SOBERING START FOR MIL FOOTBALL TEAMS

(Aug. 18): As opening nights go, it was one to forget for a pair of MIL football teams. Both Maui High and Kamehameha-Maui suffered lopsided losses on Saturday.

Playing at War Memorial Stadium, the Sabers were stampeded, 44-0, by the visiting Kalaheo Mustangs.

Playing at Aloha Stadium, the Warriors were walloped 39-0 by reigning state D-II champion Iolani as Raiders quarterback Kela Marciel threw for three tourchodwns and ran for two more.

It didn't take Kalaheo long to get on the scoreboard – all of the few seconds required for fleet-footed Dwayne Mitchell to return the opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown.

By the end of one period, the Mustangs led 21-0, expanding their advantage to 41-0 by intermission, triggering the mercy rule for the entire second half.

Maui High's next plays in two weeks, traveling to Kauai for a game against Waimea. Kamehameha is also off this week before playing host to World of Life.

The four other MIL teams kick off their campaigns this week.

On Friday, defending MIL D-I champ Baldwin, ranked seventh in the Star-Bulletin pre-season state pool, will play host to Kamehameha-Hawaii.

Lahainaluna, which lost to Iolani in last year's D-II final, opens on Saturday against Edison of Southern California.

On that same night, King Kekaulike entertains Kealakehe while St. Anthony visits Honokaa of the Big Island.

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SHOCKER: RAUSCH WINS UH QB JOB

(May 15): The University of Hawaii's opening game is still a couple of weeks away, but the first upset of the college football season has already taken place in Manoa.

Brent Rausch is the unlikely winner of the battle to succeed the record-breaking Colt Brennan as the starting quarterback at UH, beating out fourth-year junior Inoke Funaki and fellow junior college transfer Greg Alexander for the job.

It's a remarkable development considering that Rausch is just two years removed from playing eight-man football for a tiny high school in Southern California and one year removed from his first experience with the 11-man game at College of Desert, where played with a handful of former MIL athletes.

But Rausch showed he could adapt to a new challenge at the JC level, throwing for 2,653 yards and 28 touchdowns as a freshman, earning MVP honors in the school's victory in the Empire Bowl.

He signed with UH last spring, took part in voluntary workouts over the summer and got off to a slow start during fall camp. In fact, most folks figured he ranked third on the depth chart as recently as last week.

But the 6-foot-4 Rausch's arm strength, confidence and accuracy finally swayed the coaching staff into giving him the distinction – dubious, some will say – of leading UH into the Aug. 30 season-opener against nationally fifth-ranked Florida.

The contrast in QBs in Gainesville that afternoon couldn't be more dramatic. Tim Tebow arrived in Florida as one of the nation's most highly touted freshmen and last season became the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy.

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HAWAII TAKES HITS ON DEFENSE

(Aug. 15): With so much uncertainty on offense, the strength of the University of Hawaii football team going into the rapidly approaching season is on defense.

But that unit took a pair of big hits this week when one projected starter and another who was seriously competing for a starting job were both suffered significant injuries.

Outside linebacker Blaze Soares has a tear in his left calf and will miss between six to eight weeks, which means UH will likely be without his services for at least five games.
As a result, Hawaii will have to do some juggling with many deem as the team's strongest unit.

Solomon Elimimian will move from the middle to the outside, with Brashton Satele now the probable starter in the middle. Further complicating matters is that the other starting linebacker, Adam Leonard, has been nursing a hamstring injury.

To make matters worse, defensive tackle Rocky Savaiigaea could be out for the Aug. 30 opener against Florida with a tear in his triceps muscle.

On a more positive note, center John Estes saw limited action in practice yesterday as he tries to bounce back from a shoulder injury.

Meantime, a decision on who will take over as Hawaii's starting quarterback apparently has been delayed yet again.

With Tyler Graunke still missing from camp while attending to academic issues, the two front-runners to start against the Seminoles are returning fourth-year junior Inoke Funaki and JC transfer Greg Alexander.

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LOCAL ATHLETES COMPETE IN OLYMPICS

(Aug. 13): It took the U.S. women less than a minute to get on a scoreboard – an Olympic record 40 seconds, to be exact – and they eased to a 4-0 victory over New Zealand to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the soccer competition in Beijing.

The victory gave the Americans first place in Group G despite an opening 2-0 loss to Norway, which closed out pool play with a stunning 5-1 spanking at the hands of Japan.

Former Kahuku High and University of Hawaii standout Natasha Kai entered the match in the 57th minute and played the rest of the way.

The U.S. women's volleyball team – featuring four players with Hawaii ties – improved its record to 2-1 with a 25-17, 20-25, 25-14, 25-18 win over Venezuela.

Heather Bown had 10 points and Robyn Ah Mow-Santos three for the Americans. Lindsey Berg saw limited action, while Kim Willougby did not play.

