Peach Bowl (College Football Playoff Semifinal)
No. 4 Washington vs. No. 1 Alabama
Dec. 31 at 10 a.m.
TV: ESPN
Big Island Huskies: OLB, Psalm Wooching (Kealakehe); OL, Shane Brostek (Hawaii Prep)
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There wasn’t a player in college football this season with a more distinct look this season than Washington outside linebacker Psalm Wooching.
With his patented eye-black and flowing hair out of the back of his gold and purple helmet, the Kealakehe grad was an impact player for the Washington defense, which ranked near the top 10 in the nation in just about every major category, including seventh in scoring defense and first in turnovers generated (33).
Quarterbacks got to know Wooching well, as the pass-rusher racked up six sacks in his final college season, as well as multiple accolades. The one-time BIIF running back with the Waveriders earned an All-Pac 12 honorable mention nod at linebacker, and was the Pac-12 Player of the Week in early October for a six-tackle, three-sack effort against then No.7 Stanford.
Now on the docket for Wooching and Washington: a date with No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The team enters as heavy 15-point underdogs.
Wooching took some time before hitting college football’s biggest stage to talk about the season and his personal journey.
Q: Now, you are just a few days away from playing on the biggest stage in college football. As a kid from a small town like Kona, could you every have imagined your college career transpiring how it has?
Psalm Wooching: I had no idea my college career would go the way it went. Being a kid from a small island town, playing in this setting was something only seen in my dreams. But it’s not in my dreams — this is reality and we’ve been working towards this the whole year.
Q: What was the toughest part of this season?
PW: The toughest part of the season was actually the offseason. We focused a lot on building up a base or platform for the season. So we tried to get all the pain and tiredness out during the offseason. Whether that was sprinting the upper decks of Husky Stadium or CrossFit type conditionings in the parking lot.
Q: How much did you sleep the night before selection day for the college football postseason?
PW: I slept like it was any other night. Honestly, I didn’t even know what day selection day was. We played our best during the season and believed that we deserved a spot in the top four — and we got it.
Q: A lot of people have talked about your personal progression this season, using words like “loose cannon” and “angry guy” to describe you previously, and now look at you as a leader on the team. Personally, have you felt that change happen within you, and if so, what were the some of the factors that led to it?
PW: I totally felt the change. I knew that I couldn’t scrap every time there was an altercation. And that really got me thinking that, in the long run, for me to change would be for the better. No one wants to be friends with an angry guy. But everyone wants to be friends with a protector, and that’s what I’ve been transitioning to.
Q: A now famous clip of your wedding proposal at practice went viral. What was that setup like and did the end result of it hitting pretty much every TV station and blog surprise you?
PW: The proposal was on point and perfect, all thanks to the U-DUB football staff and my family. A special shout out to Caleb Nonoa and Isaiah Chinen for taking my fiancee to the scene. I had no clue it would go viral as it did. But I believe that everyone should see it, because that’s what my fiance Courtney Gano deserves. She is a hard-working athlete (softball at Washington) that deserves the best.
Q: What’s something you would like to say to the people back home who will be watching you on Dec. 31?
PW: To my island and everyone that will be watching on Dec. 31, thanks for all your support from high school to college. This is exactly how I imagined my final year — to be in the spotlight and representing Hawaii. To be on this big of a stage is an honor, and when I run out of that tunnel I will be running out with all of you on my shoulders, representing you all with the highest of respect and tenacity.