WAILUKU » If Shane Victorino wasn't running as a player during high school football, soccer, track, or baseball games, he was sometimes running between stadiums on Maui to participate in different sports.

“;As soon as he was done with baseball, he'd run to the track field, pulling down his pants, changing into his track attire to run the 100, 200,”; recalled his father Michael Victorino. “;Sometimes he would run track between innings ... I always admired what he did and the heart he had to do it.”;

That heart, hustle and love of sports, developed in his home island of Maui, is a key part of why the Philadelphia Phillies and 27-year-old Shane Victorino are in the World Series this week.

Victorino batted in 11 runs for the Phillies during the National League playoffs and made some spectacular catches in the outfield.

“;This kid is definitely becoming an impact player,”; Phillies first-base coach Davey Lopes told the Associated Press Friday. “;He's going to get even better. You can see how badly he wants to excel, in his work ethic.”;

His success is not a surprise to those who knew him at St. Anthony High School, where he helped lead his school to championship levels.

St. Anthony nearly beat powerhouse Punahou for first place at a state track and field meet and came in a close second in football to Lahainaluna in the Maui Interscholastic League.

Victorino was named a Maui Interscholastic League all-star in the four sports, and set a state track record in the 100 meters.

Playing for a small high school, Victorino learned early to play hard all the time.

In football, Victorino played a wing back on offense and a cornerback on defense. He also returned kickoffs and punts.

His football coach Charlie Pico said players like Victorino learned fast they couldn't rely on substitutes.

“;The players would wave at us from the field asking for a substitute and the coaches would wave back,”; said Pico, chuckling. “;The players played all the way to half-time. That was when they had their break.”;

During the spring, Victorino played baseball at a stadium at the War Memorial Complex, then ran about 100 yards to the nearby track and field stadium to participate in meets.

“;He would flip-flop between the two,”; recalled Pico. “;He had an exceptional talent—speed. That's the one thing you can't coach.”;

Victorino ran the 100, 200 and 400 meters and also the relays and long jump, Pico recalled.

Victorino's hometown is Wailuku, a working-class area with schools that have produced some notable athletes, including the Oakland A's catcher Kurt Suzuki and Japan sumotori Jesse Kuhaulua.

The warm weather usually with a slight tropical breeze is perfect for outdoor sports.

Shane Victorino played every position on his high school baseball team and was second in the pitcher rotation.

“;It was such a small team. We had to utilize everyone we had,”; recalled Lew Awai, Victorino's high school coach.

  Other St. Anthony players who pursued professional baseball careers include Justin Hall who played with the Oakland A's minor league organization and Kaipo Spenser drafted in 1996 by the Cleveland Indians.

Awai, who restored St. Anthony's baseball program in 1989, said he stayed on a couple of years longer as a coach at the request of Victorino's dad.

Victorino's father, Michael, served as an assistant coach under Awai.

Awai said Victorino could have played at the University of Hawaii, where he received scholarship offers from both the football and baseball teams. Awai said he told Victorino his best bet at earning a living in sports was to become a baseball player and that he was ready after high school to turn pro.

Victorino was drafted by the Dodgers in the sixth round of the 1999 amateur draft, but never played for them. He hit .267 while spending parts of four seasons in the minors, then was selected by San Diego in 2002 in the Rule 5 draft of players left off their team's roster, however, San Diego gave him back to the Dodgers.

Victorino spent two more years in Los Angeles' minor league system, before the Phillies took him in the 2004 Rule 5 draft.

“;He paid his dues,”; Awai said.

Awai said some coaches on Maui thought Victorino was too much of a jock in high school and was so “;uncoachable”; that he'd never make it in the big leagues.

“;I'd say to them they were wrong. Like every teenager, he went through a growing-up process. I've noticed he's become more mature and a more humble guy. He proved them wrong. He proved them all wrong.”;

Michael Victorino, now a Maui County Councilman, said his son was a B student in high school who could do well, if he studied. He said he was really happy that Shane made the effort to become an Eagle Scout.

Victorino said his son has displayed maturity during the playoffs, choosing not to engage in a physical confrontation even after a fastball nearly struck his head.

“;He's a good person. That's why we're so proud of him.”;

“;I always play hard,”; Victorino said Friday. “;That's the way I was brought up. It's not hard to run out a ground ball. It's not hard to chase a fly ball. I love to hustle. I love the excitement.”;