Gridiron University Kickoff Classic 2022: Hawaii vs Utah

For us here at Gridiron it is the best time of year, we solidify the state that will be pitted against Team Utah. This will be the 5th annual Kickoff Classic that hosts the best of the best from 8th grade, 9th grade, and the explosive senior showcase. For the Kickoff Classic 2022, the state that is coming to represent will be Hawaii!

Lead by veteran coach, Wendell Say, he will assemble a team to play in the Senior Showcase this December. Wendell Say is a proud graduate and athlete of Leilehua High School. Throughout his years of high school, Coach Say built many lifelong friendships. A “brotherhood” was formed. Friendships that followed him into college at Linfield College. In his own words here is something that he shared about those friendships, “He was my best friend in high school and my roommate at Linfield,” Say said about
teammate Dombroski. “We were all close-knit and still hang out together. Alex is a doctor, Rick has a law firm in San Diego, Paul has a business in Tampa. When we get together, it was like we were never apart. Sports brought us together. The grind in football taught us to not give up. I still keep in touch with Al Harris. It was special. I always tell our kids that they are going to remember these days. You remember the names, you remember the guys, you reminisce a lot.” After college, Coach Say went on to further his football career as the assistant football coach at ‘Aiea High School from 1980-1991. Which also led him to taking the reins as the ‘Aiea High School head coach beginning 1992 to this current day. In 2021, he finished his 42nd year coaching at ‘Aiea High School with 30 of those years as their head coach. His team moved on and won the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) Division Championships. Within this same year Coach Wendell Say humbly accepted the honor of being named the OIA Division I Coach of the Year. As he continues to coach his Na Ali’i team, he has graciously taken on the opportunity to be the Head Coach for “Team Hawaii.

Cousins vs cousins, friends vs friends, haka vs haka, HAWAII vs UTAH. Who is going to Represent?!

Posted in .