Next for the US is a key match tomorrow against host China.

Meantime, former Kaiser High and UH star Clay Stanley's 23 points led the third-ranked American men to a 24-26, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21 win over Italy. The US still has pool matches remaining against Bulgaria, China, and Japan.

In softball, the Americans posted a 4-0 win over an Australian team that includes two former UH athletes – Stacey Porter and Justine Smethurst, a pitcher who is expected to return to Manoa next season.

The title-favored Americans are likely to face one of their major challenges today against a talented team from Japan.

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TIME WELL-SPENT IN FRONT OF MY TV

(Aug. 11): There are folks out there who will come to the conclusion that I totally wasted my weekend. Perhaps, but I'm not apologizing for spending so much time in front of the television set watching as much of the Olympics as humanly possible.

And what a show it's been so far, starting with the spectacular opening ceremony. To quote NBC anchorman Bob Costas, they might as well retire the trophy because it's hard to imagine anyone ever surpassing the show put on by the host Chinese.

Yesterday, it was Michael Phelps who was the big story. If the American does make history by winning eight gold medals during these games, much of the credit will belong to teammate Jason Lezak.

Swimming the anchor leg of the 400-meter freestyle relay, Lezak rallied from a seemingly insurmountable deficit to barely beat out his French counterpart, enabling Phelps to claim his second gold.

But there was more, the US men's basketball team is obviously on a mission. Overcoming a relatively slow start, the Redeem Team – led by the relentless LeBron James -- eased past China in its opener.

The women's soccer team – of which Hawaii's Natasha Kai is a member – split matches by losing to Norway and beating Japan and the men.

The women's volleyball team – featuring four players with Hawaii ties – also split its matches, beating Japan and then being swept by Cuba.

And the men's volleyball team – led by Hawaii's Clay Stanley – edged Venezuela, three games to two.

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GRAUNKE MISSING AS UH MOVES ON

(Aug. 5): The University of Hawaii's quarterback sweepstakes is under way, but the pre-race favorite is not even on the track.

Tyler Graunke, the heir apparent to the record-breaking Colt Brennan, was suspended from the team by new head coach Greg McMackin and he wasn't on the field when UH opened fall camp yesterday at Manoa.

McMackin didn't get into details about the reason for Graunke's latest suspension, saying only that the senior QB has to resolve some personal issues.

As you may recall, Graunke served an extended time out last spring for failing to keep up with his work in the classroom.

No one knows when – or even if – Graunke will return to the team.

In the meantime, UH has to focus on a daunting season-opening challenge at nationally fifth-ranked Florida, led by reigning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

As McMackin put it yesterday, when asked about Graunke: "Until he's here, we're moving on."

Which means, at least for the time being, that three players will compete for the starting job: junior Inoke Funaki and junior college transfers Greg Alexander and Brent Rausch.

Funaki saw limited action last season. He has the best understanding of UH system and is an outstanding and dangerous scrambler. There are question marks about his passing ability.

Alexander and Rausch put up some gaudy statistics operating out of four-receiver formations last season, but that was against JC competition as opposed to a Top Five team from the SEC.

Graunke backed up Brennan for most of the last three seasons and is the most experienced of this year's group.

He started two games last season, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 1,234 yards and 10 TD against 6 interceptions.

Graunke led UH to a dramatic 28-26 win at Nevada, earning WAC player of the week honors after passing for 358 yards and two touchdowns.

He closed the season with a solid showing in the Sugar Bowl when he went 13-for-19 and led the UH to its lone TD in a 41-10 loss to Georgia, ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll.

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BRENNAN SHINES WHILE GRAUNKE ON HOLD

(Aug. 4): This is a tale of two quarterbacks, one who gained stardom at the University of Hawaii and another who appeared to be in line to succeed him.

But while Colt Brennan may have secured a spot for himself on the Washington Redskins roster with his superb performance in last night's's Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, Tyler Graunke will not be in uniform when UH opens training camp today in Manoa.

First, Brennan: Colt threw a pair of touchdown passes while completing 9 of 10 attempts for 123 yards, helping to rally the Skins to a 30-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts, who are without the services of recovering star QB Peyton Manning.

Brennan slipped to the sixth round of this year's draft amid criticism that he lacked size and experience operating out of a pro-style offense.

But he appeared right at home in Washington's huddle.

Brennan entered the game midway through the third quarter and eight plays later hooked up with Maurice Mann on a 20-yard TD pass to tie the score at 16.

On the next series, Brennan took the Redskins 88 yards and scrambled around long enough to deliver a 5-yard TD pass to Marcus Mason, making it 23-16.

As for Graunke: He was suspended – but not dismissed from the squad -- by coach Greg McMackin for unspecified personal reasons.

That means Graunke initially will not be part of a competition for the starting job that also includes returnee Inoke Funaki and incoming JC transfers Greg Alexander and Brent Rausch.

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