[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]

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DENNIS ODA DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Castle's Jared Suzui, who ran for a touchdown against Campbell on Oct. 31, studies lots of film to prepare for games.

Suzui is a
quiet leader

Castle's big-play threat lets
his game do the talking for him

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By Jack Danilewicz
Special to the Star-Bulletin

On weeknights at the Reis-Sebay residence in Kahaluu, the images that flash across the family television aren't those of the Osbournes or even the not-unsubstantial Anna Nicole Smith, but rather football -- Castle football.

And Kailua football. And Hawaii Prep Academy football. And this week, well, McKinley football.

Kawika Sebay, Castle's running back/linebacker, has first dibs on the tube.

"If somebody else is watching something, my dad (Marshall) will tell them to turn it off so we can watch the films," says Sebay. "When you get this far, you have to keep watching the films. We were just watching film last night."

The Sebay's house also serves as a second home to teammate Jared Suzui. Indeed, it's hard to gain insight into Suzui, Castle's playmaker extraordinaire, without talking to Sebay, and not just because Jared would rather run sprints than talk to a reporter.

"Jared is quiet," says Sebay. "Everybody's been talking about him but him. He doesn't like to talk to anybody. He talks to us -- his friends -- but anybody we don't know, he doesn't really like talking to. It could be the president. Even girls. You better not put that in ... nah, I guess it's okay."

The Sebay-Suzui friendship is a partnership -- on and off the field.

It's their off-the-field partnership that has brought them their share of undesired notoriety, however.

"We used to get in trouble together," says Sebay. "Now we stay out of trouble together."

Adds Castle coach Nelson Maeda: "During our so-called offseason, they had too much time on their hands. They needed some structure in their lives, and football provides that. They've matured quite a bit since last year."

With that in mind, taking over the Sebays' television set can only be a good thing. The pair -- along with teammate Ernesto Lopez, also a regular in the Sebay household -- are zeroing in on McKinley's tendencies this week in preparation for tonight's Chevron State Football Championship semifinal matchup with the Tigers at 8 p.m. at Aloha Stadium.

Special teams have served Castle well in the playoffs, thanks in large part to Suzui's athleticism. He brought back a punt 82 yards to open the scoring in Castle's 25-0 win over Kailua in the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship game.

"We watched that one over and over again -- especially Kawika's block on that No. 6," says Suzui.

Last week, he covered 74 yards for a touchdown in Castle's 35-0 rout of Hawaii Prep in a state quarterfinal game. He also caught five passes for 66 yards in that game. During the regular season, Suzui averaged 15.9 yards per catch in 29 receptions with three touchdowns.

Solid preparation remains one of the cornerstones of Castle football. When Maeda reviews a game for the first time, he also makes copies for Sebay and Suzui and a handful of other Castle players.

"I give him (Maeda) blank tapes, and it's like overnight delivery," says Sebay, the team's unofficial publicist.

"There's never enough time in practice to do all that you would like to do," says Maeda. "They've taken it upon themselves to do that little extra. We've been able to win the kicking game for the most part. It's something that we stress."

Suzui has been the catalyst for Castle the past two weeks.

"Jared is a pretty reserved kid," says Maeda. "He's made great strides, and he's been a clutch, go-to guy. He's had a couple of spectacular returns, and he's really come into his own this year."

The second oldest of five brothers, Jared has played football since he was a Junior Pee Wee (at age 8) for the Kaneohe Knights Pop Warner program, and admits it helps to keep him on the right track.

"Football keeps me out of trouble," says Suzui. "I do good in school now. I can see the difference in my grades from during the season to when I'm not playing. I know I have to do good in school, so I work to keep up my grades. I'd like to go to college.

"I wasn't going to have a chance to play this year because I was screwing up, but my mom (Kaui) gave me one more chance," he continues. "She told me I was on probation with her. If I screwed up again, I wouldn't be playing. I'm close to my mom, and I've loved playing football since I was a kid. I hope to run track after the season is over."

Suzui's commitment to football has become all-consuming. Outside of football, he admits, he has few hobbies.

"I like to sleep -- eight to nine hours," he said. "Everything is football during the summer. And, during the season, I just concentrate on practice and school. We're one of the better-conditioned teams in the state. At the end of the game, we feel like we can go for a couple more quarters. If you watch us, nobody on our team ever looks tired. We do a lot of running. All during last spring, we lifted and ran. That's all we did."

That commitment carries over into the evenings at the Reis-Sebay's. His devotion to watching film has intensified since midseason, when the Knights were just trying to guarantee themselves a spot in the OIA playoffs.

"We're always there watching films," Suzui says. "We watch them over and over and over, a couple of times a day. I try and look for the coverages they play and to see how good their defensive backs are."

Suzui's not surprised that Castle thrives with its special teams. And on a team that goes quietly about its business, Suzui might be the most humble of them all.

"The coaches always talk about doing good on special teams," he says. "They talk about it all of the time. This year, nobody thought we'd come this far, but I did. I thought we could make it this far. (Maeda) is a good coach -- they're all good coaches -- and we have some good players, too."

Although Sebay says he and his teammates spend more time previewing their upcoming opponents rather than reviewing their own performances, the image of Suzui returning a punt on the television screen is invariably worth a second look, although not by the punt returner himself, who would just as soon change the channel.

"Even before the punt comes, I'm thinking touchdown," says Suzui. "But it's all because of the blocking. I just have to run. You can see the wall on the films. It's all set up for me."

And so it is.

Quarterfinals, Nov. 22 At Aloha Stadium >> Castle 35, Hawaii Prep 0 >> St. Louis 41, Farrington 23 At Vidinha Stadium >> Waimea 24, Kailua 21 At War Memorial Stadium >> McKinley 28, Baldwin 14 Semifinals, today At Aloha Stadium >> Waimea vs. St. Louis, 5 p.m. >> McKinley vs. Castle, 8 p.m. Championship, Dec. 6 At Aloha Stadium >> Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m.

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