McKinley offensive lineman Brandon Tatupu is on his way to recovery after living through a football player's worst nightmare last Saturday. Good news for
Tigers’ TatupuBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comTatupu was injured early in the fourth quarter of McKinley's 26-22 loss to Castle at Roosevelt Stadium. He lay motionless on the field with numbness on the left side of his body after leading Michael Vasconcellos into the end zone for a touchdown.
He was taken from the field in an ambulance after trainers and paramedics strapped him to a stretcher.
Despite the scary scene, McKinley coach David Tanuvasa said it looks like the 6-foot-3, 365-pound Tatupu will be fine as he regained movement over the weekend and all X-rays were negative. Tanuvasa said Tatupu was diagnosed with a bad bruise on his spine.
"It was a big relief," Tanuvasa said. "You don't want to see that happen to any kid."
Tatupu won't miss any class time since McKinley is on its fall break this week, but Tanuvasa said he will be out of action for a while. The Tigers (3-2) face undefeated Kailua on Saturday at Roosevelt.
In other injury-related news, St. Louis quarterback Bobby George is probable for Friday's game against Punahou after spraining his ankle late in the Crusaders' 41-20 loss to Kamehameha on Sept. 27.
After resting through a bye week, George returned to practice on Monday and St. Louis coach Delbert Tengan said he expects George to be ready for Friday's game.
Back in the game: It took four games for Cal Lee to get back into coaching at St. Louis.
Lee, the Crusaders' head coach for 21 seasons before stepping down last year, is overseeing St. Louis' special teams units, an area the team excelled in during his tenure as coach.
"It's no big deal," said Lee, the school's athletic director. "I just wanted to see if I could help in some way."
Several coaches had been working with the kicking and punting teams this season, and Tengan said Lee's addition allows those coaches to concentrate on their specific roles.
"I had hoped for him to come out earlier in the year, but he was busy with his other duties," Tengan said. "Now he's found some free time, so he's been helping us out."
Best of the West: First place in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division volleyball standings will be on the line tonight when Leilehua travels to Pearl City.
Pearl City enters today's 6 p.m. girls match atop the division at 6-0, a game ahead of 5-1 Leilehua.
The roles are reversed in the boys standings, where Leilehua is undefeated at 6-0 and Pearl City is a game back. The showdown follows the girls match and is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Leilehua is tied with Campbell for first place in the division. The Mules take on the Sabers on Saturday. Mililani is 6-1 with Pearl City chasing the leaders at 5-1. The Chargers' only loss was a forfeit to Waialua for using an ineligible player.
Battle on the net: St. Louis lost to De La Salle (Calif.) on the football field last month, but the Crusaders have a shot at another national power on the Internet this week.
St. Louis is matched up with Long Beach Poly in the Challenge of Champions, a 16-team online tournament on NFLHS.com.
Fans can log on to the site and vote for either the Crusaders or Jackrabbits through Sunday.
On the field, Long Beach Poly takes its shot at ending De La Salle's 129-game winning streak on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.
Athletes of the Week
Boys
>> Brad Lau, Hawaii Prep football: Rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns, each 24 yards or longer, in Ka Makani's 35-0 win over Kohala. Last week's performance raised Lau's rushing total this season to 905 yards.
Girls
>> Aneli Cubi-Otineru, Punahou volleyball: Pounded 37 kills, hitting .441, and came up with 20 digs in the Buffanblu's three-game loss to Iolani. She also recorded 14 kills and 10 digs in a 15-4, 15-11 victory over University.
Honor Roll
AIR RIFLERY
>> Michael Tanoue, St. Louis: Recorded a score of 277 to lead the Crusaders to a win over Punahou.
>> Vicci Yau, Punahou: Shot a 281 for the Buffanblu girls team in its win over Sacred Hearts.
>> Steven Kikuchi, Pearl City: Shot a 266 to lead the Charger boys over Radford.
>> Deanna Patacsil, Kalani: Scored 238 in the Falcon girls team's victory over Roosevelt.
BOWLING
>> Jarrett Mizo, Roosevelt: Rolled a high game of 259 and a high series of 622 to lead the Rough Riders to a 3-0 win over Kaiser.
>> Christian Rafael, Damien: Bowled a 257 in the Monarchs' 3-0 win over Maryknoll.
>> Jodi Ann Gum and Jennifer Iha, Pearl City: Gum recorded a high game of 217 and Iha had a high series of 555 to lead the Charger girls team to a 3-0 win over Campbell.
CROSS COUNTRY
>> Nicole Anderson, Iolani: Was the top Hawaii finisher in the 3-mile girls race at the Kamehameha Invitational. She came in third with a time of 19 minutes, 19 seconds.
>> J.B. Bolson, Kamehameha: Finished first among local entrants in the boys race at the Kamehameha Invitational. His eighth-place finish (16:53) helped the Warriors place third in the team standings.
FOOTBALL
>> Ranson Kepa, Kailua: Threw for 291 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a score in the Surfriders' 49-0 victory over Kalaheo.
>> Brad Ching, Kailua: Caught four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns against Kalaheo.
>> Shauncey-Blaine Saito, Campbell: Ran for 172 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Sabers to a 42-28 win over Leilehua.
>> Romeo Mayrena, Campbell: Contributed to the Sabers' 409 rushing yards against Leilehua with 119 yards and two touchdowns.
>> Jordon Dizon, Waimea: Carried the ball 33 times for 176 yards and the winning touchdown in the Menehunes' 7-0 win over Kauai.
KAYAKING
>> Peter Van Ribbink, Iolani: Won the varsity boys race at last week's ILH regatta with a time of 12:24.62.
>> Halli VanLierribink, Punahou: Won the varsity girls race with a time of 14:35.33.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
>> Uriah Seui, Farrington: Had 22 kills, seven blocks and four digs in the Governors' 15-13, 15-12 loss to Castle.
>> JonJohn Fuamatu, Farrington: Put down 14 kills and had 10 digs against Castle.
>> Chris Tumaneng, Kalaheo: Had 21 assists and six digs in the Mustangs' 15-12, 15-4 win over Kailua.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
>> Kanoe Kamanao, Iolani: Registered 18 kills and 20 digs to lead the Raiders to a 13-15, 15-13, 15-13 win over Punahou.
>> Pikake Nutter-Gaudet, Leilehua: Hammered 13 kills and served three aces in the Mules' 15-7, 15-6 win over Kapolei.
To nominate an athlete of the week, contact the Star-Bulletin Sports Department by 11 p.m. Sunday: To nominate ...
Phone: 529-4782
Fax: 529-4787
E-mail: sports@starbulletin.com
Hawaii School Web Sites
