For quite some time, life has been about priorities for Jordan Botelho.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior also has dreams. He fulfilled one Thursday by committing orally to Notre Dame, accepting a football scholarship via phone with Fighting Irish recruiting director Brian Polian.
Botelho planned to make a choice among the 22 scholarship offers before senior year began, but after visiting the campus at South Bend, Ind., over the weekend, he was almost 100% certain.
“I got home and thought about it. All the boxes were checked. The biggest one is education. Another big one is the coaching staff,” said Botelho, the No. 1-ranked recruit from Hawaii in the class of 2020. “When I was there, Coach (Mike) Elston (who’s in charge of the defensive line), in the film room, he broke down my film and compared me to his players. He showed me how they play and how I’m a good fit with them.”
Botelho has already called several coaches from other schools to inform them of his decision. “I got in contact with the coaches I have close relationships with,” he said.
Botelho’s prime talent is rushing the passer, being an edge rusher with acceleration and agility. He was a Star-Advertiser All-State first-team linebacker for three-time defending state champion Saint Louis last fall.
“I made my decision and I was planning on telling Coach Polian when I see him later today, but I called him and just told him (by phone). He said he’s excited. I feel great. I feel excited,” Botelho said.
Botelho will finish his studies at Saint Louis in the fall semester, then enroll at Notre Dame for spring semester of 2020.
Saint Louis goes 1-3 in Las Vegas tournament
The Saint Louis Crusaders endured cold temperatures, rain and wind in Las Vegas, but returned home better for the effort.
Saint Louis, ranked No. 3 in the Star-Advertiser Baseball Top 10, posted a 2-1 win over host Bishop Gorman at the inaugural All-Catholic Classic last week. The Crusaders went 1-3, losing to St. Rita (Ill.) 6-3, Juan Diego (Utah) 7-6 and nationally ranked St. Laurence (Ill.) 6-4.
Bishop Gorman reached the final, losing to De La Salle (Calif.).
“We pitched well. We hit well. We didn’t play good defense,” Saint Louis coach George Gusman said. “We had 14 errors in four games. If we play defense, we might play in the finals.”
The game against Juan Diego on Tuesday was especially unusual. The game was halted during the second inning due to extreme wind and rain. It resumed on Wednesday.
“It was in the mid-50s. I’ve (refereed) a lot of football games in the cold, but that’s when I’m prepared with gloves and everything,” said Gusman, who officiates Big 12 Conference games.
OIA baseball tournament starts Wednesday
After finishing tied for first in the OIA West at 10-2, defending league champion Mililani earned the tiebreaker over Campbell to serve as the top seed entering the OIA baseball playoffs Wednesday.
Kailua, which has won three of the past seven OIA titles, and Kaiser earned the top two seeds out of the East. Waipahu and Radford are the top two seeds and earned byes in the six-team Division II tournament that begins Thursday.
The Sabers and Trojans, tied for No. 5 in this week’s Top 10, are the only two teams ranked from the OIA.
See the tourney schedule on C6.
