The Way I See It

By Pat Bigold

Tuesday, November 12, 1996

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Another season full of triumph, tragedy and a few laughs

GOSH, how do you get athletes to do these things for no pay?

They pay the pros millions and you still can't rely on the kind of excitement prep football delivers each game.

I guess the answer must lie in the sincerity of purpose at this level of the game.

Most of the kids who play aren't going to play beyond high school.

Yet they'll play with pain - sometimes almost unbearable pain - and vow to be back next game even though they know in their hearts that it won't be the case.

I don't think any kid should be out there in unbearable pain, but I'm in awe of the heart that would motivate them to make such a sacrifice.

As a sports writer covering their exploits, I've run the gamut of emotions, sitting in the press booths and visiting the locker rooms. It's hard not to get caught up in the triumphs, tragedies and humor associated with the prep game.

After this weekend's Oahu Interscholastic Association championship match between Waianae and Campbell, there'll only be the anticlimactic Prep Bowl on Nov. 29.

When it's over, I'll miss it all, as I always do. But I can't forget the moments that made it worthwhile to cover.

The sight of 5-foot-8, 155-pound Waianae linebacker Tai Bradley taking on the proportions of a Mack truck as he flattened Waipahu's Kaiser Lauti - 50 pounds heavier - in an OIA semifinal playoff. It was savage - but it was clean as a whistle, and it brought the crowd to its feet.

Nor can I forget Lauti's one-man heroics in a goal-line stand against Leilehua the week before.

The tenacity of Waipahu receiver Neal Gossett. In the first quarter of last week's loss to Waianae, he caught Kaiser Seumalo's pass at the Waianae 5, and, incredibly, kept his footing despite three hard dives at his legs as he reversed direction toward the end zone.

And, oh yes, I saw for myself how strong Iolani's 6-1, 303-pound Ed Taamu is when he reached one arm over the shoulder of St. Louis all-state offensive lineman Dominic Raiola last week to snare the shirt of an accelerating ball carrier and fling his body back to the line of scrimmage.

There were milestones passed:

The end of Kahuku's three-year OIA championship dynasty.

Iolani's Angela Ichinose becoming the first girl to kick a varsity field goal.

Some things made me smile:

A straight-faced quote from an OIA playoff game hero: "Coach made us practice in rain, shine and snow."

The only student body to stand for two different national anthems: Mililani. After observing the Star-Spangled Banner, they stood for their school alma mater, which happens to be to the tune of the Canadian national anthem, "Oh Canada."

Some made me frown:

The most disquieting night at Aloha Stadium: When an army of Honolulu police officers who secured the facility like a fortress while McKinley took on Farrington on Nov. 1. Dangerously rising tensions between Kuhio Park Terrace and Mayor Wright housing prompted the security clampdown.

The next most disquieting sight: The pregame handshake. When will it no longer be necessary in the eyes of OIA officials? I can understand the concerns for players' safety in the wake of gang violence in Kalihi, but it sure is sad to see this forced ritual continue.

Gridiron adversaries want to grasp each other's hands and shoulders when the dust has settled, not before it has risen.