Kealakehe senior Anthony “Head” Trevino will chase a bigger-fish opportunity at Golden West College on the gridiron.
While California junior colleges don’t offer scholarships, they are popular feeder programs for big-name schools.
Trevino received offers from Pacific, Pacific Lutheran, Valley City State University in North Dakota, and Brevard College in North Carolina.
Technically, he’s a walk-on but received financial help through FAFSA, federal student aid from the U.S. Department of Education. After a year at Golden West, Trevino is eligible to claim California residency and pay a lower tuition.
He attended the Polynesian Senior showcase in January on Oahu and attracted the attention of Golden West assistant Savea Harrington and Kurt Gouveia, one of the most famous overlooked football players out of Hawaii.
Gouveia is the defensive coordinator at Brevard, so a scouting trip on Oahu is always a homecoming. He wasn’t recruited by UH but went to BYU and later played 13 years in the NFL.
Trevino credited Konawaena coach Brad Uemoto and assistant Peter Ewing for connecting him to Golden West and training him.
“Coach Brad Uemoto and coach Peter Ewing are great coaches,” Trevino said. “They run a solid football program up at Konawaena. They helped me become a better athlete.”
Harrington, who’s the defensive line coach, will also be quite helpful. During the offseason, he works for Rep One Sports, an NFL sports agency, which trains D-linemen for the draft.
He’s in his eighth season for the Rustlers and has coached over 30 players who have earned scholarships to four-year schools.
Trevino has family who live 10 minutes away from Golden West.
It’s pretty much every year that at least a dozen Rustlers find new homes, landing at brand-name colleges like Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon State, USC, and Washington.
“We are really excited about Trevino. He has good size (6 feet 1, 205 pounds), and he is a tremendous athlete who can play multiple positions,” Harrington said. “We feel he’ll fit in perfectly into our program. He is a team player, has a great attitude and more importantly he comes from a good family.
“We really like his athleticism at quarterback. He has a good arm and runs the ball well. He will definitely help in the kicking game. He has a powerful leg.”
Harrington added that if Trevino grows and gains weight a switch to defense is a possibility, and his versatility could also lead to reps at wide receiver.
“As of right now, I just can’t wait to get back on the field again. I’m hoping I’ll be able to compete right away,” Trevino said. “I want to catch the ball, punt or kick or be a QB. I’ll play anywhere they need me.”
Last year, the Rustlers finished 4-6 and lost to conference champion Fullerton 55-17 in the season finale. Fullerton and Saddleback are the perennial powers in the conference.
Though there were no Hawaii players on the roster last season, Harrington said Hawaii has been a recruiting pipeline for a decade.
“We understand many Hawaii kids fall through the cracks because they don’t get offers out of high school,” Harrington said. “It doesn’t mean they aren’t good enough. It just means they might need time to work on some areas, academics, skills, strength, etc., and we try to find diamonds in the rough and give them a platform to hone their skills.
“We really appreciate the sacrifice these young men make coming to the mainland. We are really looking forward to recruiting more kids from the Big Island.”
Trevino is known around the BIIF landscape as Head. It’s almost a mistake when someone calls him Anthony. The nickname came early.
“When I was younger my dad tried to punish me and my brothers by buzzing our hair off,” Head said. “But it backfired because we liked it. Then my parents (Paul and Earlynn Trevino) noticed that my head was perfectly round. Hence, the name Head was born. I’m more known by the Kona community as Head rather than Anthony.”
Trevino pointed out that he owes a debt of gratitude to his parents, who have kept him on the right track.
“They’ve made sure I do the right thing and keep my word because it will define you as a person,” he said. “They’ve told me to never give up no matter if the odds are stacked against you and to have respect and a conscious and always think about your actions because it can hurt other people.
“I’m hoping to bring positivity, a great attitude because it’s a new beginning, a great work ethic, a never-give-up attitude, and most of all Aloha from the islands when I go to Golden West.”