Raised to be humble and hard working, Rylen Kaniaupio doesn’t mind grinding from the ground up at Ottawa University, which is starting a football program. ADVERTISING Raised to be humble and hard working, Rylen Kaniaupio doesn’t mind grinding from the
Raised to be humble and hard working, Rylen Kaniaupio doesn’t mind grinding from the ground up at Ottawa University, which is starting a football program.
Kaniaupio, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound linebacker, had a senior season to remember at Hilo and did well to represent his other school, Ke Kula o Nawahiokalaniopuu.
He signed to play ball for the Spirit, who will compete on the Division II level in the National Christian College Athletic Association.
Cal State Northridge prefers to be known as CSUN, and it’s the same thing will all capital letters at Ottawa, which goes by QUAZ.
QUAZ defensive coach Brandon Payne found Kaniaupio, who plans to major in business administration, on hudl.com, and what he saw was a linebacker with a strong lower half who played with good leverage.
“The scholarship came out of the blue. I was looking at D-III schools that don’t give athletic scholarships,” Kaniaupio said. “I was surprised to get a D-II offer. It’s really cool and good for me to start at ground zero. Everybody has to work for their positions. Nobody has a set starting spot. I like that competition.
“Brandon Payne is really good and a cool coach. He’s good to work with. He liked that I’m a really big hitter and really quick.”
Kaniaupio is part of the proud 2017 Ke Kula o Nawahiokalaniopuu graduate class of 18 students, which included Viking teammates Kalei Tolentino-Perry and Ka‘aina Lewis. The students at the Hawaiian immersion school play sports for the Vikings.
The trio were part of four BIIF Division I championships. Tolentino-Perry was the offensive player of the year and Lewis the defensive POY. Kaniaupio also landed on the first team.
All three are going to college. Tolentino-Perry will follow his first love and play soccer at San Jose State while Lewis will hit the gridiron at Palomar College.
Kaniaupio started going to Ke Kula o Nawahiokalaniopuu in the fifth grade after he heard Tolentino-Perry speaking in Hawaiian at their Keaau Chargers baseball practice.
The soccer standout would speak Hawaiian to his dad, Buddy Perry, who founded Na Hoa O Puna Soccer Club and battled Lou Gehrig’s disease. He died Dec. 15, 2015 and remains a guiding light for Kaniaupio, who also played soccer for the Viks.
“He was diagnosed in 2008 but never let his disease get in the way and came out to practice every day rain or shine, even if it meant showing up in a wheelchair,” Kaniaupio said. “He inspired many people to become as determined and to never give up and always believe in everything they do. He made such a big impact in everyone’s life. Even people who didn’t know him have heard about him. Now at Shipman Park where he used to coach every day, the soccer fields are named after him.”
Influential role models have surrounded Kaniaupio. His dad, Earlsen Kaniaupio, works as a janitor at Nawahiokalaniopuu, and his mom, Mandy, is a manager at Maui Tacos.
His dad used to work at Suisan on the graveyard shift but resigned to spend more time with the family, including son Tysen and daughter Kylie, who both attend Nawahiokalaniopuu.
It’s not the first time Kaniaupio has seen that type of sacrifice.
His maternal grandpa suffered a stroke near the end of his senior year. The family members all pitch in and take turns to care for him.
“A life lesson that I carry from my parents is to always be humble because there is always someone out there better than me, so I always have to work twice as hard,” Kaniaupio said. “They also taught me to help others and expect nothing in return.”
He enjoyed his time at Ke Kula o Nawahiokalaniopuu, which reinforced a lot of his values.
“It’s a really small school. We had one of the biggest graduating classes with 18 students,” he said. “It was more like a family feel. It was not about myself. It was about having to work together, and that applies to a lot of things outside of school, like football and other players. It was more about what the school built in us, to work hard and be humble.”
It’s serious stuff at the QUAZ, which mailed Kaniaupio a workout routine and nutrition packet. The head coach is Mike Nesbitt, who was at West Texas A&M for four years and has more than 20 years of coaching experience.
Kaniaupio has to report to the QUAZ by Aug. 18. He really doesn’t have any hobbies, so it’s a summer filled with workouts with the Vikings during their offseason drills.
“It’s a dream come true,” Kaniaupio said. “I’m the first from my family to go to college. I know I’m making my parents proud to go to the next level and do the things that I love.
“I’ve talked to the players on twitter group chat and from talking to them it seems like they’re good people. I feel like I’ll make a lot of new brothers. Things will be really good.”
His brother Tysen will be an eighth grader and has the football genes. He’s already 6 feet and 220 pounds and plays rugby.
Kaniaupio will serve not only as a role model for his quite big younger brother but also all the little ones at Ke Kula o Nawahiokalaniopuu.
“This shows them that anything is possible, even if you go to a small school if you believe in what you want to do and love to do it,” he said. “You have to put in the effort and stay true to yourself, and anything is possible.”
On scholarship
Who: Rylen Kaniaupio
School: Hilo/Ke Kula o Nawahiokalaniopuu
Sport: Football
College: Ottawa University, Ariz
