The road to success involved a mile or two for Kekai Burnett.

Given the opportunity to become a two-sport student- athlete at Punahou, the once-gangly hoopster transformed into one of the top football players in the state.

On Wednesday at 7 a.m., the 6-foot-3, 245-pound senior signed his National Letter of Intent with Michigan State at the Education 1st/Aloha Leadership Foundation signing ceremony. At a young age, he has embraced the path to take on the biggest challenges. Those included Punahou and now, the Big Ten program in Lansing, Mich.

“I feel good. Two of my sisters actually came over here and signed.” he said of Kiana and Kaila Burnett.

The daily trek from Nanakuli to school required the devotion of his parents.

“I’m blessed to be here. It felt good to put pen to paper,” Burnett said. “My parents, all those late nights, early mornings, all the sacrifices they made, it finally paid off.”

Burnett wore a forest green Michigan State aloha shirt with his Spartans hat, draped in lei.

“The relationship I built my my coaches is strong. Michigan State is in the Big Ten, so that’s big time, being able to play with Big Ten players,” he said.

BYU, he added, was tough to turn down. At Michigan State, he is eyeing a degree in business administration.

Burnett is a center on a Buffanblu basketball team has qualified for the state tournament. Two of his two-sport teammates, Noah Macapulay and Dillon Kellner, also signed on Tuesday to play football at the next level. In all, nine Punahou football players signed. The total of Buffanblu student-athletes at the ceremony: 15.

One of those Buffanblu signed with the hometown team, Hawaii.

“I feel great. All the years going into this day, it’s really special,”said linebacker Alika Cavaco-Amoy. “Doing this for my family is a dream come true. The coaches are a big reason I want to stay. They made me feel like I’m really wanted there. The ability to trust them is really important to me, getting the opportunity.”

Cavaco-Amoy trains relentlessly, but knows how to enjoy the occasional day off.

“I lie down at home or play Fortnite or hang out with my friends and family, and go around Waimanalo,” he said.

It is, as Punahou diver and national champion Katherine Taylor said, a perfect time to strive for more. Instead of stressing about mistakes and failure, she listened to her coach when times are tough.

“He said, ‘It’s OK to give yourself permission to fail,’” she said in her keynote speech.

Big schools, small schools, private schools, public schools. The list of signees was comprised of 33 student-athletes who gathered at the Elks Lodge in Waikiki, located near Diamond Head. Among them was Hannah Hirata of La Pietra, a volleyball player who is heading to Wells College.

“Time flies by. It feels like I was a freshman in high school yesterday,” she said. “I’m thinking of possibly pre-med, becoming a doctor one day. Still kind of thinking about what I want to do.”

Hirata helped coach the Panthers’ sixth-grade team as a student assistant.

“The support of the people around me got me to where I am today. My parents, my family, my coaches, my teammates. I wouldn’t be here without them. I’m a very driven person, so when I really want something, I’m a go-getter and a hard worker,” she said.

Rylie Magariaga was surrounded by a large contingent after the ceremony. The Mililani softball player signed with Puget Sound.

“I planned for this. I wanted to play softball in college. My parents made it happen. They helped me,” the outfielder/second baseman said. “We made all these trips for college coaches to see me. I’m going to try to make senior year the best year.”

The appeal of the Northwest is about relationships.

“I like the people there. They’re really nice. The campus is really nice, too. The coach, teammates, everyone,” she added. “I want major in kinesiology since I want to become a physical therapist.”

Puget Sound also landed a baseball player in Pearl City pitcher Jayden Mizuno.

“This is the final chapter I needed to sign my signature on paper, to say I’m going to the college I want to go to, to further my education,” Mizuno said. “Puget Sound, the campus is really nice. There’s plenty of Hawaii people there to make you feel at home. It’s a really great culture all around there. The biggest change will be stepping away from everyone I know, immersing myself in a new environment and making some new friends along the way.”

Travel baseball helped connect Mizuno, a left-hander, to Puget Sound.

“I traveled with Hawaii Rockies to Washington and Oregon, where I played a couple of tournaments. I was able to visit different different colleges, one being Puget Sound,” he said. “I was able to visit with the coach and I got recruited.”

Baseball has made a philosopher out of Mizuno, who has a 3.9 grade-point average.

“I say that I like to enjoy the little things you’re able to accomplish. There are games when it’s going to be rough. When times are rough, that’s when you look at the things you’re able to do, even if it’s just getting up in the morning with a strong mindset,” he said. “I believe that’s the best way to move forward so you can better yourself moving on.”

