Aka Davis was watching the Ka’u football team run sprints on a recent day. The weather in Pahala was overcast and breezy, conditions better suited for an afternoon nap. The practice was rather lethargic; the Trojans were running but not very hard.
Aka Davis was watching the Ka‘u football team run sprints on a recent day. The weather in Pahala was overcast and breezy, conditions better suited for an afternoon nap. The practice was rather lethargic; the Trojans were running but not very hard.
Then Davis, an eighth-grader at Ka‘u middle school and the brother of senior cornerback Honua Kauhi, provided inspirational words to first-year coach DuWayne Ke, telling him, “I wish I could stand like them and run.”
Ke relayed the message and the tempo took a much-needed 180-degree turn. Players ran harder and the spirits grew louder. Davis gave the Trojans a good kick in the pants.
Davis, who requires a wheelchair, was born with arthrogryposis, a rare disorder characterized by muscle weakness. It affects his legs, but nothing else. He can swim and play basketball, his favorite sport in the Special Olympics.
“I watch my brother and other people play, so I can represent them,” said Davis, explaining his daily presence at practice. “I wish I could play football, so I could spend time with my brother.”
There is a different vibe for the Trojans, who finished with a 1-8 record in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation last season.
For one thing, the roster is 42 strong, an astonishing and rare number considering the Division II school has an enrollment of only 256 students. Last year, there were fewer than 20 players.
There is a stronger emphasis on academics, supported by athletic director Kalei Namohala and principal Sharon Beck, a point of pride Ke noted.
The coach’s wife, Tammy Ke, is an assistant but her bigger role is overseeing study hall, which runs for 40 minutes from the end of school to the start of practice at 4 p.m. She is a hawk, keeping out a sharp eye for everything. She even tracks down teachers for daily academic updates on the players.
She feels team unity is the biggest difference from the past, but understands even that occasionally needs a push in the right direction.
“Aka is an inspiration to motivate and push the players,” Tammy Ke said. “We’ve never had 42 players before and we’ve never had this kind of unity. There’s more discipline and the kids are working together on and off the field.
“We started a recruitment list at the end of last year. We’ve got a lot of help from parents. We’ve made them want to be a part of it, to show them what the kids can accomplish. It’s something for the people in the community to be proud of.”
The strength of the team figures to be its offensive line, blessed with decent size and experience with junior Derrick Velez (5 feet, 8 inches, 220 pounds), seniors Austin Stoner (5-7, 220) and Tyler Amaral (5-5, 238) and sophomores Teyden Makuakane (5-7, 205) and Makoa “Koko” Kekahuna-Keliikoa (5-8, 170).
“I get the hardest head. I no listen,” said Koko, detailing his nickname.
But the coach is his uncle, and Kekahuna-Keliikoa has opened his ears and jumped on the Trojans’ horse.
“I never like play running back or anything else. I like protecting my line and making my team look good,” he said. “Last year, we had 16 players and everybody got tired in every game. I don’t see them bent over in practice. The conditioning is good.”
The last time the Trojans had a winning season was way back in 1977. They finished with a 4-3 record, history that takes a backseat for Ke.
“My goal is making everybody happy and play safe,” he said. “I want everybody to come out to practice and play their hardest and do their best. That’s all I ask. Part of sports is having fun. If you’re not having fun, it’s not a good sport at all.”