Pop Warner: Panaewa’s Kimokeo Bowden, Mason Kron earn scholar awards

Panaewa Alii Football Association players Kimokeo Bowden and Mason Kron are recipients of the prestigious 2013-14 Pop Warner All-American Scholar award.

Each year, the most academically accomplished Pop Warner athletes compete for Academic All-American status. They are required to have a minimum 96 percent grade point average to be considered.

Bowden and Kron rank academically in the top 2 percent of approximately 350,000 children who participate in Pop Warner’s Little Scholar spirit and football programs nationwide. Only 34 students in the state received the award.

Bowden, the son of Kimokeo Bowden and Clodet Wright of Hilo, is an eighth-grader at Hilo Intermediate School. His favorite subject is math, and he also plays baseball.

He has played for Panaewa for six years and was on the Panaewa Alii Midget team, coached by Sergio Mamone, that qualified for the Pop Warner Super Bowl last fall in Florida.

Kron, the son of Jake and Julie Kron of Mountain View, is a sixth-grader at Keaau Middle School. His favorite subject is social studies, and he also races motocross and participates in agility training with Panaewa Alii Pee Wee coach Maurice Silva.

This was Kron’s first year playing for Panaewa Alii, under Silva.

“The Panaewa Alii Football Association has set a goal to double the amount of scholars it has each season,” said Mamone, who is implementing an after-school tutoring program with Silva and UH-Hilo students for Panaewa Alii players beginning with the 2014 tackle season.

“Not only will the kids be focusing on playing football, but they will also be striving to achieve good grades so many more players will be recognized by Pop Warner as All-American Scholars.”

For more information about the Pop Warner All-American Scholars program, visit popwarner.com/scholastics/scholars.