Hawaii Football Camp Wrap-Ups

Dave Reardon and Stephen Tsai have wrap-ups of the just completed Hawaii Football Camp. Tsai writes about an amazing youngster.

It seemed like it was only yesterday when 6-foot-1, 245-pound Reeve Koehler was a 12-year-old entering the seventh grade.

OK, it was yesterday.

"He's 12?" UH coach June Jones said in astonishment. "That's incredible."

Koehler was among 400 players of all shapes, sizes and purposes who attended the Hawai'i Football Camp.

"My older brother (Solomon) wants to play for UH," Koehler said of Castle High's highly regarded defensive tackle. "I want to play for UH. I wanted to come out here and impress the (UH) coaches."

It was a rare opportunity for Koehler to receive instruction from some of the top coaches in the state. Koehler is too heavy to play in youth football leagues.

"I learned a lot," said Koehler, who plans to play high school football at Damien or Castle.

Chris Fetters of Scout.com was there, and had an assessment of some of the talent.

Fetters said he gave high marks to defensive linemen Aaron Tipoti of Pac-Five, Haku Correa of Damien, Geordon Hanohano of Saint Louis and Solomon Koehler; offensive linemen Mykenna Ikehara of Kamehameha and Sean Tesoro of Baldwin; and running backs Kama Bailey of Damien and Dalton Hilliard of Punahou.

"Sean Tesoro was a big boost," Fetters said. "And when Mykenna showed up, it really upped the level. There were some guys who obviously stood out."

Ikehara, who is 6-3 and 275, said he has received offers from UH, San Diego State and Nevada-Las Vegas.

Dave Reardon's article details a matchup between Ikehara and Tipoti.

During the final rotation of the four-day clinic, the offensive and defensive linemen squared off for physical 1-on-1 battles. The finale featured Pac-Five defensive end Aaron Tipoti and Kamehameha tackle Mykenna Ikehara - both of whom have already received scholarship offers from the Warriors.

They worked each other hard, with a collision worthy of Aloha Stadium in October. But Ikehara kept Tipoti under wraps as UH defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold and Damien coach Brian Derby, one of the state's most noted offensive line tutors, verbally motivated them.

"I liked it. I learned a lot," Ikehara said afterward.

Tipoti said going up against one of the clinic's best offensive linemen was a fun way to end it.

"It's awesome. He's a great tackle and I'm looking forward to playing against him (in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu) this year," Tipoti said.

Sounds like it was an excellent camp.