Benetton Fonua has a special outlet.
The Hawaii junior linebacker out of Kahuku High, a former state defensive player of the year, hasn’t seen the Aloha Stadium field much with the Rainbow Warriors.
On defense, anyway.
Fonua has carved out an expansive role on special teams. He is featured on kickoffs, kickoff returns, punts and punt returns. Only a handful of Warriors play on all four for special teams coach Chris Demarest.
A firm grasp on a starting defensive spot has been frustratingly elusive since "Benny" got the nod in two games as a true freshman in 2012. He made 17 tackles that year but was down to just six as a sophomore, with no starts.
This season, he should get his chances to make a few plays. On Thursday, Fonua appeared at second-team middle linebacker in 11-on-11 drills.
"I feel like I’m getting closer," Fonua said. "I gotta just keep working. It’s tough, you know, when you’re just waiting for your number to be called. But I just gotta keep working, keep pushing, and once your number’s called, you gotta step up to the plate and make things happen.
"It’s been tough for me, but I’ve just been trying to get (through) it and just waiting for my opportunity to shine."
Whatever disappointment Fonua feels about not cracking the UH first-team defense has not affected his passion regarding those strange plays that involve kicking the ball to the other team.
Fonua, who intends to major in engineering, is studious in learning all aspects of the game.
"He’s been here doing it with me on special teams," Demarest said. "And he’s very reliable, very dependable and takes it very seriously. Gets in his playbook and studies. Because he does those things, he’s on all four of my special teams. … He’s being a leader on it."
Why is it relatively rare for a non-kicker to be so completely involved in the kicking game? Well, players with starting roles generally appear on just two of Demarest’s special teams, to get the best talent on the field without exhausting it. Fonua isn’t a starter, but he has the combination of size and speed (6 feet, 245 pounds) to cause havoc in just about any setting and justify being on the field.
And maybe above all …
"He cares," Demarest said. "I go back to this statement all the time. People who care about something. … Life, football, they care about doing things the right way. In their job or anything, they want to be successful. And Benny cares, number one."
The Kahuku product may very well see the field on defense extensively this season.
"I have a sense of pride on all of it, from special teams to defense," Fonua said. "So, especially with Coach Demo, he demands perfection and that’s what we gotta do. We gotta come out and dominate and do what he asks us to do. He’s very detail oriented, so everything he says you gotta do to the exact point. That’s what I’m trying to do."