Ciera Fujiwara, a Punahou swimmer, made the most of her options. She signed with American University in Washington, D.C.

“I feel really excited. My coaches, my parents, my family. I want to do business. I also might do military,” said Fujiwara, who is part of the ROTC program at Punahou.

Fujiwara was 8 when she became a competitive swimmer.

“Swimming is really painful sometimes and there’s a lot of struggles, but it all pays off at the end. Your teammates are always there for you. It makes it something to look forward to when you go to practice,” she said. “I really like the capital. There are opportunities in the city.”

Perhaps the road least travelled among the future college student-athletes was taken by Alana Lei Uehara. She signed her NLI with Santa Clara. Hawaii doesn’t have rowing as an official sport at the high school level, but she trains with Ikaika Hawaii as a coxswain.

Her high school: Dwight Global.

“Dwight Global has an online version and an in- person version. There are multiple locations around the world, but the main one is New York,” said Uehara, who began with the school as a freshman. “I definitely prefer in-person, but I like the flexibility that online school gives me. My teachers are really supportive. Whenever I have races or I’m training, I have the support of my teachers.”

Uehara’s personal motivation makes all the difference.

“I’m self-driven and I understand how to create my own schedule. It’s a good structure for college because it allows me to understand how I need to organize my day. For people who are interested in online school, there are different versions. There’s asynchronous and synchronous. I really like interacting with my peers, so synchronous gives me the opportunity to interact with my peers and my teachers,” she said.

Synchronous equates to Zoom calls.

“It’s recorded, so if I need a little extra review, I definitely look it over,” Uehara said.

She played eight years of competitive beach and indoor volleyball before injuries sidelined her.

“I was looking for another team sport and rowing is such a team sport. You really have to have a deep trust in your teammates,” she said.

Ikaika Hawaii offers rowing via kayaking, but also has rowing clinics. That’s where Uehara met Kana Barlag of Sacred Hearts and Sabrina Graves of La Pietra. Barlag signed with Gonzaga and Graves signed with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical.

Santa Clara is landlocked, but the row team practices on a reservoir.

“I’m excited. It’s definitely going to be challenging, but I’m very much looking forward to it,” Uehara said. “I’m excited to see what God has planned for me, to learn and grow in the sport.”

NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT SIGNING

Hosted by Education 1st/Aloha Leadership Foundation

Wednesday

Elks Lodge

Name, high school, college, sport

Kana Barlag, Sacred Hearts Gonzaga Rowing

Luna Ann Brown, Kaiser Ithaca College Volleyball

Kekai Burnett, Punahou Michigan State Football

Alika Cavaco-Amoy, Punahou Hawaii Football

Maya DeGuzman, Mid-Pacific La Verne Water Polo, Swimming

Jayden Fargas, Kailua Southern Oregon Football

Ciera Fujiwara, Punahou American Swimming

Sabrina Graves, La Pietra Embry Riddle Aero. Rowing

Astin Hange, Punahou Air Force Football

Hannah Hirata, La Pietra Wells College Volleyball

Caleb Rhinelander, Punahou Pacific Lutheran Football

Daphne Ibrao, Sacred Hearts Lewis & Clark Volleyball

Charis Kai, Mid-Pacific Pepperdine Volleyball

Dillon Kellner, Punahou U. of San Diego Football

Noah Macapulay, Punahou Claremont McKenna Football

Rylie Madariaga, Mililani Puget Sound Softball

Ty McCutcheon, Punahou Utah Tech Football

Lauren Miller, Roosevelt Kean Volleyball

Petar Miocinovic, Mid-Pacific Vassar Volleyball

Kacie Mizo, Punahou Whitworth Soccer

Jayden Mizuno, Pearl City Puget Sound Baseball

Dylan Morris, Mid Pacific Orange Coast Coll. Water Polo, Swimming

Caleb Rhinelander, Punahou Pacific Lutheran Football

Alexa Siu, Mid-Pacific Pacific Lutheran Softball

Megan Sugano, Maryknoll Westcliff Softball

Katherine Taylor, Punahou New York U. Diving

Rylie Teraoka, Punahou Puget Sound Soccer

Reese Teves, Punahou Long Island Volleyball

Tayson Tiitii, Punahou Air Force Football

Alana Lei Uehara, Dwight Global Santa Clara Rowing

Ala‘i Williams, Punahou Utah Tech Football

Amber Wolfe, Sacred Hearts Queen College Volleyball