Lewis & Clark junior Melvin Ho‘omanawanui recorded the first three sacks of his career on Saturday.
Even that wasn’t the top performance by a Hawaii-born player for the Pioneers that day.
That honor went to junior wide receiver Heisman Hosoda, who was named the Northwest Conference offensive student-athlete of the week on Monday after catching 17 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-22 loss to Puget Sound.
Hosoda had 13 receptions in the first half and broke the school record for catches in a game with his final grab on the second-to-last play of the third quarter.
“Before the game, our coaches drew up a really good game plan,” said Hosoda, a 2015 Punahou graduate. “Puget Sound likes to go man-to-man. I got that opportunity to get a chance and yeah, in that first half a lot of the quick outs were open so I was just incredible lucky and honored to be in that position.”
Hosoda was Punahou’s second-leading receiver as a senior behind Kanawai Noa, Hawaii’s all-time career receiving record holder who plays for California.
For college, he decided to give up football and attend UNLV, but after a year in Las Vegas, he was ready to get back into the sport.
Brandon Ito, a family friend and four-year starter on the offensive line for the Pioneers in the early-1990s, steered Hosoda toward Lewis & Clark in Portland.
Assistant coaches Isaac Parker (now the offensive coordinator) and James Yen (receivers coach) are Kamehameha alums and have helped increase Hawaii’s presence at the school, with 13 players from the islands now on the roster.
“It just kind of made sense,” Hosoda said of choosing Lewis & Clark.
Unlike Punahou, an established football program that is almost always a contender and has multiple state titles, Lewis & Clark has been a perennial bottom-feeder in the NWC.
The Pioneers had three straight 0-7 seasons in conference play before Hosoda joined the team in the spring of 2017.
“We had like four linemen — not because people were hurt or nursing injuries — we just had four linemen,” Hosoda recalled. “For receivers there were, like, two slots and three outside guys. We couldn’t even run 7-on-7s because we didn’t have the numbers.”
Head coach Jay Locey, who was hired in December 2014, brought in both Parker and Yen, who have helped rebuild the roster with their roots in Hawaii.
Defensive lineman Cameron Chang, a 2017 ‘Iolani alumnus, was the NWC rookie of the year last season.
Ho‘omanawanui, another ‘Iolani graduate, is rounding into form after an injury ended his season last year after three games.
Eight of the 13 players from Hawaii participated against Puget Sound.
“Before I transferred I knew the team hadn’t won in several years and I wanted to be one of the guys who was able to say, ‘Hey, I’m here, whatever the team needs in order to get one or two or however many wins’ was my goal,” Hosoda said. “I’m just glad the seniors last year got to experience winning and I’ve just tried to carry that over to this year.”
Lewis & Clark snapped a 33-game losing streak with a win at Pomona-Pitzer last year in a nonconference game and won their first conference game in four years a week later.
The Pioneers are 2-2 this season, with wins over Whittier (Calif.) and Willamette (Ore.).
Hosoda is averaging 73.8 receiving yards per game, ranking fifth in the conference. He has 27 receptions overall for 295 yards.
“While everybody loves a winner, it’s also great to learn from those losses and there’s just something about going through all of these obstacles in life with my brothers on the team,” Hosoda said. “To come out with a couple of wins is a victory in my book.
“We’re rebuilding, but we’re going to work every day to prove to the rest of the conference that we’re here and we can compete and that’s definitely something special.”
PROFILE
Heisman Hosoda
>> School: Lewis & Clark
>> Class: Junior
>> Position: Wide receiver
>> Height: 5-9
>> Weight: 175 pounds
>> High school: Punahou (2015)
PIONEERS FROM HAWAII
Heisman Hosoda (Punahou ’15) 5-9, 175, Jr, WR
Tanner Ono (Punahou ’18) 5-9, 160, Fr, DB
Matt Saltman (‘Iolani ’17) 5-10, 170, Fr, WR
Jantzen Shinmoto (Aiea ’14) 5-8, 160, Sr, WR
Evan Powers (Punahou ’18) 5-10, 180, Fr, RB
Makana Laboy (‘Iolani ’17) 6-0, 180, So, DB
Melvin Ho’omanawanui (‘Iolani ’16) 5-10, 225, So, LB
Randy Manewa (Nanakuli ’16) 6-0, 205, So, DB
Kaimana Kahale (Molokai ’16) 5-11, 180, Jr, DB
Robert Nakihei (Punahou ’16) 5-10, 210, Jr, LB
Alfred Maka Ah Loo (Kapa’a ’15) 6-2, 280, Sr, OL
Kalae Wong (Nanakuli ’16) 6-2, 307, Jr, OL
Cameron Chang (‘Iolani ’17) 6-0, 235, So, DL
FOOTBALL
>> Tua Tagovailoa, Saint Louis ’17: The Alabama sophomore quarterback finished 10-for-13 for 334 yards and four touchdowns in a 65-31 win over Arkansas on Saturday. Tagovailoa, the Heisman front-runner, according to betting odds, has yet to attempt a pass in the fourth quarter of a game this season.
>> McKenzie Milton, Mililani ’16: The Central Florida junior finished 18-for-34 for 278 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-20 win over SMU on Saturday.
>> Jordan Ta‘amu, Pearl City ’15: The Ole Miss senior quarterback was 21-for-34 for 374 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 63 yards and two more scores in a 70-21 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.
>> Bradlee Anae, Kahuku ’16: The Utah junior defensive end finished with five tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in a 40-21 win over then-No. 7 Stanford on Saturday.
>> Ronley Lakalaka, Punahou ’15: The San Diego State senior linebacker intercepted his first pass of the season and assisted on two tackles in a 19-13 win over Boise State on Saturday.
>> Andrew Aleki, Kamehameha ’17: The San Diego State sophomore linebacker made three solo tackles against the Broncos.
>> Kainoa Wilson, Mililani ’15: The Washington State junior blocked a punt in the first quarter, recorded two tackles on special teams and had one punt return for 14 yards in a 56-37 win over Oregon State on Saturday.
>> Kanawai Noa, Punahou ’15: The California junior receiver had three receptions for 48 yards in a 24-17 loss to Arizona on Saturday.
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Stats compiled by Billy Hull, Star-Advertiser. To submit an athlete for publication, email bhull@staradvertiser.com.
