# November 7, 2016
#-1. Oahu, Hawaii
#-2. Honolulu
#-3. Saint Louis School
#-4. COL. Johnson "Teacher" Lau Track
Near the heart of Honolulu, just a slight turn away from the tourist traps, sits the private school that represents Hawaii.
Saint Louis School.
It's a 12-year private institution covering everything from elementary to high school. If you want the best education in Hawaii, this is the first place on the list. Simultaneously, they possess the most popular sports team.
The Crusaders.
Undoubtedly, the Crusaders are also the best football team in Hawaii.
"I'm certain. Tua will be the best even in college," said Cal Lee, the head coach of the
Saint Louis football team, to the man standing beside him.
The man was a recruiter. And not just any recruiter—he was from Alabama.
"However..."
"?"
"Why hasn't Nick Saban come to see Tua in person?"
"Haha. He's an incredibly busy man."
"He went to see Dwayne Moi Stone, didn't he?"
"...He's a great quarterback. I've seen enough."
Jacob Holmen intentionally shut down the conversation. Cal Lee didn't like that. Feeling a bit petty, the Saint Louis coach crossed his arms and threw his voice at the back of the Alabama recruiter's head.
"That kid is no match for Tua!!"
"... "
"Did you hear me?! You'll find out soon enough!!"
Cal Lee watched Jacob Holmen disappear and then turned around. He spat out a single word under his breath.
"Stupid motherfucker."
Historically, the Crusaders were the best in Hawaii. From 1986, they reigned as the top team in Oahu for 13 years. Even after the system changed in 1998, they were still rated the best. And this year, with the system changing once again, Saint Louis dreams of being the inaugural champions of the Open Division Tournament.
Cal Lee was confident. His roster was genuinely stacked.
This is the strongest we've ever been.
The source of the coach's confidence was one player: Tua Tagovailoa. Until very recently, he was considered the undisputed best high school QB in Hawaii, with 15 NCAA Division 1 teams, including Alabama, drooling over him. He was an all-rounder who could both throw and run; calling him a mere "dual-threat" felt like an insult to his talent.
But a few weeks ago, all the attention started shifting to another high schooler. A freshman, at that.
Remembering how his recruitment offer was rejected, Cal Lee's face contorted in disgust, and he spat on the ground.
Dwayne Moi Stone. Of course, Saint Louis had tried to recruit that boy too.
He's still just a freshman.
He tried to act like he was fine, but he really wasn't. Aside from winning the Open Tournament, Moi was a player who could change a team's history—turning the best team in Hawaii into the best team in the nation. Cal Lee had been 100% sure of it.
But now Moi has headed to their biggest rival, Kahuku High School, and is aiming his sharp fingertips at Saint Louis.
Cal Lee walked toward his players.
"Alright, everyone pay attention!!"
The well-drilled players promptly dropped to one knee. Cal Lee felt a great sense of satisfaction. They were different from the "problem kids" who went to public schools. Good home environments. Parents with stable jobs. It was easy for them to focus on football.
Cal Lee nodded slightly.
"This weekend! We are going to crush those Waianae bastards! We're gonna kick their asses and send them packing! Do you understand what this means?! It means zero mercy! This Friday, you must be more perfect than ever! Now, let us begin. Our Father in heaven..."
The unique Saint Louis tradition of reciting a prayer took place on the field. Once it was over, Cal Lee called Tua over.
"Tua. Alabama was just here."
"Yes, sir."
"A lot of recruiters will be here this Friday. Just show them your skills. Do you understand?" "Yes. Of course."
"Good. Get going."
Watching Tua Tagovailoa run back to the group, Cal Lee felt certain once more. The best high school QB in Hawaii. The best player he had ever coached. That was Tua.
Furthermore, he believed there was no way they could lose. Not only did they have the best QB in team history, but they also had the best defense in team history. A perfectly balanced offense and defense. That was the source of Cal Lee's confidence.
.
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# November 8, 2016
#-4. Football Field, QB Room
The more I look at this defense, the more suffocating it feels. Which makes it all the more rewarding to dismantle. I'm talking about the Saint Louis defense.
These guys... their defense is the real deal.
"Number 5 and number 21 are good."
"This guy?"
"No, the other number 5."
"Ah, you mean Robi. Gavin wanted him too." "But he went to Saint Louis."
