RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Linebacker Blaze Soares led Castle to a 7-4 record this year and is being recruited by Idaho and Hawaii.

Looking for hidden stars

Greg Croshaw patrols the back of the end zone, talking endlessly into his cell phone. Then he marches slowly up the sideline, just watching the action.

Croshaw doesn't just see all-stars. The longtime Dixie Junior College coach sees diamonds in the rough. For three decades, he has coached talent from Hawaii on the campus of Dixie, located in St. George, Utah.

It started with Leighton Kanahoi in 1971, and by the time Croshaw became head coach in 1981, mining the field of talent in the islands was a no-brainer.

For Croshaw, the creation of the HUB Goodwill Classic, now in its 14th year, is a godsend. The game kicks off tonight at 7:30 at Aloha Stadium. Pregame festivities begin at 7 p.m.

The West squad had the privilege of working out daily at Aloha Stadium.

The East team practiced at Cooke Field on the University of Hawaii campus.

"I've been coming here ever since this game started. It sure isn't for the food. I can only eat so much rice and macaroni salad," said Croshaw, who guided Dixie to a 10-2 mark this season. "Every time I go home, my waistline's gone up 4 inches."

Unlike Division I recruiters, who pray that their favorite prospects reach academic qualification requirements, Croshaw is in a unique position. He wants the talent, both heralded and lesser-known, that falls through the cracks. In Hawaii, there are literally tons of players who don't make NCAA requirements.

That's where the HUB Classic comes in.

"Every other all-star game I know of is in the summer. This is great," Croshaw said. "This is better than video."

Former Hawaii prep stars like Mulivai Pula, Chris Paogofie and Steve Laulu are among a long list of Dixie players through the years. "I try to take four to eight a year," Croshaw said. "I wanna make sure they can play without any questions. I only want as many players as I can afford."

For a junior college, budgets are always tight, but Croshaw's experience helps. "There's nothing that gets a player more homesick than not being able to afford to eat," he said. "We make sure all that is taken care of."

RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Kailua's Damien Torres led the OIA Red East in rushing this year.

This winter, Dixie's priorities are to find offensive linemen. Croshaw has offered opportunities to three of them, as well as one tight end.

He's also looking for a defensive lineman.

Mark Kaanapu is in a different situation at Menlo College. The Division III school has 22 Hawaii players on its roster from just about every league in the islands, including three from the Big Island.

"The kids from Hawaii are tough and hard-nosed. They have a sense of pride in representing their families," said Kaanapu, who recently completed his eighth season as head coach. Unlike Dixie, Menlo is a four-year school with an enrollment of just 663.

Kaanapu is also the school's assistant director of athletics, which means he implements some creative teaching and advising tools for student-athletes. "I have three rules: go to class, treat everyone on campus with respect, and don't lie," he said. "Everything they go through, we've gone through, too."

The "Menlo Success" program includes an actual scouting report on the school's professors. Kaanapu and recruiting coordinator Fred Guidici toured schools across the island this week. "We have kids on our team who didn't play in this game," Kaanapu said.

Guidici has scoured the entire state for years now. Kaanapu joined him on a Big Island tour for the first time this week. "The bottom line is, Hawaii is a hotbed of football," Guidici said.

One of the early beneficiaries of the exhibition game was Randall Okimoto, who is this year's East head coach. Okimoto was a standout running back at Farrington, but college offers were non-existent.

"I was fortunate to play in the first one. It gave me an opportunity," said Okimoto, who is now head coach of the Governors. "I threw a double pass during the game, and (then-UH coach) Bob Wagner came to my house the next day. He said he didn't know I was a double threat."

The game gave Wagner a chance to see Okimoto play. "Then he offered me a scholarship. That's why this game is special to me," he said.

OC-16 will televise the game live for the first time, and the contest will also be streamed over the Internet. Here's a look at the matchup:

HUB Goodwill Classic

When: Tonight, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Aloha Stadium.

On paper: No blitzing is allowed except inside the 10-yard line. That means easier success for the East, which will operate a run-and-shoot offense with option elements thanks to Okimoto, who is the offensive coordinator. Or will it? The East boasts the OIA Red East's top rusher, Damien Torres (Kailua), and All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu first-team rusher Kevin Sullivan (Saint Louis), but they won't likely be on the field at the same time.

The West will run first under offensive coordinator James Millwood (Mililani). That's good news for Jayson Rego (Kamehameha), Fuava'a Faualo (Damien) and Krypton Taito (Waipahu).

Rego led the ILH in rushing and was voted ILH Offensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches. In addition, Mililani quarterback Maka Kahoano is in the lineup, and his familiarity with the offense is a big plus.

The skinny: Millwood's offense is run-first, but not simple by any means. The series of traps and counters means new language and challenges for Austen Benito, who operated a spread option at Waipahu.

The same goes for the West's other quarterback, Shaye Asoau, who directed a Delaware Wing-T at Campbell.

If, and when, the West decides to throw, there are three blazing receivers to find. Jon Santos (Mililani), Isaac Laupola (Campbell) and Ikaika Tan (Kapolei) may be the three fastest players in the game. They will face a talented East secondary led by Al Afalava (Kahuku), La'akea Moikeha (Roosevelt) and Milo Kalama (Iolani).

On the West's defensive side, Kamehameha's lock-down cornerbacks, Michael Holt and Travis Uale, have played at the highest level since early in the season. They'll face up against the East's plethora of receiving talent.

Spencer Hafoka (Kahuku), an Oahu Interscholastic Association first-team selection, is joined by Saint Louis' Shaun Kauleinamoku, Iolani's Micah Kalama, Kaiser's Matt Ching and McKinley's Chris Quiocho.

The interior battle could possibly be the most intriguing one. East defensive tackle Tyson Alualu dominated the ILH en route to Defensive Player of the Year honors. He will knock heads with nemeses Trask Iosefa (Punahou) and Tyler Williams (Kamehameha) of the West. Aaron Kia, a highly-coveted prospect from Mililani, gives the West additional power up front.

When the East has the ball, West linemen Mika Kane (Kamehameha), Rocky Savaiigaea (Aiea) and sleeper prospect Malo Taumua (Aiea) anchor a formidable front. All three are drawing tremendous interest from Pac-10 schools, as well as Hawaii.

X factor: Stanley Nihipali (Saint Louis) has thrown the ball with authority and accuracy despite a midseason shoulder separation. Though he's feeling a little pain, his delivery has been impressive. "You can't tell," Okimoto said. "He's doing good. I couldn't tell it was his throwing shoulder."

His performance during the past two weeks has impressed some watchers.

Though none of the East's quarterbacks have varsity experience with the option, Okimoto thinks Shannon Wise (Kaiser) and Rudy Artuyo (Roosevelt) will flourish.

"When we scrimmaged Kaiser, he ran over two of my guys. I never forgot that," Okimoto said.

Extra points: Okimoto has been pleasantly surprised with Brandon Davis, a middle linebacker from Roosevelt. "He's quick and strong against the run. He has a nose for the football," he said of the 6-foot, 205-pound senior. Kahuku running back Micah Strickland did not show up for practice until Tuesday, and was promptly sent away by Okimoto.

"It's only fair to the other players who have been here the whole time," he said. Strickland is on the poster being distributed by game officials.

Hafoka, an NCAA qualifier who runs a 4.4 40, had been leaning toward nationally-ranked Utah before Urban Meyer departed for Florida. The 6-foot, 180-pound receiver is now leaning toward Hawaii.