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Boise State freshman defensive back Kaonohi Kaniho was celebrating a fourth-quarter interception against Fresno State on Saturday when his older brother came over to congratulate him.
“The first thing he tells me is there’s a lot of game left. We’ve got to go out there and do it again,” Kaniho recalled.
Earlier in the game, senior safety Kekaula Kaniho intercepted a pass of his own. Kaonohi’s pick made the Kanihos one of the very few brother tandems to pick off a pass in the same Division I college football game.
“That didn’t even cross my mind,” Kaonohi Kaniho said. “I didn’t even realize the situation.”
There’s a time to celebrate in the Kaniho household. Mom and dad were there Saturday in Fresno, Calif., to see their two sons pull off a feat only known to have happened two other times, according to Boise State media relations staff.
They hugged and kissed and met up at the field, but only after the Broncos’ 40-14 destruction of then-No. 25 Fresno State was complete.
“We were actually just talking about how we get so caught up in staying locked in and trying to win games and preparing to the best of our ability that it’s just kind of a routine now that we are both there,” Kekaula Kaniho said.
The Kanihos are playing together for the second year in a row, but it’s the first season their parents have been able to attend a game.
Jarrett and Misty Kaniho decided to fly to Boise for Thanksgiving last year and see their kids play together for the first time in college against San Jose State.
However, the game was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. It was the first of consecutive games Boise State had canceled.
“It kind of worked out nice because we got to spend more time with them than if we were playing,” Kekaula Kaniho said.
Mom and dad have managed to attend most Boise State home games this season. The Fresno State game was the first road game they went to because they have family in the area.
It’s all been a blessing for Kekaula Kaniho, who stayed in college for a fifth year this season for many reasons.
“I decided to come back knowing this year was going to be more of a normal year,” he said. “To be able to have more of an impact and lead the team and especially the younger guys was important because we didn’t get to do that last summer.”
Boise State played seven games last season and won the Mountain West Conference title, but it was anything but a normal year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also happened to be Kaonohi Kaniho’s first year with the program.
“It was definitely a weird moment in time and there was a lot of adjusting on the fly,” he said.
Fortunately the two did get to practice together playing in the secondary. Position groups only practiced with each other.
Kekaula Kaniho said he went more than a month without seeing some of his teammates while practices were being held.
“Being able to play a season through all of that was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do as a college student-athlete because nobody knew the answer to anything,” he said. “Every day trying to show up and prepare without knowing when the season starts, will we play each week, how many games are going to play, and during all of that you’re split up from your teammates the whole time.”
There are still protocols in place, but it feels a lot more normal now. Celebrating an interception with your brother and then reliving it after the game with mom and dad in the crowd has made this season a very special one for the Kaniho household.
“It’s those moments, especially when our family is here, that is special to us,” Kekaula Kaniho said. “Especially after last year, after the game being able to hug and kiss and share those moments together is a special feeling.”
BOISE STATE BROS.
Name: Kekaula Kaniho
Position: Safety
Height: 5 feet 11
Weight: 188 pounds
Class: Senior
High school: Kahuku (2017)
CAREER STATISTICS
YEAR GP SOLO AST TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS INT PD FF FR
2017 14 23 9 32 6.5-24 1-10 1 5 1 1
2018 13 27 13 40 3-14 1-9 3 7 0 1
2019 14 48 13 61 11-45 3-19 1 7 2 1
2020 7 22 10 32 2-6 0-0 0 7 0 0
2021 9 29 13 42 2-2 0-0 1 3 0 0
TOTAL 57 149 58 207 24.5-91 5-38 6 29 3 3
Name: Kaonohi Kaniho
Position: Defensive back
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 178 pounds
Class: Freshman
High school: Kahuku (2020)
CAREER STATISTICS
YEAR GP SOLO AST TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS INT PD FF FR
2020 4 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
2021 6 7 5 12 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 0
TOTAL 10 9 6 15 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 0
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