By KEVIN JAKAHI Tribune-Herald sports writer ADVERTISING Akoakoa Paleka-Kennedy is a big guy who worked hard to drop 40 pounds to stand tall with his current 6-foot-3, 275-pound frame — all the while with a smile on his face. The
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
Akoakoa Paleka-Kennedy is a big guy who worked hard to drop 40 pounds to stand tall with his current 6-foot-3, 275-pound frame — all the while with a smile on his face.
The Kamehameha-Hawaii senior knows the hard work is only just beginning because he recently signed a national letter of intent to play football at Arizona Western, the National Junior College Athletic Association runner-up.
It’s the same school 2010 Kamehameha graduate Keli’i Kekuewa attended. He earlier signed a Division I scholarship with Bowling Green, after Arizona Western fell to East Mississippi Community College 55-47 in the national championship.
Paleka-Kennedy, who’s hitting the books to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average and plans to major in fire science, has already received warm advice from Kekuewa, who landed on the JC All-America first team at center.
“I asked him, ‘What’s it like up there?’ He said there’s a lot of talent, and you have to work hard if you want to play,” said Paleka-Kennedy, who played on the offensive and defensive lines for the Warriors. “I told him, ‘I’ll work hard.’ I hope to be a starter. I want to go there and improve and show the coaches what I’ve got. Hopefully, like Keli’i, I can move to a bigger school.”
Kekuewa’s dad, Bruce, was instrumental in helping Paleka-Kennedy land the scholarship, as well as finding a home at Venture (Calif.) College for 10 former Big Island Interscholastic Federation players.
And that’s been the theme of Paleka-Kennedy’s time at Kamehameha, where bonds with coaches have been built and the push for improvement a daily ritual. He’s also the defending state heavyweight wrestling champion, so there’s really no time for taking it easy.
“All the coaches work out with me and they’re always teaching me a better way of doing something to get better,” he said. “I work out Monday through Friday in the weight room and do cardio with coach Kimo Weaver.
“During football, I weighed 315 pounds. But the weight limit in wrestling is 285 pounds. Coach Kimo benched with me every morning. He helped me drop that weight.”
Kamehameha coach Dan Lyons estimated Paleka-Kennedy played 75 percent of the plays in every game on the offensive and defensive lines. But his joy is knocking guys backward as a defensive tackle, not grinding some poor soul into a hamburger on the wrestling mat.
“I like defense way better than offense. You get to be more aggressive,” he said. “On offense, they’re always looking for holding and other stuff. I use my technique. I use my hands to come off the ball fast, get my hands on my guy before he gets on me, and try to make big plays.”
Both sports require speed, strength and toughness, as well as technique. Paleka-Kennedy had to learn everything from the ground floor in football because he was too big to play Pop Warner, getting his first taste of the gridiron as a freshman.
“I grew to love it. I liked the contact and the bond with teammates and coaches,” he said. “My best memory is scoring a 6-yard touchdown in our senior game against Ka’u. I was ecstatic to finally get a touchdown on my belt.
“What I’ve learned from football is we always have each others’ backs. I feel that’s made me a better friend and person.”
What sticks out in Lyons’ mind about Bill and Rolande Paleka-Kennedy’s son is his balance between working hard and having fun.
“The most endearing thing is his goofy smile. He always has a smile on his face,” Lyons said. “He knows how to have fun and when he has work to do. He does a good job of balancing those two.”
