StarBulletin.com

All-Stars ready to put on a show


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POSTED: Thursday, December 11, 2008

A quiet weekend for Hawaii Warrior fans is ahead.

However, for truly hardcore Warrior fanatics, tomorrow night's Hawaii All-Star Football Classic cannot be missed. The second game of the twinbill, in particular, is a must-see. Hawaii and Polynesia's best prep football players face off against the Mainland's elite. The hidden treasure for UH fans: 12 future Warrior players will suit up at Aloha Stadium - 11 for Hawaii/Poly and one for the Mainland.

Consider it an early Christmas present from Santa, i.e. Football University, headed by Rich McGuinness, owner of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

The opening game of the doubleheader is the annual HUB Goodwill Senior Bowl, with Oahu-based teams from the West and East kicking off at 5 p.m. The Hawaii/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl follows at 8 p.m. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports West, but will be blacked out locally.

Why national TV for an inaugural event? The quality of talent is immense, though the Mainland squad has blue-chippers who are far more familiar to recruiters from coast to coast. The involvement of McGuinness was key to drawing 4- and 5-star talent to the islands. HHSAA chief Keith Amemiya's thumbprints are also on the event, from the prized practice facility of the Hawaii/Poly team (Roosevelt's renovated Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium) to the organizing backbone provided by his staff.

Local fans will have their eyes on future Warriors. Two are on the Hawaii/Poly team: Cayman Shutter of Punahou and Corey Nielsen of Gahr (Calif.).

Shutter, a 6-foot-1, 189-pound senior, completed a phenomenal season with a 400-yard, three-touchdown performance in the state final against Leilehua. Shutter threw for 2,426 yards and 28 touchdowns with just seven interceptions in 274 attempts.

Only last week, Shutter de-committed from New Mexico and gave UH his verbal commitment. The offense is a blend of the run-and-shoot operated by Aiea and Castle - Aiea's Wendell Say is the Hawaii/Poly head coach - and has been easy to pick up.

“;It's similar to UH. It's all shotgun,”; said Shutter, who learned to pass out of the pistol formation during Punahou's state-title season.

“;It's fun and, so far, it's wide open. They're probably going to press (Billy Ray Stutzmann) 'cause they probably don't know who he is,”; he added.

Nielsen's Hawaii roots are deep. His mother is a UH and Punahou graduate and his grandmother lives in Makiki.

“;Being in Hawaii, you can feel the camaraderie. It's an honor to see what Polynesia is all about,”; he said. “;It's a challenge, an opportunity to show people what I've got and what they can expect for years to come.”;

Nielsen is one of two non-Hawaii players who will play for the Hawaii/Poly team and suit up for UH next fall.

There are other players, like Steve Fanua of Milpitas (Calif) High School, who will play for Hawaii/Poly but have already committed to play college ball elsewhere.

“;It's good to represent your heritage in the game you love,”; Fanua said. He is from the Bay Area, was recruited by UH, but committed to Cal.

Both teams intend to air the ball out and go deep often. Shutter and Nielsen hail from run-and-shoot teams - Nielsen has already developed a good connection with future Warrior receiver Billy Ray Stutzmann.

“;He's faster and quicker,”; Nielsen said, comparing the Saint Louis speedster to other prep pass catchers.

Shutter will have a familiar target in Punahou teammate Robby Toma, who led the state with 85 receptions, 1,388 yards and 18 touchdown catches. Toma and another teammate, Dalton Hilliard, have already committed to UCLA. Hilliard will not play this week due to an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, the Mainland squad showed some serious vertical-passing game during yesterday's practice at Aloha Stadium.

The visitors, clad in brand-new shiny blue helmets and gear, looked more like a college team than a bunch of high schoolers.

That got Hawaii/Poly's Manti Te'o (Punahou) revved up. Visiting the stadium with other Hawaii/Poly players to meet the media, the nation's top-rated linebacker couldn't take his eyes off the Mainland squad.

Thirteen Hawaii/Poly players have committed to colleges, but Te'o remains uncommitted. Kapolei offensive lineman Stan Hasiak gave UCLA a verbal, but plans to visit at least one more school.

Two standouts from Utah, Xavier Su'a Filo and John Martinez, and three players from Samoa are also on the Hawaii/Poly squad.

Among the many highly-recruited visitors: Dorian Bell (Monroeville Gateway, Pa.), the No. 2-rated linebacker in the country. Bell committed to Ohio State, turning down Penn State, which wanted him to play running back.

“;It's great down here,”; he said, noting that the temperature back home is 30 degrees.

Coach Bill Renner (West Springfield, Va.) was all business with his squad, which did some 7-on-7 work.

“;It's competitive here. Everybody's great and on the same level, so you've got to use more smarts,”; Bell said.

The boys in blue also showed Renner's penchant for aerial wizardry. Renner is a big fan of the run-and-shoot and one of its innovators, June Jones.

Bryn Renner, the coach's son, and Zach Mettenberger (Watkinsville, Ga.) will guide the Mainland's offense.

David Wilson (Danville, Va.) and Michael Ford (Leesville, La.) - considered the top running backs in the nation - will spark the ground attack.

Renner has coached in two all-star games before, but nothing quite like this.

“;What would take me one or two weeks to teach most players, they can learn faster in three days,”; said Renner, who recently resigned his post at West Springfield. He'll have more time to watch Bryn play at North Carolina, which means tomorrow's game could be his swan song.

Bryn Renner passed for 3,123 yards and 35 touchdowns at the helm of his team's no-huddle offense. The team averaged 44 points per game.

“;It's Colt Brennan football,”; coach Renner said.