Feature on Elliott Purcell

About dating Elliot Purcell (a Saint Louis alumnus), Keani Santos said:
“My dad and mom both graduated from Kamehameha. My sister just married a Saint Louis (graduate), and I’m dating one.” (HA)

HA Note: “What’s more, Santos’ father, Rob Santos, used to coach at Kamehameha.”

About dating someone from Saint Louis, Keani said:
“There’s that love-hate relationship. There’s the constant battle in the house about Saint Louis and Kamehameha.” (HA)A

HA Note: “To be sure, Purcell and Santos have a strong relationship. They are parents to 1 1/2-year-old Taimane, which means “diamond” in Samoan.”

About how Keani named their daughter Taimane, Purcell said:
“She wanted a Polynesian name, and she likes diamonds. That’s how she picked the name.” (HA)

HA Note: “During the football season and spring training, Purcell lives in the dormitory. Santos and their son live with her parents in ‘Aiea. But they see each other every day, and Santos, who is a full-time UH student, attends every practice. Often she brings Taimane.”

About how he likes to see Keani and Taimane at practice, Purcell said:
“It feels good to look into the stands and see them there. It makes me so happy to see my son.” (HA)

About bringing Taimane to practice, Keani said:
“Our son loves to come to football practice. He loves to run around, and after practice, he loves to put on Elliott’s helmet.” (HA)

About how he felt overloaded two years ago with football, school, and with a baby coming and thought about quitting football, Purcell said that he talked to Mac:
“I didn’t know how to handle it. He gave me good advice. Coach (George) Lumpkin helped me, too. Just because you have a kid doesn’t mean you have to change your career or quit school.” (HA)

About how he quit partying and focused on his family, Purcell said:
“Becoming a father makes you more mature. That really helps you on the field.” (HA)

About being the #1 left DE right now, Purcell (who weighed 215 as a freshman and weighs 257 now) said:
“It’s mine to lose. As long as I trust my technique and work hard, I should be OK.” (HA)

Hoping to get married to Keani some day, Purcell said:
“Hopefully, one day we’ll get married. I really want to marry her.” (HA)

Feature on Aaron Kia and Laupepa Letuli

About #1 tackles Kia and Letuli, UH OL coach Gordy Shaw said:
“They’ve taken the coaching and taken the responsibility of holding down those positions and what it means to have good strong players there.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “They shared time at left tackle last season and played side-by-side for a stretch when Letuli moved to guard. This spring, they’re holding down positions on either side of the line with Kia at left tackle and Letuli on the right side.”

About being a tackle on the OL, Kia said:
“You’re in a unit, but you’re alone. The whole offensive line, we have a lot of responsibility. But at tackle you’re definitely working more in space.” (HSB)

Letuli said that moving to the right side of the OL felt a bit awkward at first:
“but now I’m used to it and just getting that muscle memory.” (HSB)

About trying to help their tackles out, Shaw said:
“(The tackles) get put on an island sometimes, so they have to be able to have the confidence in their abilities. We’ve tried to help them out a little bit with some of our changes in schemes to give them some help so they can be more aggressive outside or the inside.” (HSB)

About how watching Letuli go through their offseason conditioning program made him comfortable with moving him to RT, Shaw said:
“He’s got good size, he’s got excellent athletic ability and he’s a strong individual.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Kia said he’s fine tuning his game on the left side while playing next to Ray Hisatake, who is settling in at left guard this spring.”

About playing next to Ray Hisatake (#1 LG), Kia said:
“It’s cool because Pepa is very talented. Ray’s good. We communicate, work with each other. Ray’s going to be a good one.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Now that Letuli has shifted over to the right side, Shaw doesn’t plan to make many more moves, preferring to keep players in one spot and let them develop.”

About the 5 OL coaches he has had at UH (including being recruited by Coach Cav), Kia said:
“It’s tough because it’s like you get to know them and the next thing you know they’re gone.” (HSB)

About how he made adjustments to their existing package instead of overhaul the blocking scheme, Shaw said:
“They had a system they already learned and we built on that system to add a couple of things so when we get certain looks we’re a little firmer inside and the quarterback has more area inside so he has room to maneuver.” (HSB)

About how the OL is “under a microscope” now because UH set an NCAA record for sacks, Kia said:
“We’re just trying to erase that and get that sour taste out of our mouth.” (HSB)

Feature on CB Lewis Walker

About how The Parade of Champions (which celebrated UH’s 2008 Sugar Bowl appearance) was held during his recruiting visit in January 2008, Lewis Walker said:
“It was the day after I got here. It was crazy seeing everyone. It almost seemed like the whole island was there. The atmosphere was crazy.” (HA)

HA Note: “That night, Walker made a verbal commitment to accept a UH scholarship.”

About living in California before moving to Utah at the end of his freshman year, Walker said:
“I wanted to go to a school out of state to see what kind of man I was going to be. Being away from your family and close friends, you can find your true self.” (HA)

HA Note: “Walker, who redshirted last season, was the No. 1 right cornerback yesterday, filling in for Jeramy Bryant, who had to take a test. Walker is developing into a capable technician and cover defender.”

About taking Walker to the North Shore to jump off La’ie Point, Paipai Falemalu said:
“He did a really good job. He wasn’t scared at all.” (HA)

About jumping off La’ie Point, Walker said:
“Looking down from there, you can see the rocks. But it’s not that shallow. You have to gather yourself before you jump, wait for the waves to come in and give you a little more cushion. I did a little twist flip. It was pretty fun.” (HA)

Nathaniel Nasca awaits word on his appeal for a sixth years of eligibility

Unsure when he’ll find out the decision on his appeal, Nasca (who shows up every day to watch practice but cannot participate) said:
“I don’t really know when they’re going to tell me. I’m just waiting around, so I’m coming out, trying to stay in shape.” (HSB)

“It’s all in the hands of God right now. Whatever His plan for me to do is going to happen.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Nasca, a Pearl City graduate, suffered a torn hamstring during fall camp of his freshman year at Azusa Pacific which cost him the entire season.”

Jim Mills says his best CFL memory is the 1991 season with Doug Flutie as his QB

RN = Richmond News

RN Note: “One of the all-time greats to come out of the former powerhouse football program at Richmond High is headed to the CFL Hall of Fame. Former B.C. Lion and Richmond native Jim Mills is part of the 2009 class that will be inducted during ceremonies in Winnipeg on Hall of Fame Weekend in September.”

About blocking for QBs Roy Dewalt, Matt Dunigan, and Doug Flutie, Jim Mills said:
“I was pretty lucky to have a chance to play with some great quarterbacks here.” (RN)

Note: Mills is now working with his family-run business (Mills Paints) s

About his best seasons in the CFL, Mills said:
“Making the Grey Cup in 1988 was great but it sure was a letdown losing a game we should have won. I’d have to say my best memory would be the ’91 season with Flutie as our quarterback. We were getting over 40,000 in the dome and I think we had seven games that went to overtime.” (RN)

RN Note: “Mills collected three CFL All-Star honours (1988, 1990, 1991) and was named a Western All-Star five times (1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993) over nine seasons in Black and Orange. The Vancouver native also received the nod as the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in two consecutive seasons (1990, 1991). He played tight end for the Richmond Colts and shifted to lineman at the University of Hawaii where he earned a full-ride scholarship. He is a member of the B.C. Lions Wall of Fame and and was named to the club’s 50th Season Dream Team in 2003.”

http://www2.canada.com/richmondnews/news/sports/story.html?id=31fd6b88-b903-454f-b093-69dcf1bc9c51