Surrounded by Kauai's lush greenery, Keala Watson learned about creating his own path early in life.

“;Our house was way up in the mountains, far away from everybody else,”; Watson said. “;We could always just go make our own trails in the forest, see a lot of animals and plants. It was pretty fascinating.”;

Watson's connection to the outdoors stuck with him when he moved to Nanakuli and influenced his choice of major when the standout defensive lineman enrolled at Hawaii on a football scholarship.

His journey will continue to lead him into new territory in the spring when he becomes the first member of his family to earn a college degree.

“;I feel like I'm not the only one graduating,”; said Watson, who will close his Hawaii football career in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Wednesday. “;I feel that everybody in my family is graduating.”;

Watson has taken some lengthy strides during his five years in Manoa. He's overcome a rare blood disorder to take a leadership role on the Warrior defensive line, got married, and is looking forward to fatherhood as well as graduation.

Nearly being forced to take another route early in his career heightened his appreciation for each step along the way to reaching this point.

“;Every time I walk out here I do a prayer right there on that cement slab before I touch the grass,”; Watson said, pointing to the walkway leading to the entrance to the practice field.

“;I'm thankful that I'm here and have an opportunity to play the game I love to play and go to school and better myself.”;

A condition similar to hemophilia, but even more rare, threatened to block his path shortly after he joined the program in 2004. He played two games as a true freshman but was held out the remainder of the season after the condition was discovered.

“;They told me I couldn't play football and I didn't even know if I could finish up school because I didn't know if I'd lose my scholarship,”; Watson said.

After seeing specialists and being cleared to play the following season, Watson was granted a medical hardship. He came off the bench his first three seasons, emerging as a valuable contributor in the Warriors' defensive tackle rotation.

He's started 10 games this season and enters the Hawaii Bowl with 28 tackles, including two sacks, while playing through various injuries. He was also credited with two of UH's three blocked field goals this season.

“;You can see he goes that much harder knowing that 'that's the last time I'm going to play Boise, the last time I'm going to play Idaho,' “; said Keahi Watson, Keala's younger brother and a sophomore defensive tackle. “;He really puts himself on the line and goes super hard.”;

Keala Watson was selected as a team captain before the season opener at Florida, but served as a role model long before that announcement.

“;It was one of my dreams to play with my brother,”; said Keahi Watson, who transferred to UH from Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania last year. “;I'm two years younger than him, so when he was playing varsity (at Nanakuli) I just started JV.

“;He was such a great influence. ... He's been in good academic standing since he's been here, he trains really hard and he's just a really good example.”;

For his part, Keala often looked up to the older players in the UH program in pursuing both his academic and athletic goals.

“;I've seen a lot of good guys come through the program and get their degrees. That's something I always wanted,”; he said. “;Now that it's my turn I just want to finish it out and show everybody else it's possible to go to school, play football and get your degree.”;

Watson and his wife, Leona, are expecting their first child in February as he finishes up his degree in environmental studies.

When he's finished playing football, Watson plans to put his degree to work in helping preserve the scenery so much a part of his life.

“;Growing up I've always been in the outdoors, just loving the natural beauty we have,”; Watson said. “;I just wanted to do my part to save Hawaii's natural beauty.”;