From the football field at Old Kona Airport Park all the way to Las Vegas, three Kealakehe athletes aren’t letting the COVID-19 pandemic stop them from trying to get the attention of college football programs across the country.
Senior kicker Kekaimalieokalani “Kekai” Robins, senior Xander Loyola and sophomore Avery Loyola have been keeping their kicking and punting skills sharp for weeks now at the park’s field after their fall football season was postponed. They are now preparing to leave next week for the Chris Sailer kicking camp, to be held Jan. 16-17 in Las Vegas.
The camp helps finesse a player’s kick-offs, field goals and punts.
It also provides a platform for kickers, punters and long snappers at the high school, junior college and four-year college transfers to prove to Division I schools they have what it takes to play with the best in the country.
After not being able to play any BIIF football games this fall, the Waverider trio are ready to leave the Big Island for a weekend to show how they’ve improved while practicing under COVID-19 restrictions.
“I’m going to learn and get more knowledge from the camp, and have fun,” Robins said. “I’m pretty excited to go.”
Robins has played in a Kealakehe football game before, but Xander Loyola and Avery Loyola have yet to suit up in a Waverider football uniform.
The two are on the Waverider soccer team, and decided to switch to football at the end of the last school year, following the footsteps of their friend Harry Hill, a former Konawaena soccer-turned-football kicker.
Both Xander and Avery said they’re still open to playing soccer at the college level, but still want a shot at playing football.
“I’m just going up there to get experience and get noticed,” Xander Loyola said. “I want to try and get noticed for college.
“For us, it’s tough because we’ve never really played in a game, so it’s hard to tell how we’re going to do in helmets and pads.”
“We don’t know what it’s like yet to play in a game with all the pressure and equipment, so we don’t know yet how we fit in,” Avery Loyola added.
The Vegas camp is the one bright spot right now for the three Waveriders.
“It’s been tough,” Robins said. “Ever since this pandemic hit, it hasn’t been going that well. We’re praying, hoping that we’ll hopefully have a season, but if not, we’ve just got to keep training.”
