The University of Hawaii football team’s unifying identity — the “Braddahhood” — has extended to one of nickelback Tiger Peterson’s best friends.
Boss — a 2-year-old mixture of pitbull, hound and German shepherd — began accompanying Peterson and his cousin on pig-hunting outings a year ago. At first, Boss took mental reps watching the experienced hunting dogs. “Dogs just learn,” Peterson said. “It’s a monkey-see, monkey-do thing. It took (Boss) a couple hunts and he got the gist of it.”
Boss and the other dogs wear GPS tags. After the dogs corner a feral boar, the hunters race to finish the job. Peterson and his cousin clean and then carry the pig to the truck. “After we take it home, there’s a whole other process,” Peterson said of skinning, de-boning, icing the meat, drying it, and freezing it to be made later into smoked meat or sausage. The dogs are rewarded with scraps.
“To me, it’s being out in nature, and a little bit of adrenaline when you’re running toward the pig,” said Peterson, who also enjoys the teamwork and rush of pursuing another type of pigskin.
It is no surprise Peterson has emerged as a forceful and versatile football defender. His father, Ronald Peterson, was a standout Waianae High safety who was named to the All-State first team in 1989 and 1990. It was the elder Peterson who chose his son’s unique first name.
“He thought it would be a good football name,” Peterson said. “It’s not easy to forget. He thought it would be a good name to build off.”
Peterson grew up in a strict but supportive household in Nanakuli. “My mom taught at my elementary school,” he said. “I could never play hooky, never act up. My parents made sure I always made the right decisions.”
Peterson, a Kamehameha Schools graduate, said he was never into video games. Instead, he preferred outdoor activities.
“My backyard is pretty much like a mountain,” Peterson said.
As a youth, he recalled, “just coming home from school or practice, I’d be outside with my dog or my chickens or I’d be on the mountain or playing with my friends on the road. Just staying active, not really being in the house. … I had chickens. I had the whole mountain to roam. When I was bored, I’d go up the mountain and my make my own trail. I’d go hiking.”
Peterson, who now shares a house with two UH teammates, keeps busy with school, practices and meetings. When he goes to his family home, he has a training partner he adopted at the onset of the pandemic. “I got (Boss) to keep me in shape as a workout partner,” Peterson said. As for the name, he said, “I thought he should have that ‘boss’ mentality.”
CORNERBACKS
NO. PLAYER HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN
23 Virdel Edwards II 6-2 210 Jr. Plano, Texas
8 JoJo Forest 5-11 165 Jr. Orange, Calif.
14 Von Killins 5-11 170 Jr. Daytona Beach, Fla.
24 Deyvn King 5-11 180 Jr. Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
3 Hugh Nelson II 6-2 205 Sr. Powder Springs, Ga.
22 Jalen Perdue 5-10 170 Sr. Lancaster, Calif.
SAFETIES
NO. PLAYER HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN
47 Noa Kamana 6-0 195 Sr. Honolulu
39 Kalamaku Kuewa 6-0 200 Sr. Kailua
26 Leonard Lee 6-0 190 Sr. Wahiawa
19 Kaulana Makaula 6-3 220 Jr. Kailua
28 Meki Pei 5-11 175 So. Honolulu
25 Matagi Thompson 6-2 185 Fr. Honolulu
NICKEL BACKS
NO. PLAYER HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN
9 Malik Hausman 6-0 180 Sr. Las Vegas
33 Peter Manuma 6-0 190 Fr. Ewa Beach
4 Ty Marsh 5-11 180 So. Dallas
21 Tiger Peterson 6-1 200 Jr. Nanakuli
SCOUTING REPORT
Last season’s starting secondary exited through. the transfer portal or the graduation line. The Warriors have restocked with transfers and developing players. Virdel Edwards, who previously played at Iowa State, and Hugh Nelson, who made six starts after transferring from Georgia, are 6-2 corners who are aggressive on presses and 50-50 balls. Jalen Perdue and JoJo Forest, an Oregon State transfer, are speedy cover defenders. Two safeties who joined as walk-ons — Leonard Lee and Noa Kamana — have been voted to the 13-member leadership council. USC transfer Kaulana Makaula also is in the safety mix. The safety-linebacker hybrid is part of the defensive staple. Tiger Peterson, who has overcome injuries, and Peter Manuma have embraced that dual role.
