Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
Less than a year after beginning his college career during a pandemic, Stanford’s Alaka‘i Gilman found himself in the starting lineup.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety from Punahou (2020) earned praise from head coach David Shaw after breaking the starting lineup and amassing nine tackles in a 35-24 loss to No. 20 UCLA on Saturday.
The Cardinal fell behind 21-7 at halftime before tying the game in the fourth quarter.
Facing a run-heavy offense that rushed the ball 52 of 81 plays, Gilman was forced to come up and play the run often, resulting in the high tackle count.
“Alaka‘i is a very very good football player. He ain’t the biggest guy, but he plays big,” Shaw said in the postgame press conference. “He’s got a great feel. He’s got a great knack.
“Throughout spring football I just think he’s always around deflecting passes, making tackles for loss. It’s great to see him out there. He got healthy for us right at the right time because we needed him.”
Gilman had just one assisted tackle in his first four games combined before earning the start against the Bruins.
Stanford hosts No. 3 Oregon on Saturday.
MORE FOOTBALL
>> Cameron Friel, Kailua ’21: The UNLV freshman quarterback finished 9-for-15 for 138 yards in the Rebels’ 38-30 loss to Fresno State on Friday.
>> Nick Herbig, Saint Louis ’20: The Wisconsin sophomore linebacker had three tackles and two sacks in a 41-13 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday.
>> Kekaula Kaniho, Kahuku ’17: The Boise State senior safety made five tackles and broke up a pass in a 27-3 win over Utah State on Saturday.
>> Faatui Tuitele, Saint Louis ’19: The Washington sophomore defensive tackle recorded a sack for the second straight game in a 31-24 overtime win over California on Saturday.
>> Muelu Iosefa, Mililani ’19: The Cal sophomore linebacker made five tackles in the loss to the Huskies.
>> Mika Tafua, Kamehameha ’15: The Utah junior defensive end made three tackles and had a sack for a 14-yard loss in a 24-13 win over Washington State on Saturday.
>> Aliki Vimahi, Kahuku ’17: The Utah freshman defensive tackle recorded his first career sack and had a pass breakup against the Cougars.
>> De’Zhaun Stribling, Kapolei ’21: The Washington State freshman receiver caught a 26-yard touchdown pass and finished with six catches for a team-high 93 yards against the Utes.
>> Roman Wilson, Saint Louis ’20: The Michigan sophomore receiver hauled in a 38-yard pass on the first play of the second quarter in a 20-13 win over Rutgers on Saturday.
>> Challen Faamatau, Farrington ’17: The Maryland senior running back had a 19-yard run and caught a pass for 11 yards in a 37-16 win over Kent State on Saturday.
>> Andrei Iosivas, Punahou ’18: The Princeton junior caught a 41-yard touchdown pass in a 63-0 shutout of Stetson on Saturday.
>> Judd Cockett, Punahou ’17: The Southern Utah senior receiver caught seven passes for 70 yards on seven targets in a 50-21 loss to Eastern Washington on Saturday.
>> La‘akea Kaho‘ohanohano-Davis, Baldwin ’16: The Southern Utah junior linebacker recorded a team-high 11 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack against the Eagles.
>> Andrew Valladares, Mililani ’17: The Western Oregon senior running back rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries and caught a 22-yard pass in a 24-7 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday.
>> Antonio Cortez Feria, Punahou ’18: The Fordham senior running back rushed for 35 yards on 16 carries to help the Rams pick up their first win with a 31-14 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday.
Cortez earns Pac-12 honor in soccer for unbeaten Ducks
Oregon senior defender Chai Cortez (Maui ’18) was named the Pac-12 women’s soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Cortez, one of three Ducks who graduated from high school in Hawaii, helped Oregon tie UCLA 0-0 on Friday to open conference play.
It was the first time in over three years a team had shut out UCLA on its home field and broke the Bruins’ 14-game winning streak against the Ducks.
Cortez was matched up with UCLA’s Maricarmen Reyes for much of the night and limited her to one shot attempt. Reyes recently made an appearance with the Mexican Women’s National Team and scored a goal against Colombia.
The Ducks have recorded three consecutive shutouts and remain unbeaten this season at 5-0-4.
80