Weekend Visit Sways Fehoko

With his family connections, Texas Tech always seemed like the team to beat for Farrington (Honolulu, Hawaii) linebacker V.J Fehoko. After a great visit to Washington, it appeared the Huskies were in a good spot. However, a visit to Lubbock this past weekend has the Red Raiders back on top.

"Texas Tech is definitely the team to beat right now," Fehoko said. "I had a perfect visit, it was just an incredible time. First off, my host was my brother Sam and it was great to see him again. We're really close and growing up, he was like my idol so it was just a great experience to be around him again.

"I love the coaching staff and they were my first offer so they have always been high on my list. I visited unofficially before but this visit was way different. All the coaches were great and never pressured me the entire visit. Other schools I've talked with kind of put on a hard sell to me and tried to get me to commit but that's not really my style and the Tech coaches were just so easy to be around.

"I spent a lot of time with Coach (Mike) Leach along with Coach (Brian) Mitchell, who's my recruiting coach and Coach (Ruffin) McNeil, who's the defensive coordinator. They're all great guys and I have such a great comfort level with them. Coach Mitchell is a family friend and they told me they have big plans for me in that defense so that's exciting to hear."

Being able to see how passionate Texas football is was also eye opening for Fehoko.

"Man, you always hear about how crazy the fans are in Texas and how big football is but to actually see it first hand was incredible," Fehoko said. "The atmosphere was incredible and unlike any place I've ever been and I didn't even go on a game weekend. There were fans coming up to me who knew who I was telling me how bad they wanted me to come to Tech.

"Football is just crazy there and that's what I'm looking for. When you combine how great the coaches were with the environment and being around my brother all weekend, like I said, just a perfect visit and it's going to take a lot to beat out Tech right now."

Despite the A-plus visit, Fehoko said he still plans to take a few more visits before he pulls the trigger.

"I still have Utah State set for [Jan. 15] and Utah for [Jan. 22]," Fehoko said. "Just like I said after my Washington visit, I kind of owe it to myself to take all these visits to make sure I'm doing the right thing. When I commit, it's going to be final and I don't want to have any regrets.

"I believe a man is only as good as his word so you'll never see me commit and then back out. The Tech coaches said to take my time and they would have a spot for me so I'm not worried about waiting too long and not having a ride there. I'll still talk things over with my parents though and see what they have to say. If over the break, I feel like the time is right to commit somewhere, I'll go ahead and do it but as of right now, my plan is to still take those last two visits and maybe even a mid-week visit to Hawaii pretty soon here as well."

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2010 US Army All-American Bowl Preview

2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl set for January 9. 10th Anniversary Game Celebrates a Decade of Athletic and Soldier Excellence. 

The following are the Polynesian athletes that will be participating in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

VJ Fehoko
LineBacker

Farrington High School | Honolulu, HI

V.J. put together back-to-back All-State seasons. He played more outside linebacker but could wind up playing inside linebacker in college. He does a great job of playing off blocks and making tackles from sideline to sideline. He totaled 86 tackles, 10 sacks, and one interception in his Junior season. ”He is an instinctive, tough, and aggressive linebacker, who consistently makes plays from sideline to sideline, all game long.

Ricky Heimuli

Defensive Line

Brighton High School | Salt Lake City, UT

Heimuli has the size and strength to bull rush his way back to the quarterback, as well as impressive speed to help chase down the ball carrier. He gets a good jump on the snap and uses quick hands to help him maintain separation. In his sophomore year, he recorded 57 tackles (seven for losses), 4 ½ sacks and one interception. As a junior, he totaled 40 tackles (ten for losses) and five sacks. “Heimuli is one of the best defensive players to come out of Utah in quite some time. He’s impossible to block with his bull rush and strength that is unmatched by anybody in the nation. He’s also a very intelligent defender and knows what it takes to make the big play at key times.”

Sione Potoae

Defensive Line

Lakes High School | Lakewood, WA

Potoa’e is an active player that uses his quickness off the ball to get penetration in the gaps. He explodes off the ball low and with good pad level, and uses his pads very well to keep separation. He is always around the ball, and sheds blocks effectively before wrapping up the ball carrier. As a junior, he recorded 44 tackles and two sacks. “A physical and aggressive ball player, he shows good backside pursuit and at all times he is moving towards the ball. A relentless playmaker.”

Ross Apo

Wide Reciever

The Oakridge School | Arlington, TX

Apo displays good stance and start, exploding off the ball and getting into his route quickly. With his size, he is a massive target across the middle and down the seam. He has deceptive speed, and covers a lot of ground quickly with his long stride. He is a great red zone target because of his height and leaping ability. As a junior, he hauled in 37 passes for 764 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. “He competes for the ball in flight and is at his best in tough situations. He can hurt you in underneath zones, he’s the consummate wide receiver who does whatever it takes to improve his game.”

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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