E.J. Reid Signs With St. Louis Rams

Former Utah State football player E.J. Reid has signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams after participating in their rookie minicamp over the weekend.

Reid, a 6-2, 320-pound defensive tackle from Kahuku, Hawaii, played at Utah State from 2004-06.  After being away from football for two years, Reid went to the University of Mary in Bismark, N.D., to finish his eligibility, earning all-Northern Sun accolades in 2009 with the Marauders. After playing defensive end for Mary, Reid is expected to play defensive tackle for the Rams.  Reid is expected to next participate in the Rams organized team activities (OTAs) scheduled for May 18.

With St. Louis, Reid will re-unite with former Utah State assistant coach Tom McMahon, currently the Rams special teams coordinator.  McMahon spent 11 seasons with the Aggies, including serving as Reid’s position coach in 2004-05.

McMahon spent 11 total years at Utah State, including eight as a full-time assistant.  Joining the USU staff as a graduate assistant in 1995, coaching defensive ends, McMahon was promoted to full time assistant, coaching linebackers and special teams from 1998-2000 before being named defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator from 2001-05.  McMahon left Utah State in 2005 to join the University of Louisville staff.  After coaching on the Louisville staff for one season, McMahon was with the Atlanta Falcons as assistant special teams coach from 2007-08 before joining the Rams.

McMahon’s nephew, Mike McMahon, is currently the defensive coordinator at University of Mary and also a former USU assistant coach, serving as defensive graduate assistant from 2006-07.  Mike McMahon sent his uncle a tape of Reid, prompting the Rams’ interest in the defensive lineman.

Last season at Mary, Reid posted 31 tackles (13 solo, 18 assists) and was second on the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and ranking third with two sacks, and added one interception.  Reid earned second-team all-NSIC North honors.

At Utah State, Reid made 54 career tackles with 29 in 2006 after posting 25 stops in 2005.  Reid made 14 career starts in 22 games as a defensive lineman, after switching from offensive lineman as a freshman in 2004, starting in four games, two at right tackle and two at right guard.  He posted 6.5 tackles for loss, including one sack, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick.

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A Day In The Life of Chris Kemoeatu

Join us in Hawaii as we spend A Day In The Life of Pittsburgh Steelers guard Chris Kemoeatu.

Te'o, Funaki Top Voting of Readers

Who were the Hawaii's best high school football players the past decade?

Online readers decided that quarterback Inoke Funaki (Kahuku '02) and linebacker Manti Te'o (Punahou '09) are the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Decade in a non-scientific poll that started Thursday.

The two lead The Advertiser's first All-Decade high school football team. The players picked from all-state selections from 2000 to 2009.

A majority of the selections were either multiple-year picks or Offensive or Defensive Players of the Year. But we left the readers to pick the top offensive and defensive players. In some cases, post-high school success was a factor.

Eleven different Players of the Year and several multi-year selections didn't make the cut.

We picked Siuaki Livai as Coach of the Decade. The former Kahuku coach won four of the school's five state titles during the 10-year span.

We chose Funaki, former Saint Louis quarterback Micah Mamiya and Leilehua quarterback Andrew Manley as finalists for voting as Offensive Player of the Decade. Mamiya and Manley are the only two-time Offensive Players of the Year in the decade. Funaki also was a two-time first-team pick, but was Offensive Player of the Year only once ('01). But he's the only one of the trio to lead his team to two state titles.

Perhaps because he did it early in the decade, not many remember that Funaki passed for 2,446 yards and 29 touchdowns his senior year. He also rushed for 548 yards and eight TDs.

Mamiya, now of Montana Western, accounted for 37 TDs in his best season
(2007), passing for 27 and rushing for 10, while throwing for 2,267 yards.
Manley, who has verbally committed to New Mexico State, twice passed for more than 3,000 yards and combined for 35 TDs (31 passing, four rushing) in his best season (2008). His career was like a storybook because he was promoted from the JV to the varsity in the middle of the playoffs his sophomore year when Leilehua's dual-starting quarterbacks were injured in the same game. Manley would lead the Mules to the O'ahu Interscholastic Association and state title in 2007.

The Defensive Player candidates came down to two linebackers. Te'o is the most decorated high school player to come out of Hawai'i. He is the only USA Today national Defensive Player of the Year (2008) from here and the first recipient of the prep version of the Dick Butkus Award for being the best linebacker.

Blaze Soares is the only three-time first-team all-state selection during the decade ('02 to '04).

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Kahuku's Hauoli Jamora Set For BYU

Hauoli Jamora, a defensive end from Kahuku, Hawaii, has become the 17th commitment for BYU in the Class of 2010.
Wyoming had also offered the 6-foot-2, 230-pound prospect.

PIAA Football Combine a Valuable Event

Had a good time learning about the Eighth Annual PIAA Combine Saturday at Saint Louis, watching 277 football players get measured in various tests of strength, speed, agility.

What I liked best about it was the challenge and opportunity it presents for the kids. If you want to post good results, you cannot just show up to this event the day of, without any training or preparation in the weeks or months prior.

So that means most of these kids showed up in great shape, despite the season still being three months away. That's always good.

It also gives them a good indicator of where they are at, what they need to work on over the summer. Kahuku's newest transfer, VJ Fehoko, for example, was off the charts in the bench press (37 reps of 225 pounds), but I'm sure he would like to improve on his 40-yard dash time of 4.94.

Kailua receiver Corey Lau ran an astounding 4.44, but he weighed in at only 139.5 pounds (he's 5-8 1/2), so he probably wants to add at least five or 10 pounds of muscle to fill out his frame a little.

Doris Sullivan and her staff and Darnell Arceneaux and Eddie Klaneski and the other volunteers did an outstanding job making things run smoothly.

And at $10 per kid for registration, this was something any family could afford.

Especially when you consider the potential reward — a college scholarship offer.

But even for those who don't get offers, I'm sure just being in that atmosphere and participating will reap benefits over the summer and throughout next season.

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