Photo: Rick Agan (TakoEye Sports Photography)
The resume doesn’t define Koa Eldredge, a pleasant, polite young man with a trench man’s toughness.
Despite two torn labrums, playing with a talented, yet inexperienced freshman quarterback (John-Keawe Sagapolutele) learning on the job in the merciless Open Division, the Punahou senior prospered on the gridiron. As a senior, he hauled in 70 passes for 808 yards and five touchdowns as the Buffanblu went 10-2, losing only to nationally-ranked Saint Louis. That came on the heels of a big-play junior season: 41 receptions for 734 yards and 10 TDs. He was voted to the Star-Advertiser All-State second team in both 2018 and ’19.
On the diamond last spring, Eldredge was the center fielder for the state-champion Buffanblu. Hitting for average, for power, speed on the base paths, field coverage and arm strength — all made him an elite contributor. The center fielder batted .370 overall in the brutally tough ILH, as well as preseason and post-season. He had an on-base percentage of .460, slugged .481 and finished with 11 RBIs and 12 runs scored.
In the Division I state tournament, he had an OBP of .444 and slugged .571. Coaches and media voted him to All-State second-team honors.
The biggest little number: 3.75, as in Eldredge’s grade-point average.
“I’m not sure what my fourth-quarter grades were. School’s harder to me in distance learning,” he added.
Before the spring season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an All-State first-team landing was well within the reach of Eldredge, who had already signed with BYU to play both sports. The ILH had played barely a week of the regular season on the diamond when the end came.
“It was super hard just because throughout this whole quarantine, you have this small bit of hope they’ll postpone the season. We hoped we’d have senior season left, and when they announced spring sports were officially over, it was devastating at first, but I’m just grateful to have a career at Punahou and win the state championship the year before,” he said on Thursday morning.
The resume of baseball and football statistics were read to Eldredge over the phone. Who is this guy? He wasn’t sure at first.
“Uh, they sound pretty solid. Sounds kind of like my stats. I’m just grateful for the career I had, not just how I continued, but all the memories with the teammates I had,” he said.
Eldredge is, arguably, the best two-sport athlete in the Class of 2020 statewide. Every year, the list of athletes reaching second-team All-State level, or higher, in two major sports in the highest classification is miniscule. For all his work, playing through the shoulder injuries, Eldredge is clearly one of the top senior athletes in the state. Among those who made second-team All-State in two or more sports, he has almost no peer.
Yet, Eldredge was not voted to the 2020 Hawaii Hall of Honor, which was announced on Monday. He was aware of the $2,000 scholarships awarded to 12 seniors, and was an applicant, he said.
“I knew about it. I felt like there’s a lot of athletes that are qualified for that. I knew it could’ve gone both ways, but congratulations to all those who won the award,” he said. “I don’t really base myself on the accolades. I’m just looking forward to the future.”
Buffanblu baseball coach Keenan Sue was surprised by the Hall’s decision. Sue gave his blessing to publish his letter, which was submitted as part of Eldredge’s application.
“He is a once-in-a-generation athlete on both the football and baseball fields, and has been integral to the success of both programs during his tenure,” Buffanblu baseball coach Keenan Sue wrote in his recommendation letter for Eldredge. “Koa’s most enduring quality is his discipline — the discipline to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, especially in the face of adversity or apathy. … He picks up his teammates when they are down. His energy and competitive fire are consistent whether down one run or up by 10. … Every so often, a player comes along that teaches a coach far more than that coach could ever teach him. Koa has been a bright light.”
The full letter is published here.
“People should know that he is a great athlete, but an even better dude,” Coach Sue said on Thursday.
Photo courtesy of Eldredge ohana
Punahou wide receivers coach Miah Ostrowski gave Eldredge major praise.
“To me, Koa’s on-field value was his playmaking abilities and his toughness. He showed up every game for us and made plays. No matter what he dealt with, he always brought it and laid everything out on the line for his teammates,” Ostrowski said. “His value this season was his leadership and experience. … He was a great leader by example. Younger kids on the team learned a lot from him just by watching how he operated.”
Ostrowski was an All-State first teamer in football and basketball at Punahou who went on to play both sports at Hawaii.
