For a long time, Kaeo Akana and his Roosevelt teammates ran sprints of 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 140 yards up Pauoa Road at 5:15 a.m.

The stillness, the darkness of early morning was always there for Akana and teammates like Jackie Johnson III. This time, the early morning was shared with family and friends as Akana arose and signed his national letter of intent to play football at Utah.

“I got up at 5 o’clock,” Akana said of his normal routine. “I’m excited, excited to sign. I’m happy for everyone.”

By 7 a.m., Akana signed the document with his mother, Darlani, and father, Kip, by his side at their home in Pauoa Valley. It is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for the 6-foot-3, 210-pound defensive end. In just two seasons, he amassed 36.5 sacks in 18 games. The 2020 season, his junior year, was canceled in Hawaii due to the pandemic.

But Akana never stopped training with his Roosevelt and Trench Dawgz teammates. He still rises at 5 a.m. to get his daily workout.

For today, though, the festivities at the Akana home will be a fond memory.

“Then I go to school,” Akana noted. “And take finals.”

He didn’t make any bold promises about the future. He has just one message for Utah supporters.

“I’m going to be a Ute.”

Two years ago, the sophomore trench men of Saint Louis showed great potential, according to coach Ron Lee.

As seniors, Ethan Spencer, La‘akea Kapoi and Jonah Savaiinaea have fulfilled the prophecy. Saint Louis won the ILH Open Division championship again, and the Crusaders are in position to secure a fifth state title in a row.

On Wednesday, Spencer and cornerback Kona Moore signed national letters of intent with Hawaii, while Kapoi signed with San Diego State and Savaiinaea signed with Arizona. Saint Louis hosted a ceremony at Clarence T.C. Ching Gymnasium before noon. Family, friends and teammates were on hand to share in the celebration.

Kapoi had 20 FBS offers, starting with Hawaii in April of 2020. Syracuse, UNLV and Arizona State followed in the ensuing months. By late August, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound right tackle had offers from the Big Ten: Michigan and Indiana. San Diego State jumped on board on Feb. 8, and Kapoi committed to the Aztecs on June 24.

“Everything that you expect of a college, they have. The people, the area, the program and the athletic department itself hit home for me. That’s why I made my decision to go to San Diego State,” Kapoi said. “I want to get off the rock, experience new things, face new challenges, and win the day.”

Savaiinaea, a 6-3, 330-pound right guard, also received his first offer from Hawaii in April of 2020. Like Kapoi, he was offered by Michigan, and in early 2021, UCF offered. So did SDSU in April. Arizona came on board in May, and Savaiinaea committed to the Wildcats on June 22.

“I feel great, so great being able to put pen to paper. Getting flashbacks of all the hard work I put in. It finally came out today,” Savaiinaea said.

Spencer, a 6-2, 270-pound center, received his offer from Hawaii in July. It took him less than a week to commit to the Rainbow Warriors.

“I feel good being able to go to the next level not only to play football, but further my education. Today’s relaxing. Nothing’s really changed. It’s just now I’m signed to UH,” he said.

Moore will join a Warriors squad that loses its top three cornerbacks. On July 9, he committed to UH, turning down offers from Navy, Army and Louisiana-Monroe. This morning, Hawaii coach Todd Graham said he liked the physicality of Moore, a 6-foot, 185-pound playmaker.

“I feel awesome. It feels good to finally make it official,” Moore said. “I’m giving it a fair shot. I’m going in there with an open mind. Now I can focus on this game and hopefully the next (state championship) game.”

The Crusaders play OIA runner-up Mililani on Saturday night in the semifinal round of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Open Division State Championships.

Also signing early were linebacker Tevarua Tafiti of Punahou (Stanford) and safety-wide receiver Keenan McCaddy of Moanalua (Boise State).

Extra points: Finals week makes it an extra busy week for Saint Louis football players. Savaiinaea had finals in Religion and Algebra III on Wednesday morning. He is done for the week, unlike Moore, Spencer and Kapoi. Kapoi plans to major in Business Management. … Moore had finals on Wednesday morning in Pre-Calculus and Engineering. He has four more finals this week. He plans to major in Nutrition or Business. … Spencer had one final on Wednesday, Band class. He plays percussion, mainly drums. … Kapoi had finals in Business Leadership and Religion. He has two finals left.