"Haha. That happens a lot."
If you get offers from Kahuku and Saint Louis at the same time? Nine times out of ten, you pick Saint Louis. Better educational environment. More expensive tuition. And since you're a football recruit on a scholarship, money isn't an issue.
Number 5 for Saint Louis, Robi Paikai, was one such case. He's a Defensive Back, specifically a Safety (S). To put it simply: the last line of defense.
After a rough look at Saint Louis's defensive movements, it seems like using wide receivers on Robi's side will be difficult. The problem is, it's not just the backfield—the line is solid too.
"We won't be able to break through using ordinary methods."
"That's why we're here."
To be honest, Saint Louis's defense is several steps above ours. Most of them are 190cm tall and packed with muscle, not fat. Our O-line is gonna have a hell of a time.
In football, the offensive line moves defensively, and the defensive line moves offensively. It's simple if you think about it. The O-line's job is to protect the QB. The D-line's job is to blitz the QB. So while the O-line needs to be heavy and strong, the D-line needs strength plus the technique and speed to shed those big bodies.
Especially at the high school level, being tall and muscular means you can toy with the offensive line. This makes it hard to gain yards through rushing plays using running backs or halfbacks.
This is driving me crazy. The Safety is good. The D-line is good. In that case...
"Can you show me the Cornerbacks?"
"Of course."
Click.
The last position to look for a weakness is the Cornerback. But...
"How tall is that guy?"
"Who?"
"Number 32."
"183cm."
"He's the starter?"
"Yep. Number 32 and 47."
"What about the Nickel?"
"Number 37."
"So the Nickel is also..."
"Yeah, he's 178cm."
"Damn! They're all huge!"
This side was no joke either. Every single one of them was tall. Our starting wide receivers, Royce Pao and Sitaleki Tongi, are 170cm and 173cm respectively. Wide receivers need to catch high-flying passes, but if the cornerbacks marking them are tall, their vision gets blocked and the catch rate drops.
And yet, every Saint Louis cornerback was at least 10cm taller.
"Can you play it again from the beginning?" "Sure."
"Phew—"
Today, I'm not doing field practice. Instead, I'm doing video analysis. The head coach ordered it personally. Now I see why.
"Wait, stop there."
Click.
"Go back to the start of the snap."
Click, click.
"Yeah, right there."
Saint Louis has one loss this year. It was against Punahou, a specialized school in Honolulu. It was an incredibly unexpected loss because everyone assumed they would win. What's interesting is that three weeks prior, they won 64-44 even with three starting D-linemen missing, yet they lost 20-33 when their roster was at full strength.
As expected, football has many variables. Momentum is key. After rewatching Saint Louis's defensive plays for a long time, I found a tiny opening.
"Number 90."
"The one on the left?"
"Yes."
The tackle in the middle of the defensive line. Specifically, number 90 on the left side.
"Should we tell the referee in advance?"
"I think that's a good idea. How did we miss this?"
"There was too much else to worry about."
He had a habit that was fatal for a football defender. This might just be the deciding factor.
.
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# November 9, 2016
#-3. Kahuku High School
Today is my lunch day with Aunt Mel. As usual, we sat on the grass.
"But I have a question."
"What?"
"How can two players in football have the same jersey number? Other sports don't do that."
"Oh, that?"
As Aunt Mel said, you can have players with the same number in football. Why?
"Because the offensive and defensive teams are separate."
"Really?"
"Yeah. As long as they aren't on the field at the same time, it's fine."
For example, if a Wide Receiver wears #12, a Cornerback can also wear #12. It doesn't matter even if it's a Safety. They'll never be on the field at the same time anyway.
"But we don't have that, do we?"
"That's because our roster is small."
"Oh... sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about."
We only have 53 players this year, but they say we'll have over 60 next year. Some will be cut or transfer, but there will be even more transfers in and freshmen coming.
"Thanks for the food, Auntie."
"You're welcome. What's your 5th-period class?"
"History."
"Ah, Ms. Milena. Right?"
"She makes it really interesting."
"Don't fall asleep just because you're full." "Yes, ma'am! I'll keep that in mind!"
"Haha. Thanks for helping me clean up."
"It was really nice talking to you, Auntie."
"Same here."
