Moses Hooton’s speed always was going to be to his advantage with fewer players and less bulk on the line of scrimmage, but it wasn’t until he mastered his footwork that he transformed himself into a terror on the football field.
Moses Hooton’s speed always was going to be to his advantage with fewer players and less bulk on the line of scrimmage, but it wasn’t until he mastered his footwork that he transformed himself into a terror on the football field.
Kohala defensive coordinator Chad Atkins praised Hooton for the extra time he put in during the offseason between his junior and senior seasons, calling him “a small guy with big feet.”
Hooton laughs off the suggestion, but few can deny that, whatever the size, his shoes fit perfectly for eight-man football.
“I was excited when I found out,” Hooton said of being named defensive player of the year.
He became a sack-master at defensive end and spearheaded a Cowboys’ defense that allowed only only 5.7 points per game in the BIIF, and Kohala went 6-0 to win the title in the three-team league under coach Reggie Tolentino.
”He made sure one half of the field was going to be covered,” Atkins said. “If you can shut down one half of the field you can take the game over.
“He was a rock all season and set the tone all year. He was a bull.”
Atkins also compares Hooton to another animal.
“He runs like a Clydesdale,” Atkins said.
But instead of getting swallowed up against bigger players and teams in regulation football, Hooton thrived against players his own size.
Hooton, 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, played Pop Warner football with the Kohala Chargers, but he didn’t have a chance to play in high school until Kohala adopted eight-man for the 2014 season.
“They told us the fastest players are going to win,” Hooton said.
They were right, but not before Atkins went to work.
“We challenged him to get better in practice,” Atkins said. “He got better with his feet.”
Cowboys linebacker/punter Cayson Carlos-Ellazar and defensive back Isaiah Villacorte-Carvalho were also voted to the coaches’ first team, and they were joined by defensive lineman Ikaika Salmo-Grace and linebacker Evan Manoha of Ka’u, and Pahoa’s Kealen Kamake’eaina, a defensive end, and Kaipo Kalani, a defensive back.
Hooton’s masterpiece was a performance against Pahoa in which he finished with two sacks, two more tackles for loss, and a fumble strip that led to a defensive touchdown.
Credited with 14 sacks on the season, Atkins could count on Hooton to loom large, but there was one game he was glad he didn’t come up too big.
The Cowboys’ defense was set to be tested by Manoha – the eight-man offensive player of the year at running back – when Atkins made a friendly proposition.
Manoha was coming off a 300-yard rushing performance, but Atkins told his unit that if they held Manoha to negative yardage that he would go run with the girls cross country team.
Kohala won easily, and Manoha finished with 32 yards.
“The key was getting to him before he could get the ball,” Hooton said.
He plans to join the military after graduation, but he still has hopes of playing at the next level.
Offensive player of the year
Evan Manoha, Ka’u
Defensive player of the year
Moses Hooton, Kohala
Coach of the year
Reggie Tolentino, Kohala
First team
Offense
Offensive line
Kale Kuhiiki Soph Ka’u
Steven Medeiros Jr Kohala
Simmy Billy Oh Sr Pahoa
Wide receivers
Joaquin Ridgeway Sr Pahoa
Styles Alvarez Jr Kohala
Running back
Dyson Gacutan Sr Pahoa
Evan Manoha Sr Ka’u
Quarterback
Kainalu Emeliano-Solomon Sr Kohala
Kick returner
Kainalu Emeliano-Solomon Sr Kohala
Kicker
Lava Benn, Sr. Pahoa
Defense
Defensive line
Moses Hooten Sr Kohala
Ikaika Salmo-Grace Fr Ka’u
Kealen Kamake’eaina Jr Pahoa
Linebacker
Cayson Carlos-Ellazar Sr Kohala
Evan Manoha Sr Ka’u
Defensive back
Isaiah Villacorte-Carvalho Sr Kohala
Kaipo Kalani Sr Pahoa
Punter
Cayson Carlos-Ellazar Sr Kohala
Honorable mention
Ka’u: Trieson Pascubillo, Kainalu Medeiros-Dancel, Duane Santiago, Zachary Kai
Kohala: Austin Salvador-Racoma, Zerex Abellera
Pahoa: Shadwick Pia-Lemmon