
>> Height: 6 feet 0
>> Weight: 180 pounds
>> College football commitment: Boise State
>> Projected major: Business
>> Possible career: Creating a clothing brand
>> Favorite subjects: “I like all of my subjects. All my teachers are great. They make learning fun.”
>> Favorite TV show: “Designated Survivor”
>> Favorite movie: “This Christmas”
>> Favorite books: “The Hunger Games” series
>> Favorite athletes: Jalen Ramsey, Marshon Lattimore
>> Parents and siblings: Misty (mom), Jarrett (dad), Kekaula (brother), Lahaina (sister)
>> Other sports: Basketball, track
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