I gave Aunt Mel a warm hug. Then we said our goodbyes. She doesn't have a 5th-period class today, so she's going to help some kids who are falling behind before heading home in the afternoon. She's really diligent. You can feel she truly cares about the kids. It would be great if she just got married.
Is there no one good out there? Any mediocre guy would just be dead meat. To me. To Dad. To Grandpa.
Wait—maybe...
"It could be because of us?"
Since she came back to the island after a bad experience on the mainland, our family has been overprotective of anything regarding Aunt Mel. I imagine a scene from a movie...
which one was it? Bad Boys? There's a scene where the boyfriend comes to pick up Martin Lawrence's daughter. I feel like anyone trying to date Aunt Mel would feel exactly like that boyfriend.
Actually, it might be scarier. I'm one thing, but Grandpa and Dad are on a whole other level.
"MEL—!!"
"?"
"SORRY!!"
"????"
I just felt like apologizing. Aunt Mel looked at me like I was weird as I waved my hand with a bright smile. So I smiled even wider. This is the family I truly love.
"I LOVE YOU!!!"
Aunt Mel finally burst into a bright smile at the sudden confession. I turned around feeling refreshed and walked to my history class. And when class was over...
"Damn!!!"
"Jerome. What? What's up?"
"I heard you got a girlfriend?"
"...What?"
"The whole school knows already. Dammit. Some girls were even crying! Our homeboy finally scored big?! Who the hell is she? You know there are even bets on who your girlfriend is? Tamika? Oh! Is it Momi? Right?"
Dammit. I forgot my status at this school. But seriously, who is Tamika? And who is Momi?
To Jerome Wesley, I confessed the truth. He looked incredibly let down.
"Damn!! It was Ms. Melissa?"
"Yup."
"Your aunt?"
"Yup."
"Shit! That's disappointing."
"I told you. No dating in high school."
"Even if next year's freshmen are hot?"
"Hmm—maybe?"
"Only football?"
"Yup."
In my past life and this one, high school couples usually ended badly. It's because the women you meet after going to college or turning pro are way more beautiful and charming; there are so many football players who got caught cheating after marriage. It's their private life, but I don't want to deal with that mess. One divorce (actually four) in a past life was enough.
"Dammit. You know, Homeb— no. Moi." "Using my name all of a sudden?"
"Seriously."
Jerome was actually being serious for once. 173cm, 121kg. Looking at him reminds me of that famous "8 Mile" meme—the "It's fucking good" one. I occasionally made him recreate it. Anyway, serious Jerome deserves an ear.
"Someday, when you turn pro..."
"...."
"Buy me a Rolls-Royce."
"FUCK!! Get lost!! Dammit. I just wasted my time."
"Then even a Bentley!! BMW?? Or a pickup truck?"
"Fuck you!! Yours is so small there's barely anything to 'off'!"
"Even a Hyundai is fine!!"
"FUCK YOU!!"
Why the hell did his standards drop so fast? Next thing you know, he'll be asking for a Honda Civic.
"Is a Honda Civic okay?!"
Goddammit. There it is. I kept my middle finger raised until the very last second.
"Is there not a single normal person here?" "Hehehe. Didn't you know?"
"Huh?"
"That's our Kahuku. What do you expect from a public school?"
"Goddammit."
The reason I said "goddammit" was because I still loved this place so much. Most people here are chased by a harsh reality, and many attend this public school just to add a line to their resume for a job, but that makes it even more humanly charming. That's why I have zero regrets about choosing Kahuku.
Well, maybe one.
"Driving to get a burger is the worst."
"Hehehe. True."
The fact that the nearest burger joint is a 15-minute drive from school. Everything else is great. Seriously.
"GOD-DAMMIT, MOI! Since when were you dating?!"
"It's not like that, you dumbass!!"
Looks like I'll have to spend my entire practice explaining the "I love you" I shouted to Aunt Mel today.
.
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▷ 2016.11.11. GAME SET
Kahuku: 07 24 20 13 – 64
Kapolei: 07 00 00 00 – 07
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▷ 2016.11.11. GAME SET
Saint Louis: 14 07 07 14 – 42
Waianae: 00 00 07 00 – 07
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[The most anticipated Hawaii high school football league finals lineup in history has been confirmed. The 2016 Open Division State Tournament final will be Kahuku vs. Saint Louis. A clash between powerhouse teams representing Hawaii's public and private schools. - Honolulu Advertiser]