Think about this … Waipahu has been a pretty good football program with decent size and talent for the past few years. They always have some college prospects every year. But guess what? Waipahu has ZERO players at UH and ZERO players in other D1 college teams right now.

Here’s a stat that should make Waipahu take notice: 12 of the 13 OIA teams from Open and D1 has at least one player currently playing D1 college at either UH or a mainland college.

The one OIA Open/Division 1 school that doesn’t have any D1 college players right now? You guessed it … Waipahu.

It looks like all the other schools are leading their kids to water and teaching them how to drink it too.

I would be wary of whats in that water or even the trough holding the water. Too much incidents to overlook that the system may support winning now and not for the long term.
How does such a talented kid like this, feel as if his only options are D1 or go work construction??

If I was a college coach reading his interview article, I would be turned off by it. it had too much of an entitlement feel to it. My opinion, I know , but for someone whos hunting, wouldn’t you keep your media exposure mildly safe?? Would a coach want to take risk with a player, who’s had 2 years to qualify and still hasnt, speaking candidly in the press on how he would rather not go to school at all if he doesnt get what he wants?? This is not a dig on the kid but rather the adults around him in prepping him for success. Or was that the strategy? To hope that a coach will feel sympathy? I guess, but it could work the other way too.

I hope the best for the player and that he gets an opportunity to earn a college degree.

Paogofie, Kauwalu, Pula & Liufau all went the JC route…..but never qualified to transfer to a D1 program. It’s even tougher nowadays going the JC route……with most of the Arizona JCs shutting down their football programs……student-athletes having to get an AA with a cumulative 2.5 GPA in order to qualify to transfer to a D1 program.

I don’t put all the blame on this kid for being in his situation. He needed more support and guidance to be college ready. I blame the school for that.

It is stories like this that make so many parents want to send their kids private school whether they are athletes or not. What would be the chances of a kid at Iolani or Punahou having a 3.0 overall GPA, 4.0 as a senior, and not even close to qualifying for SAT scores for college?

Thats really sad. All or nothing.

https://www.hawaiiprepworld.com/football/qa-hawaiis-all-time-rushing-record-holder-waipahus-alfred-failauga/

“GPA
> 4.0 this quarter. Overall, cumulative 3.0

If you had never played sports, would your GPA be lower or higher?
> It would be lower. Sports motivated me in the way of us having grade checks. I would have been that Fortnite player, go home, sleep, wake up and play the game.

What is the motivation to getting a 4.0 this quarter?
> Staying on top of myself, being able to manage myself as a student-athlete, making sure my grades can fit the college I want to go to.

I’ve taken the ACT and the SAT once. I’m taking the SAT one more time in October.

Do you think you’d have offers if you had a cumulative 4.0?
> Yep, obviously. My counselors are doing a good job of making me understand how the sliding scale works. If our GPA is higher, our SAT can be lower.

Do you have a backup plan if you don’t get to a four-year school?
> I would probably become a construction worker with my dad. Just support the family. Honestly, if you’re going to a JC or D-II or D-III, for me it’s kind of a waste of time. You’re going to another two years of school to try to get that D-I scholarship. It’s not a waste of time, but I don’t really have that much time for that. I believe I could be at the D-I (FBS) level, but it’s God’s plan.

Would you be willing to go to a FCS school?
> I would, depending on the situation.”