Lukas Kuipers, a recent Hilo graduate, made a good first impression on Anthony Arceneaux, who starred on the football field at Saint Louis back in the day and now serves as an assistant at Southern Utah.
After sifting through several offers, Kuipers, a 6-foot, 175-pound wide receiver, decided to join the Thunderbirds, an FCS or Division I-AA school that competes in the Big Sky Conference.
Kuipers, who was one of his school’s 21 valedictorians with a 4.1 GPA, has an academic scholarship to Southern Utah. He’s undecided on a major.
The football factories — Saint Louis, Punahou, Kahuku, etc. — are all on Oahu, where there’s always a market for guys in the trenches, on the offensive and defensive lines.
Over on the Big Island, the Life Champion Senior Bowl provides exposure, but there’s little else for BIIF players to showcase themselves, especially those at skill positions (quarterback, running back, receivers, secondary).
Sometimes, those skill-position guys go unnoticed, even if they have a solid resume like Kuipers, who has been a part of Hilo’s four BIIF Division I titles and has taken annual trips to the HHSAA track championships.
Kuipers has a guaranteed roster spot but will play for an athletic scholarship, which can be sliced up for Division I-AA football, and a travel roster spot. It’s early job training in the mode of outwork others for your pay.
“If you consistently perform and show you can play and there’s money available, you can get more athletic money,” he said.
At least, Kuipers has a good attitude going in. Arceneaux remembered his character from long ago.
“Before I was coaching college football, I worked with him at one of my clinics I used to run in Hawaii,” said Arceneaux, who scouts the LCS Bowl. “He was always a very coachable young man. He’s an awesome kid, very respectful and determined. He and his parents (Kurt and Gaik Kuipers) were on top of everything during the recruiting process.
“I stayed on him for recruiting for a while because I knew there was a chance he would slip through the cracks. Skill players in Hawaii don’t get the recognition they deserve all the time.”
Arceneaux saw Kuipers at the LCS Bowl in November and at the Gridiron Performance Academy camp last summer on Oahu and thought he’d fit into Southern Utah’s RPO (run/pass option) offense.
In the Thunderbirds’ version of the lone back, spread offense, it’s designed to take advantage of one-on-one matchups when defenses put a premium on stopping the run.
The top three pass catchers were seniors on a team that finished 6-5, including 5-3 in the Big Sky. Southern Utah lost to Utah 24-0 in the season-opener on the road and to BYU 37-7 on the road.
There are receiver job openings at Southern Utah, which begins its season against the Phil Knight-sponsored Oregon Ducks on Sept. 2 at Autzen Stadium.
“I was really impressed with his speed, especially for a wide receiver his size,” Arceneaux said. “He attacks the football in the air very effectively. He is also a very academically accomplished student-athlete, which is something that we highly value as well.
“I believe Lukas will be very productive in our system. He will compete for an athletic scholarship. This isn’t as unusual as you think, well at least not at SUU. Wide receiver depth is something that we need to improve, so this is a great opportunity for Lukas.”
Kuipers had a signing ceremony at the Vikings Gym, where his parents, coaches, and teammates were in attendance.
“My parents have told me to work hard, be humble and put in a full effort in stuff that I do,” said Kuipers, who credited Hilo coach Kaeo Drummondo, receivers coach Makana Lewis and the rest of the staff for shaping him on the football field.
Kuipers took pride in being a well-rounded Viking, who excelled in the classroom, on the gridiron and track and found time for helping with the school’s Special Olympics projects.
When he leaves on June 23 for Southern Utah, there’s one other thing he’ll take besides warm clothes — a mindset that works as his best asset.
“I want to make Hilo proud,” he said.
