Passas Offers QB “Get Better” Camp Saturday

Saint Louis football coach Vince Passas will be on Maui Saturday, March 1, for a free three-hour QB “Get Better” Camp at War Memorial Stadium. File photo by Rodney S. Yap.

By Rodney S. Yap

Hawaii’s quarterback guru Vince Passas will conduct a QB “Get Better” Camp on Saturday, March 1, at War Memorial Stadium.

The former Saint Louis School quarterback and longtime coach will be on Maui to work with all quarterbacks grades 7-11, from noon to 3 p.m. The camp is free. All participating quarterbacks, however, need to bring their own football, water and several skilled players — receivers, running backs, defensive backs, and linebackers — or anyone wanting to work on catching skills.

Coaches from the Maui Interscholastic League, Maui’s Big Boyz League, and Maui Pop Warner Association are welcome to attend. Passas runs a free Quarterback / Receivers “Get Better” Camp every Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon at the St. Louis School field.

Baldwin High School quarterback Jonovan-Tage Akaka Foster was one of the players who attended last year’s camp. File photo by Rodney S. Yap.

“Any of the Maui athletes or coaches are welcome to attend our camps on Oahu,” said Passas. “Our Sunday camps are blowing up with as many as 40 to 50+ quarterbacks and 70 to 100+ skilled players.”

Passas, who also coaches Saint Louis baseball, was here a year ago — during the same Baldwin baseball tournament coming up — and more than a dozen quarterbacks and 30 receivers attended.

“My mission is to help as many of God’s young men as possible, including coaches, if they want,” said the 57-year-old Passas, who is a real estate broker and a 1974 Crusader graduate who has served as an assistant coach for 40 years at the school and has been on the sidelines for all 16 state and Prep Bowl championships.

Coach Vince Passas instructs onlookers on proper throwing mechanics at last year’s camp. Among the players watching were Maui High’s Austin Hoe, Lahainaluna’s Makoa Filikitonga, and Baldwin’s Jonovan-Tage Akaka Foster. File photo by Rodney S. Yap.

“I like working with kids and doing this is my way of giving back.”

Quarterbacks from all over the islands, ranging from Pop Warner to NFL, regularly attend his Sunday camps.

Passas has worked with many of the best quarterbacks from Hawaii, including Marcus Mariota of Oregon and former NCAA record-setting quarterbacks Timmy Chang (Hawaii) and Jason Gesser (Washington State). Chang and Gesser are both college offensive coordinators now at Jackson State and Idaho, respectively.

Current Baldwin offensive coordinator Dave Carino, who played football and baseball at Saint Louis and was a 1991 Interscholastic League of Honolulu all-star linebacker, will assist Passas at Saturday’s camp.

Passas developed many of the state’s best high school quarterbacks, including the list of players below:

Saint Louis

2010 — Marcus Mariota

2008-09 — Jeremy Higgins

2006-07 — Micah Mamiya

2005 — Cameron Higgins (also Jeremiah Masoli)

2004 — Stanley Nihipali

2003 — Kealii Perbera

2001-02 — Bobby George

2000 — Kelika Higa

1998-99 — Timmy Chang

1996-97 — Jason Gesser

1994-95 — Darnell Arceneaux

1993 — Joe Correia

1991-92 — Joel Lane

1989-90 — John Hao

1988 — Mike Nua

Kaiser

1982 — Jared Wong

1980-81 — Cliff Kaneiakala

1979 — Edmund Kakalia

1978 — Chris Whaley

1977 — Gary Keahohou