COURTESY OF THE AGUSTIN FAMILY
Travis Agustin got a hug from roommate and teammate Tyler Hales as he showed the game ball from the Colby-Bates game and a watch he won as the Most Improved Defensive Player on the Colby College football team.
Tripping out in Maine
Travis Agustin is experiencing
a lot of firsts in Waterville,
including seeing snow
Travis Agustin's trip to Colby College in Waterville, Maine, has been just that -- a trip.
Both for Agustin, a 2002 Iolani graduate from Pearl City, and for Colby football coach Tom Austin.
Agustin has been in snow for the first time ("I definitely was not prepared"), has gone on his first beaver-trapping expedition ("I didn't get anything"), and has introduced Colby fans to the quality of Hawaii high school football and to the aloha spirit.
Agustin is the first player from Hawaii in the 18 years Austin has coached at Colby and the only male student from Hawaii in the entire student body of 1,800.
"He makes plays," Austin said. "His work ethic never stops. He encourages others and he has the most wonderful attitude."
His teammates selected cornerback Agustin, who earned his first collegiate start in the third game this season, as the team's Most Improved Defensive Player.
Coaches awarded him the game ball for Colby's victory over Bates on Oct. 25 in the nation's fifth-oldest football rivalry (it began in 1892).
"They were leading 14-13 and driving for another score when Travis intercepted a pass at the 1 and ran it back 46 yards," Austin recounted.
Bates did not score again and Colby won 27-14.
Agustin's parents shipped in lei for all 75 players and coaches at Homecoming 2002 and for the 13 seniors this year.
On Nov. 4, 2002, Travis experienced snow for the first time.
"He had never seen snow in person," Austin said.
"He was dressed in mid-October the same way he was dressed at the end of August.
"I was in slippers and shorts," Agustin said.
"They took me to LL Bean to get winter gear.
"It felt I was learning how to run again when we played in snow."
Austin also took Agustin beaver trapping on a minus-23 degree day near the campus.
"I didn't get anything," Agustin said.
"The ice was frozen 18 inches down; it froze the beavers into their homes," he added.
Agustin also plays baseball at Colby, "sparingly" at five different positions, and is 2-for-2 in semester honor roll appearances.
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A taste of aloha
at Linfield CollegeLinfield College in Oregon reached the NCAA Division III Elite Eight for the second year in a row, extended the longest streak of winning seasons in the history of college football to 48, and ran its regular-season victory streak to 24.
There was -- as has been the case since Hugh Yoshida played there in 1958-61 -- a noticeable Hawaii imprint on Linfield's success. Offensive line coach Doug Hire (Pearl City '83) and 11 players were from Hawaii.
Sophomore defensive rush-end Brandon Tom (Kamehameha '02 of Kailua) was selected second-team All-Northwest Conference and junior Puni Ellis (Kamehameha '00 of Kailua) was the first-team fullback.
Tom made 12 tackles for losses, including 7 1/2 quarterback sacks, and forced or recovered three fumbles. He had three sacks in a key victory over Pacific Lutheran.
Ellis has played wide receiver, slotback, linebacker and fullback during his Linfield career, which has been hampered by hamstring and ankle injuries. Although he was the first-string fullback this season, he got only six carries all season because Linfield used a one-back offense most of the time. Ellis's TD efficiency rating -- if there is such a thing -- was high. He scored twice in his six carries.
Freshman Nik Soo (Kamehameha '03 of Kamuela) was the No. 3 defensive end and junior cornerback Saffery Silva (Moanalua '00 of Kaneohe), a transfer from Montana-Western, lettered on special teams despite hamstring problems.
Redshirt freshmen Jared Prestidge (Castle '02), a safety, and Blake Marks (Kamehameha '02), a rover, were slowed by shoulder injuries.
The five true freshmen from Hawaii all redshirted: linebacker Kevin Kauweloa (Waianae '03); running back Brad Lau (Hawaii Prep '03 of Kamuela), who set a Big Island rushing record in 2002; defensive backs Keone Tawata and Chris Thorpe (both Radford '03); and wide receiver Josh Vierra (Kamehameha '03 of Kaneohe).
Head coach Jay Locey calls Kauweloa "a great prospect" and says Thorpe, of Kaneohe, "has a chance to be a real good player."
Linfield's recruiting of Hawaii fell into disarray after 20-year assistant Wes Suan (Waialua '74) joined June Jones' staff at UH in 1999, but Hire is getting the pipeline flowing again.
"I feel great about the kids we are getting in from Hawaii," Locey said.
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11 Hawaii athletes
dot SCIAC teamsThere were 11 players from Hawaii on five teams in the academically elite, small-college Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this season. Three of them won postseason recognition.
Teo Bennett, a sophomore fullback at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, was chosen second-team all-conference by SCIAC coaches.
Bennett "was responsible for our other back making first team" All-SCIAC, coach Rick Candaele said. "His position in our offset I (formation) is one-third run, one-third pass receiver and one-third blocker and he did all those things well. He is very unselfish."
Bennett, who is from Kapolei, is a compact, 5-foot-7, 190-pounder. He rushed 86 times for 383 yards and five touchdowns and caught 13 passes for 154 yards and a sixth TD.
Senior center Carl Schroers (Iolani '00 of McCully) started for the third year for Claremont. "He was one of the focal points of our O line and made our blocking calls," Candaele said.
Freshman Tonee Suetsugu (Iolani '03) "was one of our most-improved players," Candaele said.
D.A. Weick (Punahou '01 of Manoa), a 235-pound junior running back, was coming back from a broken ankle in 2002.
Claremont went 6-3, including a victory over conference champion Redlands.
The SCIAC has no official honorable mention all-stars, but each coach has the discretion of giving that distinction to his own players. Claremont so honored Schroers.
Occidental gave an honorable mention to sophomore strong safety/linebacker Derek Turbin (Punahou '02 of Kahala), who overcame a sprained ankle in September to finish strong (10 1/2 tackles in his last game).
Sophomore linebacker David Marsh (Punahou '02 of Kaimuki) started the last four games, making 23 tackles, five for losses. Sophomore Ric Fukushima (Moanalua '02) moved from backup quarterback to starting wide receiver and caught 19 passes for 231 yards.
Linebacker Jonathan Chock (Punahou 2000 of Wilhemina Rise) was a three-year starter for Pomona Pitzer. He had 32 tackles in eight games.
Senior Joaquin Dabbs (Kamehameha '00) started the first four games on the defensive line at Whittier, but his season ended after four games with an injured thumb.
Freshman D.J. Tano (Kailua) started at center for SCIAC champion Redlands (7-3).
"I wish we had a hundred more just like him," coach Mike Maynard said.
