The saying goes: Good things come to those who wait. The Hanohanos of Kekaha know that. “Things happen for a reason,” said Penny Hanohano. “Being Hawaiian, you always dream of your kids attending school at Kamehameha. We tried to get
The saying goes: Good things come to those who wait. The Hanohanos of Kekaha know that.
“Things happen for a reason,” said Penny Hanohano. “Being Hawaiian, you always dream of your kids attending school at Kamehameha. We tried to get Kele in, but it just didn’t happen.”
Penny and her husband Ralph Hanohano wanted to send their 14-year-old son, Kele, to Kamehameha Schools Kapalama, but that didn’t quite work out the way they planned. Instead, the Waimea High School freshman will be transferring out next year to attend and play football for Mater Dei High School of Chula Vista in California.
Formerly known as Marian Catholic High School in San Diego, the private Catholic school has a newly renovated facility and athletic complex.
“I’m going to be sad because I’m going to miss everybody,” Kele said. “But I know it’s going to be good for me in the future. What interested me the most was the colleges that look at that school. The science classes team up with NASA. It sounds like a smart school.”
Recently, Kele traveled to San Diego with his teammates of the Kekaha Pop Warner Association Midget Tackle Squad, the Chargers, to play in the Sun Bowl Invitational. The Chargers played a game against the West Conference champions, the Valencia Park Hornets, but lost 6-0.
“The best part of the game was the hitting,” Kele said. “They were running scared.”
Kele’s performance in the game as a defender caught the eye of a recruiter for Mater Dei. Ruben Escobosa was sent to the invitational to scout the California teams, but couldn’t help but notice Kele’s athleticism.
“We go to a lot of football games and we went to see what kids would be good for our school,” Escobosa said. “We tried not to look at the Hawai‘i kids because we didn’t think that we could get some of them to come to our school, but we couldn’t help but look at No. 5.”
Escobosa and the rest of the recruiters talked to parents of the Valencia Park team and handed out information packets on the school and went about their business. On their way out, however, they passed the Kekaha teams.
Escobosa remembered noting Kele’s quickness, aggressiveness and anticipatory skills as a linebacker. It just so happened that Escobosa also had one extra information packet about the school.
“He was not only competitive, he was excellent against really good competition,” Escobosa said. “As a coach, you see a lot of kids who overreact (to situations). He didn’t do any of that.”
He asked the team who No. 5 was and they all pointed to Kele. Escobosa briefly talked to him and handed him that last packet.
“We didn’t know what was going on at first. I didn’t think it was for real until two days later,” Penny said. “But Kele kept on saying, ‘Call the guy, call the guy.’”
Penny said once she spoke with Escobosa, he had nothing but positive things to say about Kele.
“We were tearing up with joy,” Penny said. “We were hungry to learn more about the school. We wanted him to go.”
Penny admitted that as a mother, she is nervous about his leaving but sees this as a good opportunity for him to become independent.
“I’m interested in seeing how he’ll grow personally, athletically and spiritually,” she said.
Since the Hanohanos returned to Kaua‘i, they have continued conversations with Escobosa. Kele will take an entrance exam in January to see what education level he will be placed in.
“It’s going to happen,” he said. “I’m going to go.”
Kele started playing football with the Kekaha Pop Warner Association since the fourth grade. Last year, he was a semifinalist for the Hershey Track and Field Invitational in Pennsylvania.
“I’ve been a natural athlete since the day I was born,” Kele said. “At least that’s what my dad said.”
Before Kele leaves, he wants to try a few new things at Waimea. He is already in the Bible Club at school and wants to try playing volleyball and running track.
As for Penny, she now believes there was a reason that Kele is not attending Kamehameha and is happy he will have the opportunity to attend school on the Mainland.
Kele Hanohano
Age: 14
Family: Parents Penny and Ralph Hanohano; one older sister and a younger brother.
Football positions: Running back, linebacker, punter and kicker.
What do you like to do when you’re not playing sports? “I like to go to the beach a lot. I go as much as I can. Every day if I can.”
Do you have a favorite spot? “On the base.”
Where do you want to play college ball? “I want to go to the University of Hawai‘i.”
Do you have a favorite football team? “I like Miami, but they’re aren’t doing so well.” (This interview was conducted before Miami’s victory on Sunday.)
Do you have any favorite players? “I like Ricky Williams and Adrian Peterson.”
• Lanaly Cabalo, sports editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
