[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Edison passer Tommy Grady practiced with teammates at Kapiolani Park on Tuesday.
Grady stands tall Tommy Grady tends to stick out in a crowd.
The highly touted Edison
Prep Team Standings
quarterback will pose a strong
challenge for Iolani tomorrow
By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comAt 6-foot-6, the Edison High quarterback stands helmet and shoulder pads above most of his Charger teammates. But the senior has also drawn the spotlight for his golden arm and gaudy statistics.
Grady is featured in national magazines and Internet Web sites as one of the nation's brightest prospects. But Edison coach Dave White said Grady isn't being fitted for new headgear just yet.
"He's really even keeled, doesn't get too high or too low, very consistent," White said. "So I think he's going to have a good year for us."
Edison of Huntington Beach, Calif., is in town for tomorrow night's nonleague game against Iolani. The matchup is the second game of a doubleheader at Aloha Stadium. Pac-Five plays Beverly Hills (Calif.) at 5 p.m. with the Iolani-Edison game to follow at about 7:30.
Facing a quarterback of Grady's caliber will be a stiff test for Iolani's defensive backs, some of whom are nearly a foot shorter than Grady. But Iolani coach Wendell Look said the game will help the Raiders prepare to face the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's top aerial attacks.
"It's going to be a good test for us because our league is a throwing league," Look said. "It's going to be a good look for our DBs."
Grady, a lanky 210-pounder, helped lead Edison to last year's California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division I championship game, where the Chargers lost to Long Beach Poly 42-28.
He passed for 2,791 yards and 33 touchdowns and threw just three interceptions as a junior, but is getting comfortable with a group of new receivers after losing a strong class last year, including school record-holder Denny Flanagan, now a freshman at Hawaii.
"We're better than I thought we were going to be," Grady said. "We have a lot of speed and we've got some good receivers. We played a lot of passing-league games and 7-on-7s, so we're in pretty good shape."
Grady's size, arm strength and accuracy placed him among the top passers in the West after last season, and he spent the summer working in the weight room and refining his footwork in preparation for his senior season.
"It's going to be hard to improve on his stats, they were the best in the school's history," White said. "But he's definitely gotten stronger, his feet have gotten a little quicker, so he's improved."
Grady began the summer ranked 62nd on StudentSports.com's Hot 100 list of high school prospects. But he ended speculation about his college plans by giving a verbal commitment to Oklahoma last week.
"I just want to concentrate on this season," Grady said.
He had been listening to offers from schools such as UCLA, USC, Miami and Tennessee and was also reported to be considering Fresno State, where his brother Jeff is the starting quarterback.
Edison is no stranger to the islands, as White is bringing the Chargers to Hawaii for the sixth time over the past 20 years. The Chargers have beaten Punahou twice, and Iolani, Damien and St. Anthony once each in their visits and are looking to open their 2002 season with another win over a local team.
But the game is only part of the attraction for Edison, which brought a contingent of about 200, including parents and cheerleaders.
"I think it's a great experience for a 15-, 16- or 17-year-old kid," White said. "Football is really a team sport ... and spending a week over here together 24 hours a day bonds you quicker, so there's a lot of positives to the trip."
Other games of note this weekend:
Tomorrow
Leilehua at Waianae: After going 0-9 last season, Leilehua has been the surprise of the OIA with a 2-0 start. The Mules snapped a losing streak that stretched back to September 2000 with a 32-15 win over Castle in the preseason and held Kalaheo to 48 total yards in a 25-0 victory last week.The Mules will try to keep their momentum rolling against a Waianae (1-1) team recovering from a 25-14 loss to Kahuku. Winning the turnover battle will be a key for Waianae after the Seariders lost three fumbles and tossed three interceptions last week.
Saturday
St. Louis vs. Punahou, at Aloha Stadium: St. Louis' ILH opener will also be the first game for several key performers, including quarterback Bobby George, receiver Jason Rivers and safety Timo Paepule, all of whom sat out the preseason game against Nanakuli with various injuries.The game will also be the Crusaders' last before their clash with top-ranked De La Salle on Sept. 21.
Punahou went 2-0 in preseason with wins over Aiea and Kealakehe, and the Buffanblu hope their new West Coast offense can keep the Crusaders defense off balance.
