LIHU‘E — “Look at the person next to you,” said Jason Apilado, coach of the Lihu‘e Patriot Junior Pee Wee tackle football team. “For the next five months, this is your ‘ohana. If you see him fall, don’t just look
LIHU‘E — “Look at the person next to you,” said Jason Apilado, coach of the Lihu‘e Patriot Junior Pee Wee tackle football team. “For the next five months, this is your ‘ohana. If you see him fall, don’t just look at him — help him.”
Wednesday marked the start of the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football Association 2012 tackle football season, and the Lihu‘e Patriots is one of five associations in the KPWFA that donned equipment and took to the field for conditioning.
Chris Simon, president of the Lihu‘e Pop Warner Association, said August will be spent on conditioning and acquainting the players and participants in the rules and basics of the game.
“We’re still accepting late registrations,” Simon said. “People are able to sign up, but they need to do so quickly because if they sign up close to Sept. 1, the players need to spend a certain amount of hours conditioning before being allowed to play. This is the perfect time to sign up.”
Coach Max Manera of the Lihu‘e Patriots Junior Midget squad — which consists of players between 10 and 12 years with a weight range of 90 to 145 pounds and players 13 years old with a weight range of 90 to 120 pounds — said the team could use about 10 more players.
Coach Jason Apilado of the Lihu‘e Patriot Junior Pee Wee team, the only football division with a berth to the national playoffs in Florida, said the JPW is at full roster at 35 players and a wait list. The JPW division includes players from 8 through 10 years old with a weight range of 60 to 105 pounds and 11 year olds with a weight range of 60 to 85 pounds.
Simon said whichever JPW team wins the KPWFA title will play the Maui winner on the Valley Isle.
“If Kaua‘i wins, O‘ahu will come here with the winner flying to Florida,” Simon said.
The Lihu‘e Patriot Mitey Mite, consisting of players 7 through 9 years old with a weight range of 45 to 90 pounds, is at 27 registered players. One team official described that as “the perfect number” to work with.
Stacey Hirokane, the LPWA cheer coordinator, said the Patriots will also field cheer squads in the Mitey Mite division. Several of its cheer members wore “Basic Training” T-shirts. The JPW and Junior Midget divisions have former Kaua‘i High School cheer coach Avery Kano stepping in to assist the different division coaches.
Other associations in the KPWFA include the Kapa‘a Eagles, the Koloa Pop Warner Association, the Hanapepe Colts and the Kekaha Pop Warner Association.
Simon said the first day of play is the Jamboree, which will be celebrated Sept. 1 from 9 a.m., marking the 50th anniversary of Pop Warner football on Kaua‘i.
“There will be football, a parade and all kinds of activities,” Simon said. “We start at 9 a.m. and run until 10 p.m. in Lihu‘e. That’s a lot of football.”
For more information on the Lihu‘e Patriots registration, call Football Coordinator Tyson Ka‘auwai at 651-6936 or Hirokane at 651-1035.
