At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Jayce “Jboy” Jay-Pedro looks all about his business on the gridiron and in the classroom.
Jay-Pedro, a senior defensive end/receiver, has a 3.2 grade-point average and dreams of playing college football. With a 4.5 time in the 40-yard dash and a personal best of 10 reps on the bench press (at 225 pounds), the future is bright.
Count the young Damien Monarch among the many who have endured a difficult 2021. His father, Kape, died in January after nine years of battling cancer. Jay-Pedro, his mother and three sisters keep moving forward, just the way he wanted.
“He had cancer since I was in the third grade. He fought hard for nine years, man. Looking back at it, even though he had cancer super bad and couldn’t walk, he never really showed us he was in pain. He got up every morning, 4:30, and went to work at Hawaiian Cement,” Jay-Pedro said. “I’m forever grateful for him. Paid the bills, made sure we had clothes on our backs, he worked just to make sure when it was his time to go that we would be OK.”
Consistent workouts with Mark Repollo through the pandemic have been a valuable part of Jay-Pedro’s daily life. His outlook on life — stoked by school, family, coaches and teammates — has remained positive. He has found a way to just be a high school kid with goals, and his empathy for football players across the state grew.
Damien plays Saint Louis I-AA on Friday at Aloha Stadium. The I-AA teams, Saint Louis and Kamehameha, provide high-quality competition for D-I programs Damien and ‘Iolani, and for D-II Pac-Five.
“I think it’s working out good. It gives them an opportunity to prep for varsity, get that taste of playing varsity teams. When they go to the Open (Division), they’re ready for more,” Jay-Pedro said.
2021 has also been a time of more responsibilities for Jay-Pedro. The family recently spent time building an extension to their home for his mother, Chantell. “Jboy” is also an unofficial family chauffeur now.
“I got my license in April. Oh yeah, you’re like the errand runner. Every time somebody forgets something at the store, you’re the one to go get it. I have three older sisters. They just tell me to go and pick stuff up,” he said. “My older sisters definitely do not baby me. I have the toughest sisters ever.”
See the full story about Jayce Jay-Pedro in Tuesday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Lockdown staples
Top 3 movies/shows
1. “Greater”
“It’s about an offensive lineman who was a walk on, started and made it to the NFL.”
2. “Cars”
“The Disney movie. I think I was 6 the first time I saw it. That’s one of my all-time favorites.”
3. “The Sandlot.”
“I watch it, like, every year. I watched it last month.”
Top 3 food/drink/snack
1. Steak.
“Medium rare, rib eye. My brother-in-law (Alika Ramseyer-Ho) makes the best. He’s the best chef I know. He makes it once a month. He grills it.”
2. Sushi (Genki Sushi, Kaneohe)
“I get spicy tempura roll, seafood dynamite thing. Their tuna salad. Spicy ahi roll. I get a lot of things over there.”
3. Pizza (Pizza Hut, Kaneohe)
“Meat lovers, pepperoni, bacon and sausage.”
Top 3 music artists
1. Drake – “Forever.”
2. Lil Wayne – “Right Above It.”
3. J Cole – “Love Yours.”
GPA: 3.2
New life skill: driver’s license, construction.
“During quarantine we added an extension to our house. We extended my mom’s room out. We all had our piece. I had to carry all the supplies up, put in the flooring, work on the drywall. It took four months, I think. Pretty fast.”
Shout outs
“Shout out to my family for always loving and supporting me. Shout out to Mark Repollo, he trained a lot of the football boys, couple boys that play for Damien and one of the boys from Pac-Five. We worked out at this place in Kaneohe called Aneko Place Gym. That was the dilemma we were in. We would have five guys work out at a time and just switch shifts. He would get us stronger and faster every single day. He always preached hard work to us and always pushed us to do our best. He played a big factor in how we played this season.”
I always knew “Jboy” will be special. I grew up with the Pedro Ohana from the late 70s knowing Jboy’s dad (Kape), his grandpa, and uncles in Kalihi Valley. They all love sports and a few of them played football at St. Louis back then. What is special about the Pedro family is that they were always kind and humble towards others, and they always learned to work hard in life no matter what challenges come their way. Kape raised a good son while fighting through his ordeal with cancer. I hope Jboy remains healthy and continue to play hard and stay humble which I know he will. I hope that are some colleges out there that will start to look at him right now with his 6′-3″ at 205lbs built and talents. He will get better and stronger as the season goes on. Although no fans at the games, I am enjoying watching Jboy play on TV and cheering him on. ” Go for it Jboy!!!! “
Sounds like a great kid. Another good reason to root for Damien in D1 this year!