CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Sports has provided Ryan Rodrigues the opportunity to maintain a close relationship with his family -- especially his father, Walter Rodrigues.

As sound as a drum

Ryan Rodrigues not only plays
football for Kailua but he plays a mean
set of drums for the band, too

Rodrigues file Full Name: Ryan Keoni Rodrigues Family: Mom, Diane; Father, Walter Favorite Food: "My mom's homemade spaghetti." Favorite Athlete: Jason Giambi Favorite TV Show: "Frasier" Favorite Movie: "Friday" Favorite Musical Artist: Ekolu Person in history I'd like to have known: "My grandfather (Rope Rodrigues)."

If there was ever any question about Ryan Rodrigues' versatility, he proved his point as a sophomore on the Kailua junior varsity football team. Moments after playing a game, the 6-foot-1, 250-pound Rodrigues would slip out of the locker room and into the bleachers, settling beside his band mates to pound out a rhythm on the drums, while the Surfrider varsity battled on the field he had just left.

"Most people don't know I'm in the band," said the only member of the Kailua band who also plays football. "I'd come in, take a shower, and run right back out there. I like making music -- I like the rhythm -- I like hitting the drums."

Rodrigues likes hitting people on the football field, too.

As the Surfriders prepare for Friday's game with arch-rival Castle (7 p.m., Oceanic-16), Rodrigues remains a mainstay on the Kailua offensive line at tackle.

The Surfrider offense has undergone its share of changes with the arrival of first-year coach Gary Rosolowich, but Rodrigues wouldn't have it any other way. For all his ability to play physical at the point of attack, no matter his field of concentration, whether as a member of the band, or playing baseball, which is his favorite sport, his strength remains his mental preparation.

"I have a feel for what's going to happen -- my strength is the mental part," Rodrigues said.

"After a pregame meal, I always try to picture the game -- I go over my assignments -- what I need to do to help the team. There has to be mental preparation in any sport. You just can't go out and run a play.

"We played more 'assignment football' last year," he continued. "This year, it's zone blocking. We're slowly growing into the offense."

For the Surfriders, who have won two of their first three outings in 2004, there is no better week to hit their stride than this one. Castle has won four of the last six meetings between the schools, although Kailua leads the all-time series 32-20.

To date, the Surfriders have been a resilient bunch.

In their season opener, they fell behind Kapolei 20-0 before regrouping for a 27-20 win. A week later, they trailed Kamehameha 14-0 and shut out the Warriors the rest of the way in a 14-6 loss. Last Friday night, Roosevelt held a 16-3 advantage into the third quarter until the Surfrider offense got untracked en route to a 36-24 win.

A collective outpouring of emotion should prevent the Surfriders from getting off to a slow start this week against Castle.

"It's always a big game when you play the team just on the other side of the mountain," Rodrigues said of Castle. "It's always exciting when we play. You never know what's going to happen."

Like everything else related to Kailua football, the Castle rivalry was ingrained in Rodrigues at a young age. His father, Walter, was a starting quarterback for the Surfriders in the mid-1960s, and sports has provided a healthy common interest between father and son, who maintain a close relationship.

"My dad and I can sit together and watch seven baseball games in a row," he said. "Before every game (football and baseball), we talk and we'll go through scenarios. I'll ask him if I'm correct. We're a close family. I feel like I'm carrying on a legacy. My whole family has had a big impact on me."

Ryan's grandfather, the late Rope Rodrigues, was a standout on the baseball field, and once traveled to the mainland with a traveling all-star team, where he played against Babe Ruth.

"Afterward they went to a bar and had a few drinks together," Ryan said. "I have images of my grandfather, but I was young -- I was only 6 or 7 when he died."

Baseball will likely figure more into Rodrigues' future.

"I'd like to move to Tennessee and play at Middle Tennessee State, and if all goes well, play Triple A, and hopefully make it to the pros," he said. "That's been my plan since my grandfather was alive.

"I remember waking up at 6 in the morning on Saturdays when I was little and going to T-ball. After the game, I'd run through the sprinklers when they watered the field."

Football was not an option for Rodrigues until he enrolled at Kailua because his formidable frame kept him from playing Pop Warner.

"My friends always told me I'd be good if I could play, but there was that (weight) cutoff," he said. "I love the intensity of football. Every play is a new opportunity to do something. On one play, I can cause us to lose yards. On another play, with one block, I can help to get us into the end zone. And I like the sound of the pads hitting."