On a wet and busy Tuesday morning, the University of Hawaii football team named four captains, went through its game plan for Saturday’s opener against Vanderbilt, and conducted auditions for potential walk-on players.
In voting by players, defensive tackle Blessman Ta’ala, linebacker Penei Pavihi, running back Dedrick Parson and center Eliki Tanuvasa were selected as captains for the coming season.
Coach Timmy Chang said peer approval is “what makes it special. (They’re) rewarded (for) their body of work and what they’ve shown their teammates from January all the way to this point. … It’s pretty special. It’s a big honor, it really is, to be leaders of the team. Those four guys are who we hang our hat on, and we go as they go.”
Ta’ala, a 2017 graduate of Faga’itua High in American Samoa, is anchor of the Rainbow Warriors’ defensive line.
“This means a lot because it comes from my teammates,” Ta’ala said. “They voted for us. It’s a big accomplishment for our peers to look at us in a leadership role.”
Except for redshirting in 2019, Pavihi has played in 47 of a possible 47 games since graduating from American Samoa’s Tafuna High in 2017.
After joining Howard as a non-scholarship player, Parson led the Bison in rushing in 2019 and 2020. He transferred to UH in July 2021, and ascended from third string to No. 1 running back.
“I’m going to do everything I can every single day to bring my best self and do what I can do to help this team,” Parson said. “It’s an honor (to be chosen as captain). Man, I’m blessed.”
Parson, who is 5 feet 8 and 205 pounds, is capable of bench-pressing 385 pounds, squat-lifting 600 pounds, and sprinting 40 yards in 4.5 seconds.
“I’ve always been an underdog,” Parson said. “I’ve always been shorter. That chip on my shoulder will always be there.”
Tanuvasa, a Saint Louis School graduate, was at Eastern Illinois for a season before transferring to UH in 2019 because of family reasons. He appeared in three games in 2019 and nine on special teams in 2020, and started six games at guard last year. He was placed on scholarship at the end of the 2021 regular season.
“This is something I never expected,” Tanuvasa said of being named captain. “If you were to ask me, when I was a 7-year-old watching (former UH quarterback) Colt Brennan in the stadium, that one day I’d be captain of the same football team, I would tell you, ‘You’re crazy.’ If you said the same thing to me in high school, or maybe a year ago, I’d tell you, ‘You’re nuts.’ It’s probably the highest honor I’ve ever had. It’s pretty emotional.”
It was Eric Tanuvasa who envisioned his son would be a center.
“I always wanted to play receiver or running back,” said Eliki Tanuvasa, who is now 6-2 and 300 pounds. “My dad always pulled me out of the receiver line and put me back snapping the ball. I’ve been pretty comfortable snapping since I was 8 years old.”
In a two-hour practice that began on the grass field but moved to the Ching Complex because of heavy rain, the Rainbow Warriors went through the menu of plays they will use as a base against Vanderbilt. The Warriors fully installed the offense and defense last week.
Chang confirmed that former Saint Louis School quarterback Connor Apo, who was practicing with the scouts, intends to transfer to a junior college. That leaves the Warriors with five quarterbacks: Brayden Schager, Cammon Cooper, Joey Yellen, Jake Farrell and Armani Edden.
On the dampened Ching field, the Warriors also were able to conduct post-practice tryouts for UH students. In compliance with NCAA rules, the Warriors could not hold tryouts until the candidates were fully registered as UH students. Monday was the first day of UH’s fall semester. There were 24 candidates, including linebacker Kalani Kamakawiwo‘ole, the son of former Warrior Kila Kamakawiwo‘ole. Kalani was on the team for two years before departing at the end of the 2021 season. His twin brother, Kila Kamakawiwo‘ole, is a linebacker with the Warriors.
The Warriors have 117 players on their roster, but there is flexibility because of season-ending injuries.
