New Mexico State ‘intercepts’ QB Manley

By Fred Guzman

The state’s football talent drain is a constant source of consternation among University of Hawaii fans. “Why can’t we keep local kids?” they ask. If not that, it’s: “Why won’t best local kids stay home?”

There are various reasons: A chance to play in higher-profile programs and conferences. The opportunity to get away from home. And, of course, the ineffective recruitment of local kids by the state university.

Going into a season when UH appears to have a gaping hole at that key position, losing former Leilehua quarterback Andrew Manley to New Mexico State really hits home.

His new coach, DeWayne Walker, said Manley will be given a chance to compete for playing time as a true freshman.

Hawaii coach Greg McMackin has outlined UH’s efforts to recruit Manley. But the bottom line is that Hawaii made a final take-it-or-leave-it offer to Manley last summer. When Manley asked for time to consider his options., McMackin gave the scholarship to Kevin Spain.

At this point, we don’t know if Kevin Spain will be better, as good or worse of a college QB than Adrew Manley. But we do know that Kevin Spain is from Arizona and that Andrew Manley is from Hawaii. Being able to sign a talented local QB would seem to have been a good idea for a program suffering from an eroding season-ticket base.

When discussing Manley this week, Walker said, “we think we stole a good player. We feel there are a lot of schools who dropped the ball in his recruitment.”

On that top of list, in my view, is the University of Hawaii.

GOLF ROUNDUP: With Maui’s Cassy Isagawa making a major contribution, Team Hawaii took top honors at the Girls Junior America’s Cup in California. Isagawa, the Baldwin golfer who won the state high school individual title last spring as a junior, shared medalist honors with a 2-under, 214 – including a final round 71 yesterday at Morgan Run course in Rancho Santa Fe. Team Hawaii posted a combined score of even-par 648 for a three-stroke victory over Oregon.

There was more good news on the golf front for Hawaii fans.

Michelle Wie opened her bid in the Women’s British Open with a 2-under 70, putting her two strokes off the pace set by co-leaders Yani Tseng and Katherine Hull. Wie, of course, is the most celebrated product of the state’s junior golf programs, coming to national attention as a 13-year-old prodigy.

Other youngsters have followed Wie’s lead, including a pair of precocious 12-year-olds by the names of Mariel Galdiano and Allisen Corpuz.

Galdiano finished second to in the Hawaii State Women’s Stroke Play championship yesterday at the Mid-Pacific Country Club, five strokes behind Nicole Sakamoto, a junior at James Madison University.

But Galdiano may be just the second-best pre-teen girls golfer in the state. Allisen Corpuz, a Punahou seventh-grader, will try to win her fourth U.S. Kids national title next week on the mainland. She is the reigning Hawaii State Women’s Match Play champion.