Hawaiian Electric Game of the Week
Inaugural Life Champion Senior Bowl to be held Saturday




Prep football fans will have one last opportunity to watch some of the class of 2015 take the field for a final time this weekend.

The inaugural Life Champion Senior Bowl will take place at Kamehameha-Hawaii's Paiea Stadium Saturday night and will feature nearly 90 high school seniors split into two teams under the guidance of college coaches.

The game has drawn players from all five leagues statewide, from perennial powerhouse programs such as Kahuku, Saint Louis, Mililani and Punahou to those from 8-man teams like Pahoa, Kau and Lanai with far less history, and even a player from Guam.

"It's exciting because the kids all play in different leagues and there's different levels of play, but as far as character, there's something about our culture and the community in Hawaii that is unique because these guys took each other in as brothers," said Keala Pule, executive director of the Hawaii Football Club, which is the owner and operator of the game. "Hopefully this game will give our players exposure that they wouldn't have received otherwise and can help to elevate the level of play across the state."

Pule, who spent more than a decade coaching at the youth and high school levels on the Big Island, said the concept began as a bowl game for the seniors from the Big Island Interscholastic Federation schools, but he quickly realized he needed more bodies to fill out rosters and expanded the nomination process to include all neighbor islands. However, with the news that the long-running Hawaii Union Builders Goodwill All-Star game will be on hiatus due to budgetary concerns this year, Pule decided to open the game to seniors from Oahu schools as well.

"It started as a small, simple idea and it kind of grew from there, but the real purpose is I want our families to get more engaged with our schools and help our kids, because I would rather they graduate with options instead of a situation," Pule said, who was quick to thank his wife and HFC secretary, Celeste, for her tireless efforts in the large undertaking. "My wife and I bear the burden of staying up until (midnight) or 1 (a.m.) every night trying to get things right over here, but we wouldn't be here without the help we get from so many others and I think because of them and the credibility they bring, there has been a bigger buy-in by other people."

ScoringLive.com will have a free live video stream of the game featuring Felipe Ojastro on play-by-play duties and Josh Pacheco providing color commentary. A DVD copy of the broadcast will also be available for purchase through the website.

Doris Sullivan, president and director of the Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance and a preeminent source of information on the college recruitment process, is also involved with the event.

"The Pule Ohana asked I could be involved because they know that I've organized football camps and combines in the past and they knew that I had connections with college coaches, so I wanted to help and get the kids recruited, get them some exposure and help with the organization of it," Sullivan said. "I e-mailed 1,200 college coaches and got responses from at least 200 saying that they will watch the game live on ScoringLive, so things are coming together beautifully."

There will also be a combine for underclassmen prior to Saturday's game, which will be conducted by Chad Ikei and Rich Miano of GPA Football.

"That will give the college coaches in attendance a chance to see what the future looks like and those numbers from the combine will be sent out by Doris and PIAA to hundreds of colleges as well," Pule said.

Following the first practice Wednesday, coaches drafted their teams late that night, which could ultimately pit teammates in the regular season against each other come Saturday night.

"Chad came up with the idea of doing a draft, having the kids come in not attached to any team and having our coaches go after the kids that they want," Pule said. "The end result will reveal who they're interested in and through that selection process they'll also find some unseen seniors that they may like, too. It absolutely creates an atmosphere of competition and we hope that brings out the best in each player."

The coaches of the team will be Joe Schmitz, assistant head coach at Briar Cliff (Iowa), and Jim Monaco, head coach of Pima College (Ariz.). Longtime Saint Louis School quarterbacks coach Vince Passas and former Crusaders' quarterback and current Occidental College quarterbacks' coach Darnell Arceneaux will serve as opposing offensive coordinators.

"I'm hoping we have a maximum capacity of 2,000 because I think there will be some exciting football and a lot of talent on the field," Pule said.

WHAT: Life Champion Senior Bowl
WHO: 90 high school seniors split into two teams
WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Paiea Stadium, Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii campus
TICKETS: Adults, high school students $10, children (grades 8-under). seniors (60-older) $5
STREAMING VIDEO & LIVE STATS: ScoringLive.com [Felipe Ojastro play-by-play, Josh Pacheco color commentary]
ROSTERS: WhiteBlack

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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