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Hawaiians Invade Oregon For Season Opener Double Header

There is a double header this Friday that has not generated much press but really should have. Because two great teams from the Mighty State of Hawaii are on airplanes right now getting ready to play two great Oregon Squads!

Hawaiians Invade Oregon For Season Opener Double Header

There is a double header this Friday that has not generated much press but really should have.  Because two great teams from the Mighty State of Hawaii are on airplanes right now getting ready to play two great Oregon Squads!

It's all going down Friday at Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis and we will be there to cover it.

Mixing it up in game 1 at 4 PM will be the LaSalle Prep Falcons (Oregon's Reigning 4A Champs) and the McKinley Tigers from Oahu.

In game two at 7 PM will be Crescent Valley as the Raiders take on a tough Radford Rams squad also from Oahu.  

McKinley is 1-1 on their season which has already started and Radford is 2-0 so both match ups looks very solid.

This is the first time we can remember a squad from Hawaii making it to Oregon and now we are getting two teams at once!  It is going to be a great thing to see how our teams stand up against the boys of the Islands.  Should be a lot of fun!  But how did these games get going?

"Well there are a ton of connections here.  When I was a kid playing middle school ball in Hawaii there was a guy named Joe Cho over at McKinley where I was going on to play.  He was the man to us," said Head Falcons Coach Tim Bowman.  "I never played High School ball on the same team as him but when I moved on and came over to Linfield for College Joe Cho was at Willamette and tearing it up.  That was the start of something."

Bowman went on to add that Cho ended up moving back to Hawaii but then returned to Oregon as a Teacher and Coach.  Cho coached at Cascade and at North Salem as a basketball and football coach.  He left Oregon after a 30 year career here and helped many kids succeed in life.

"I remember talking with Joe a few years back and telling him he should go back to Hawaii and go after the Head job at McKinley which had opened up at that time.  He did and he got the gig and is doing a great job.  So when I left Western Oregon as a Coach and ended up at LaSalle we hooked up on this idea."

Now Cho called Bowman and offered to play them here in Oregon.   Bowman, knowing McKinley has a bigger Senior Class then he has in his entire school at LaSalle Prep, had his reservations.  But accepted his old idols invitation and now it is game on.

Another helpful connection is AD Neil Takamori at McKinley who coached both Bowman and Cho and helped to make this all happen.

Enter Kelly Sur.  The former Team mate of Bowman and Cho who went on to Boise State.  He is the AD at Radford High School in Oahu and caught wind of this inter-state battle and wanted in.

"Kelly is an amazing guy and Coach in his own right and runs a heck of a program.  He worked it out so they could come and I called Scott Sanders at Crescent Valley here and shoot….we had a 4 way battle all laid out.  Now all we have to do is play," said Bowman.

So right now two very solid Hawaii teams are headed this way to settle in and play.  According to Coach Sanders the teams will be in tonight, stay in Albany, and then head into Corvallis for the games Friday.

"I don't have as many connections to these guys as Coach Bowman does but we are so happy to be a part of this.  It is exciting for all of our kids and our program to host this sort of thing.  Culturally and all of that it is really great too," said the former Beaver Sanders who mentioned that OSU Coach Joe Seumalo was a Radford alum.

LaSalle brings back All State QB Mark Holenstein and Two way stand out Colin Meisner (WR-DB).  Tight End Sean Hayes is 6'6" and 215 pounds with nice hands and Linemen Same Eichorn also will help lead the Falcons into the game against the ground pounding Tigers.

Crescent Valley is loaded this season and are lead by Sanders son Tanner who is a top recruit for the Class of 2014 with offers.  They also have two PSU Commits in Austin Powell and Bryon Bodon who will be very good along the line and a tough young center in Will Heck.  Safety – ATH Tanner Feiz is another stud; one of many.

Now we will be there with coverage and will be streaming some love video feeds as well at OregonPreps.com and IslandPreps.com for the Families of these kids from Hawaii.  So look in on us and join the fun.

Tickets are available at the Gate at Crescent Valley:  Map Link Here'

Great connection all these Hawaiians and Oregonians continue to have and to build here and both Oregon Coaches are of course hopeful to reciprocate in the next year or two and take their teams to Oahu next time!  We wish all of these teams a safe and Happy event.

I am the Founder of the Northwest Prep Report. For 17 years I have led the way to the best of my ability to promote the best talent from the Pacific NW free of charge. It is my pleasure to continue to serve High School athletes from all over the Pacific NW and beyond. Formerly with Rivals.com my sites have now crossed over 8,000 stories, 7 MILLION Video Views, and 15,000 regular followers. Together with the best football people in the USA we pursue excellence for our NW athletes.

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