“Koa’s a once-in-awhile- type player, someone you can count on not only on the field, but off it, as well. Kids like that are hard to come by. They leave big impacts on your program and set standards for your program’s future. Besides his playmaking skills, his presence and just being around our program daily is what we’ll miss most about him,” Ostrowski said.
Ostrowski, a 2007 inductee into the Hall, like Sue, was surprised about the final vote.
"Definitely. He's going to play two Division I sports in college. That meets the criteria, if you ask me. Nothing against anyone that made it through. I'm sure they're all deserving in their ways," Ostrowski said.
Eldredge is already thinking ahead, of course. A two-year mission for his LDS church awaits in Milwaukee, Wis., land of the Brewers, Bucks and the Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli statue in honor of the fictional character from old-school ABC hit show “Happy Days.”
“I leave July 29. Once I got the call, I had to pull out the map,” Eldredge said. “I have to speak the Hmong language. There’s a population of 5,000 Hmong in Wisconsin. Those are the group of people I’ll be focusing on.”
For any student, a two-year break before college can be transformative. For an athlete, the wait can be mind-boggling.
“It’s pretty difficult going on a mission straight out of high school, then playing on a collegiate level. I do my best to keep my body in shape. Every day swing in the mirror before I go to sleep, what I’ve done since I was a little kid. Also, keep on rehabbing my arm. I had surgery for the left (shoulder) and I’m about to get surgery on the right one,” said Eldredge, who was prepared to play through baseball season with the injuries.
“Another great reason I’m going on my mission is to get my shoulder back into condition. I tore both of them, based on the MRIs and there was a cyst on the tears, so it’s been torn for quite a long time, maybe beginning to mid football season,” he said. “They think it’s from diving for a ball, or blocking, maybe getting hit.”
Ultimately, it wouldn’t be a major faux pas if Eldredge took it easy until his departure to the Midwest, but no. Predictably, he is on the grind.
“I weigh about 190 right now,” he said, meaning he has gained 10 pounds since football season. “Quarantine, I’ve been trying to get as strong as I can. We have a nice little backyard place to lift. Me, my brother (Kana‘i) and my little brother (Kui). We’ve got a homemade squat rack.”
There’s also this. Occasionally, a missionary returns to the islands, has had enough of life elsewhere, and decides to enroll at UH. Eldredge isn’t expecting that turn.
“Definitely not. Definitely, BYU 100 percent. I’m super excited to go to Provo and play for them for four years in both sports,” he said.
In that case, there have been quite a number of island athletes who went on to play — and star — for the Cougars. Among them was Radford pitcher Peter Kendrick, who later return to Oahu and hurled the team in blue over Hawaii in a crucial, late-season game at then-Rainbow Stadium.
“Those are the years my dad played there. My dad caught for Peter Kendrick,” Eldredge said. “I think they have a couple games scheduled (at Hawaii) in the future.”
Lockdown staples
Top 3 shows/movies
1. The Last Dance (ESPN)
2. The Office (Netflix)
3. Avatar: The Last Airbender. “I used to watch Avatar when I was a little kid, and it just came out on Netflix. It’s definitely different now that you’re a little older, but it’s still entertaining. I saw a review on the show, and it’s the first one I’ve seen that’s 100 percent. It’s a great show to watch as a kid. You learn a lot from it. Everything’s from the kid’s perspective and how he conquers all his trials and becomes the Avatar who saves the world.”
Top 3 food/snacks
1. Chicken katsu curry from Mililani Restaurant. Mililani Restaurant is one of those hidden gems.
2. Spam musubi made by my mom (Val). I can make it. She taught me how. I’ll probably go to the store and buy one when I get there.
3. Body Armor (mango-peach).
New skill
Eldredge: “I learned how to build a weight room. It’s like an open area on the patio. We have a bench with weights, some dumbbells. A nice little weight room.”
Shoutouts
Eldredge: “Probably just shoutout to all of the teammates I had at Punahou. Thank you for all the memories and the good times that I had in my high school career. And shoutout to all the coaches that have helped me, like Keenan Sue to my football coaches like Miah Ostrowski, Leonard Lau, Robby Toma, then like my Uncle Pal (Eldredge) in baseball.”
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