Senior Kea‘au High football players Shaydin Meek-Canon-Ching and Katin Kaluhiwa-Yamaguchi signed letters of intent on Wednesday to play for Chabot College.
Meek-Canon-Ching, a defensive lineman, and Kaluhiwa-Yamaguchi, a safety, were prominent figures on the 2023 Kea‘au High defense that helped lead the Cougars to a BIIF Division I championship appearance.
“They’re trying to take another step to further their education and to go and get some experience off-island,” Kea‘au head football coach David Murray said. “Hopefully in return, it’ll create future coaches in our community. That’s one of the positives of these kids trying to go to the next level.”
Kaluhiwa-Yamaguchi was one of six Kea‘au players to earn a mention on the All-BIIF DI First Team Defense.
Meek-Canon-Ching scored the Cougars’ first touchdown of the 2023 season, a 60-plus yard fumble recovery scoop-and-score during a non-league game against Saint Louis II in August.
“They’re gonna be part of that fraternity of people who can actually say that they went and played at the next level,” Murray said. Chabot is a community college located in Hayward, Calif. — a small city south of Oakland. The Gladiators play in the California Community College Athletic Assocation’s (CCCAA) Coast Conference, which they share with rivals such as College of San Mateo, Santa Rosa College, Laney College and more.