IslandAthlete.com - Maui Signing Day Event

February 6, 2008

IslandAthlete.com Staff Writer

MAKENA ? The inaugural Maui NLI Signing Day was held Wednesday morning, February 6 at the Maui Prince Hotel. Sponsored by Team 808, Island Football, Makena Resorts & Prince Hotels. Former Maui High School football coach David NeSmith and friends wanted to create an annual event to spotlight all of the Maui Interscholastic League senior athletes who will be continuing their careers next season in college. It gave those student-athletes who were signing NLI's, the opportnity to publicaly celebrate the occasion with friends and family.

"We wanted to help these athletes here on Maui and we came up with the idea; we wanted to see how we can highlight these athletes and this is the result of the ideas coming together,'' NeSmith said. "We have a lot of great athletes on this island who need the recognition. We are still in the infant stage, but we hope to make this an annual event.''

Maui's own radio personality Fred Guzman served as the event's master of ceremonies. He was joined by special guest speaker and former University of Hawaii receiver and current Maui resident Derrick Branch. Of the 20 athletes in attendance, the majority were football players from Baldwin High school, but there were also four girl volleyball players, three lady golfers, two cheerleaders, two soccer players, one baseball player, two track and field athletes, one girls basketball player and one multi-talented athlete who plans on playing both football & baseball next year.

The highlight of the morning's festivities was Baldwin's mammoth offensive lineman Sean Tesoro signing his official letter to UNLV at the ceremony. Tesoro never waivered from his commitment to the Vegas school, made in early December, confirming with his signature on Wednesday. Tesoro also reported he had scholarship offers from Portland State,Weber State, Washington, Boise State and said UH was offering him a grayshirt (sitting out one season with the verbal guarantee of a scholarship the following year). The 6-foot-3, 297-pound Tesoro said: "I am very excited about it. Ever since I made my decision, I have been able to concentrate more on school.'' Tesoro is looking forward to being reunited with former Baldwin head coach Jimmy Morimoto, currently a UNLV assistant. He's also looking forward to returning to play in front of the home folks as a sophomore when UNLV visits Aloha Stadium to play UH in September 2009.

Tesoro's Baldwin classmate and the 2007 state 800-meter champion Joey Amescua continues in the long line of Valley Isle Track & Field stars signing with a major D1 program, by accepting a Track scholarship to powerhouse USC.

Michael Jahns, the 2007 MIL Player of the Year in baseball for St. Anthony, was in attendance and had already signed a scholarship agreement with Northwestern during the early baseball signings in
November. He chose the Big Ten school over Johns Hopkins, Holy Cross and USF. Jahns will be joining Punahou's star pitcher/first baseman Paul Sneider on the Evanston, Illinois campus next Fall.

But Wednesday morning was not all about the boys. Other MIL athletes in attendance included three-time MIL individual girls golf champion Elyse Okada and 2007 state runner-up Kelcie Kawano, both of Maui High School. Okada has already signed with Oregon State and Kawano is headed for Cal State-Northridge. Baldwin's Keisha Shishido, a standout on Baldwin's girl's soccer team, multi-state track champion Brittany Feiteira, and cheerleader Sherise Shimabuku will all be headed to UH Manoa in the fall. The star player on the Maui High girl's basketball team Ariel Gaorian, will be taking her skills to the Big Island next year when she enrolls at UH Hilo.

Baldwin football players Chansi Bolosan, Dylan Puaa and Leti Langi will all play at Montana Western, an NAIA school with strong Hawaii ties. Teammate Troy Aoki is undecided between Puget Sound and Linfield College. Two sport Baldwin standout, Skylar Cabacungan announced he'll continue to play both football and baseball next year at San Jose CC. He will be joined on the San Jose CC football team by teammate Kalei Kamahele and numerous other Hawaii players from Oahu.

Two Baldwin football players were conspicuous by their absenses. Chase Nakamura, the all-state wide receiver in 2006 who was limited to four games in 2007 by a knee injury, and quarterback Jordan Helle. The 6-3, 185-pound Nakamura remains undecided on his college choice, but rumors have re-surfaced about offers from university of Utah, as well as his well-documented visit to the Manoa campus last weekend sound promising, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

Helle was unable to attend the ceremonies because of the conflict with the State Soccer Tournament which began Wednesday on Oahu (He plays goalie on Baldwin's soccer team). The rifle-armed quarterback is still undecided on where he's going to play football next season. He's waiting to hear back from a couple of D-III schools ? Puget ound, Occidental College in L.A., and Menlo College in the Bay Area. There is also an offer to walk on at Alcorn State in Mississippi, supplemented by an academic scholarship to cover approximately 75% of costs. Iowa's Drake University and Texas A&M-Commerce are also on his radar screen.

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