CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Offensive lineman Laupepa Letuli, right, was blocked by Brysen Ginlack during practice yesterday. Letuli is in the mix to start at left tackle.

AhSoon steps in to help

The senior has taken on a leadership role with the Warriors’ offensive line

With the Warriors missing starting center John Estes (shoulder) and backup Lafu Tuioti-Mariner (calf) during the team period yesterday morning, the snapping responsibilities were left squarely on the shoulders of freshman Sila Lefiti.

Lefiti held his own snapping for both the first and second teams, but AhSoon, who has appeared in 35 games in his UH career, wants to help.

"Just now I thought about it because our starting center went down and I was like, 'Man, we got nobody stepping in'," said the senior offensive lineman who moved from left tackle to left guard in the offseason. "Of course, the young guys are doing a really good job, but as for me, I thought about asking (offensive line) coach (Brian Smith) about it and I'm going to start snapping some balls (today) just to help out."

Estes and Tuioti-Mariner both practiced yesterday, but were held out of contact drills.

Lefiti, a redshirt freshman out of Mater Dei High School in California, had his moments in the morning session, but AhSoon saw an opportunity to step in and lead his younger teammates.

"It's a chance for me as a senior to step up and do what I got to do," AhSoon said. "There's a lot of pressure on the young guys reading defenses and they're learning to trust what they see."

If AhSoon takes reps at center while Estes and Tuioti-Mariner get healthy, it'll allow backup guards Brysen Ginlack and Ray Hisatake to get some time with the first string.

Smith, who turned up the decibel level yesterday shouting instructions at the offensive line, was trying to pick the guys up after their first off day during fall camp.

"I thought offensively we were a little slow today," Smith said. "We've got to pick up our tempo. We've got some starters dinged up so young guys are getting some reps, so you try to stay on those guys."

The extra work fits perfectly into Smith's plan for the season. He hopes to have "seven or eight" guys rotating in and out each game to keep everyone fresh.

Two of those players are juniors Aaron Kia and Laupepa Letuli, who are locked in a battle for AhSoon's old spot at left tackle.

Kia took all the reps with the first team yesterday morning, but the starting spot is still up for grabs, according to Smith.

"It's real close," Smith said. "We'll get "Pepa" some more reps so that they're evened out."

Letuli missed all of spring with a hamstring injury and has needed a few days to get comfortable and shake off the rust.

"The first few days I felt kind of off," Letuli said. "I wasn't used to feeling my body move a certain way, but it's been a good week for me. I just need to fix my mistakes, that's all I can do right now."

Despite holding the slight advantage in the race, Kia wasn't too high on his performance in camp so far.

"I'm my own worst critic," the Mililani High graduate said. "I'll tell you right now I'm doing horrible. That's why I've got to keep pushing. I don't want to lose my spot."