When we learned Manti Te'o would be named The Sporting News high school athlete of the year a couple of weeks ago, we tried to put it in perspective.

It's jaw-dropping stuff when you consider 7.4 million kids play high school sports nationally.

Think about it for a second—not just the top linebacker, not just the No. 1 football player. He's been judged the most outstanding prep athlete in the country by perhaps the most credible sports publication of all.

This is unprecedented for Hawaii. But it shouldn't be shocking.

The proficiency of Hawaii-bred football players is now well-known from coast-to-coast. In the old days, that knowledge was not widespread.

Michigan State's Duffy Daugherty didn't need the Internet to find the island talent in the '60s and '70s, as he opened up a pipeline from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu to East Lansing, Mich., that landed the Spartans many of Hawaii's best. Daugherty was the rare exception then.

Now, with video easily available online as well as scouting service reports and newspaper coverage at the click of a mouse, there's no excuse for anyone interested not to know about what's going on in the middle of the Pacific.

“;It's a tribute to Manti's great achievements and ability,”; says Keith Amemiya, director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. “;But it also reflects on the high caliber of teams and individuals the state has produced for many years. He symbolizes the high quality of football in the state and a foundation laid many years ago.”;

The mainland media began to catch on to Hawaii prep football in the 1980s and 1990s, when Saint Louis and then Kahuku became regular residents in the USA Today and other polls. Positive exposure has snowballed since.

So, the latest and greatest accolade for Te'o is not a shock. Why shouldn't it be Te'o?

Still, how does one decide this? How do you pick one out of 7.4 million?

TSN recruiting editor Brian McLaughlin told me how he chose Manti as the man—nationwide.

McLaughlin had spoken with Te'o a few times over the course of the season. And he came away very impressed with him as a person.

“;There were tons of good candidates all over the country. Some other guys with eye-popping stats. I double-checked Manti's stats to make sure they were what I thought they were. Usually with stats it comes down to a quarterback or a running back. It was nice to have a defensive player.

“;Character can be a tie-breaker, and his background goes hand-in-hand with what we look for.”;

By that, McLachlin means grades, his status as an Eagle Scout—not the fact that he goes to the same high school that the president-elect did (although TSN does point that out in its announcement story), or that being Polynesian and from Hawaii makes him exotic and something different.

“;He had a great season for a state championship team,”; McLachlin said. “;He just happens to be a really good story.”;

A good story that's been building here for a long time.