‘It’s special’: High school football strengthens Las Vegas-Hawaii bonds
Liberty football coach Rich Muraco can sense how his team will perform before the beginning of every game.
His read doesn’t come from warmups, or the mood inside the locker room. Instead, it’s from the haka dance Liberty performs at the start of each game.
“The haka is about getting all 50, 60 kids on the same page, dialed in, locked in, mentally ready to go before a game,” Muraco said. “I can usually tell how we’re going to play just based on how we do the haka at the beginning. It’s kind of a warrior spirit that the kids have and the families have and that’s why we try to embrace it here.”
Las Vegas is known as the “ninth island” thanks to the city’s large Hawaiian and Polynesian population. A shared love of football is one thing that unites the community.
That will be on display this weekend when Liberty hosts the Ninth Island Classic, an event where Hawaiian teams come to Las Vegas to play for the third straight year. The Patriots host Kailua at 7 p.m. Saturday, and Coronado will play Mililani at Liberty at 7 p.m. Friday.
Those won’t be the only meetings between Hawaiian and Southern Nevada teams this weekend. Bishop Gorman plays at Kahuku at 10 p.m. Saturday.
Liberty has become known for embracing Polynesian culture, as many of its players have ties to the Hawaiian islands. But other local schools have made it part of their identity as well.
“Football, it kind of embraces the Hawaiian warrior ethos of going out there and competing. We always had the warrior mentality and it just gives the opportunity for the kids to be physical,” said Liberty defensive coordinator Kaipo Batoon, who moved to Las Vegas from Hawaii in 2011.
“A lot of the Hawaii kids aren’t the prototypical basketball players, like at 6-foot-5, 6–foot-6, but they’re physical and they have heart and hope. Football gives those Hawaii kids opportunities to showcase what they can do physically with the heart they have.”
More opportunities
Muraco arrived at Liberty in 2003 as the coach of the freshman team and a varsity assistant. He said the Polynesian presence at the school “wasn’t like it is now,” but more families started to move to the area around 2006.
Some moved for better opportunities in football. Hawaii is geographically isolated, so many colleges only focus on the four- and five-star recruits in the state.
The Ninth Island Classic has helped other prospects get more exposure. Hawaiian teams play Southern Nevada schools, or ones from Utah or California, every year in the event.
“It’s a way to celebrate the culture and to celebrate Vegas being the ninth island,” Muraco said. “There’s so many people here in Vegas that have roots back to the islands. It’s a great opportunity for those kids from Hawaii to get off the island, to come to the mainland, to get exposure and play good football, and then also enjoy themselves and also see family.”
Bishop Gorman coach Brent Browner said football can play a key role in welcoming families that move from Hawaii to Las Vegas.
“How people come from the island and the amount of culture that’s already here, that’s very easy for them to bond with the families that are already here,” Browner said. “Then you add being able to play football and immediately being able to get many new friends.”
‘Proud of their heritage’
Several Gorman players will get a chance to play in front of their families Saturday against Kahuku. The Gaels also have a few players who have committed to play college football at Hawaii.
“It gives a lot of kids, especially back there in the islands, an opportunity to pursue something in life other than staying on the island,” said Gorman senior defensive lineman Prince Williams, who has family members that still live in Hawaii. “It gives them the opportunity to come down to the mainland and find success within the sport.”
Football has become an integral part of Hawaiian culture. It’s not just about players’ passion for the game, but the life lessons the sport can teach.
“Football teaches you a lot of things like discipline and sacrifice that play a big role in your personal life, like coming out here to Las Vegas,” said Gorman junior linebacker Tamatoa Gaoteote, who moved from Hawaii when he was 12. “That’s a big sacrifice for me and my family, but it all works out in the end.”
Muraco said even though there is a lot of love between Las Vegas and Hawaii, both sides take a lot of pride in representing where they are from.
“There’s a little bit of pride that goes there,” Muraco said. “A lot of our kids, when they do transfer over here or move here, even though maybe they haven’t lived over there for five or six years, you’ll see some of the kids have the logos of where they’re from in Hawaii. … Kids are proud of their heritage and any time they get a chance to go out there and compete against (one another), it’s special.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
