Many Big Island student-athletes have gone on to have successful collegiate careers on the mainland. But one Kailua-Kona native is putting everyone on notice on the professional stage.
Pono Davis, a Kailua-Kona native and 2015 Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i graduate, is currently playing a key role in his third season with the Houston Sabercats — one of Major League Rugby’s (MLR) top teams. Davis and the Sabercats will compete in the league’s playoffs at the end of the month.
Davis recently made his first start of the 2024 season against the Seattle Seawolves on June 15 in the prop position. He recorded five carries, two offloads, nine tackles and 18 breakdowns in 70 minutes of action in the 28-25 win — earning himself Live Oak Vodka’s ‘Man of the Match’ award for the week.
The Sabercats closed the season at 14-2 on June 29 in another win against the Dallas Jackals, securing the No. 1 seed in their conference. Davis also started in this match.
“It’s been quite the journey,” he told West Hawaii Today in a recent phone interview. “Had a lot of learning, a lot of struggle — but I’ve had some real great friendships and brotherhood that I’ve gotten along the way.
“Now we’re just more focused than ever on winning this championship.”
Davis’ journey from the Big Island to Houston was a challenging but unique one. Growing up on the west side, athletic resources and feeder programs were scarce. While both of his parents busily worked to provide a better family lifestyle, Davis and his older brother, Paka Davis, heavily relied on one another to make each other better — no matter what the sport was.
“It was very humbling (to grow up on the Big Island). My dad always pushed sports in our family because he knew it could lead to a pathway for a higher education,” Pono Davis recalled. “We took advantage of every resource we had. We’d be in the (KS-Hawai‘i) gym all afternoon and night each day trying to get better. Our classmates would often ask us, ‘do you guys live here?’
“I played everything growing up — football, baseball, rolley hockey, water polo, track. So we always kept ourselves busy. Even when I visit home, I still go over to Old Airport and train.”
The brothers’ relentless pursuit of a sports career past high school ultimately paid off. Paka Davis graduated from Kamehameha a year before his younger sibling — going to play football as a defensive end for Texas Christian University (TCU). During Pono Davis’ senior football season without his brother, he won Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Defensive Player of the Year. Despite his brother being in Texas, he still sent Davis the collegiate workouts he was using to prepare him for the next stage.
“He always pushed me,” Davis said. “Even after (KS-Hawai‘i) won BIIFs during my senior year, he still encouraged me to push for more. Most Big Island athletes end up going DIII, and he wanted something different for me.”
After graduating, Davis went to the mainland to begin his college football career as a defensive lineman in the fall of 2015 at Tyler Junior College in eastern Texas. The institution offered him a scholarship with boarding, which he says he appreciated. Although he redshirted his freshman season, Davis grasped the building blocks of what it took to be successful on the college stage — both on and off the field.
He knew that in order to get the playing time he wanted, some of his routines needed to change. From improving his offseason workouts to academics, his work ethic in all aspects of life completely went to a different level.
“I was really taught discipline (at TJC),” Davis said. “A couple of sayings the coaches instilled in us was to ‘be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there, doing what you’re supposed to do’ and ‘if you’re there early, you’re on time; if you’re on time, then you’re late.’ I just really tried to apply those things into everything I did.
“Showing up where you’re supposed to be and doing what you’re supposed to do … those things can go a long way.”
Soon after, Davis got his wish. He earned more playing time in the 2016 season, which grabbed the attention of local Division I school Southern Methodist University (SMU). The Mustangs were intrigued by Davis’ character and work ethic, and shortly thereafter offered him a chance to try out for the team as a walk-on. Davis made the team in the fall of 2017, and earned his athletic scholarship. He went on to play in 13 games that season as a defensive tackle, starting in 12 of them.
“I felt that I did everything I could to prepare for that moment,” Davis said. “Very humbling experience.”
The following season, Paka Davis elected to earn his master’s degree at SMU and play alongside his younger brother. A dream the brothers had for years finally came true.
“That was awesome,” Pono Davis said of the experience of playing at SMU with his sibling. “That was a goal of ours from the very beginning.”
Davis finished his three-year career at SMU with 78 total tackles and four sacks. He was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team in all three of those years, and earned a nomination for an Outstanding Senior award in 2020. After graduating and playing in reputable events such as the Polynesian All-American Bowl and the Hawaii Senior Bowl, he dipped his toes in personal training work. However, he soon realized that he longed for a different avenue.
Wanting to continue to play football, he received some preliminary interest from a few Canadian Football League teams, but nothing materialized. He was also contacted by the Indianapolis Colts to fill out some questionnaires, but never spoke with anyone from the organization.
Despite not much luck, Davis’ post-college career then quickly changed for the better. After playing in some organized spring football in Houston, the American Raptors — a professional rugby union team based in Glendale, Colo — offered Davis to teach him the game while providing him housing. Curious but intrigued, he accepted.
After learning the ropes up in Colorado, the team offered Davis, and he soon went to Uruguay with his new squad to play against the under-20s Uruguayan national team — which helped him get a solid grasp on the sport’s expectations. Being a football player his entire life, Davis said the transition to the new sport was smooth.
“It’s really cool to see the difference of community when it comes to rugby,” he said. “Everyone is so tight-knit; everyone knows everybody. We’re like a family.”
After turning some heads during his brief Raptors tenure, a few MLR teams reached out to offer Davis, but the Sabercats stood out the most. The team offered him in January of 2022, and the rest is history.
“I had the opportunity to play for a program that really wanted me,” Davis explained. “I wanted to play against the best and beat the best, and Houston gave me the best option to do that.”
Now comfortably into rugby career, Davis says he still isn’t done reaching his goals. Aside from the MLR championship aspirations, he wants to eventually return to school to obtain his master’s. Until then, Davis hopes to be selected to the U.S. men’s national rugby union team in the near future.
He also hopes to serve as an inspiration to other young Big Island athletes that are hoping to make it big or looking for college opportunities. He emphasized that if he and his brother could do it, anybody can — even if the path isn’t everything one expects it to be.
“I’ve had some real good mentors and leaders in my life that helped me set goals, but I’d really like to give back and set the example for all the other kids back home,” Davis said. “I want them to know that you can do it. You can do whatever you want. If you want to go play professional sports, you can do that. It’s all about taking advantage of the resources available to you.
“But when you get that opportunity, you have to be ready.”
Davis and the Sabercats will begin playoff action against the Jackals in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. HST July 20 on Fox Sports 2.