KAILUA-KONA — Laukoa Santos made history on Wednesday, but in a strange twist of fate, he did it with his hand and not with his foot, which has led the Kealakehe senior to two straight BIIF soccer Player of the Year honors.
Santos, surrounded by friends and families in the Waverider Gym, signed his Letter of Intent to play for the Division I Aztecs. By placing his signature on the dotted line, Santos becomes the first Division I soccer player from Hawaii to commit to a PAC-12 school, according to Topdrawersoccer.com.
The magnitude of the situation was not lost on Santos, who noted that his “hands where shaking,” drawing a laugh from the many observers in the middle of signing his papers.
“This is definitely a big day for my future and I love the moment,” Santos said. “I think SDSU will help develop me into the player I want to be. I want to try to go pro with this thing.”
While Santos added that he was a little speechless, something that would probably come as a shock to his many opponents on the pitch, he was not surprised about receiving an athletic scholarship, which will cover about 40 percent of college fees.
“With hard work and dedication, I feel like you can get anything in life,” Santos said. “This sport has blessed me from day-one and I have met so many people. It is crazy.”
If there is anyone who knows just how hard Santos work’s, its Vince La Porta, Director or Coaching for the Kona Crush.
“In Laukoa’s back yard, there are a few small cicles of grass that have been beaten down to dirt,” La Porta said. “That is where he trains on his own. I meet him there often.”
That hard work produced three “full ride” scholarship offers for Santos, but he elected to go the PAC-12 route.
“I get to play on TV for my mom to watch at home, and I get to play in front of the beautiful city of San Diego and in the PAC-12 conference against UCLA and Stanford, the national champions,” Santos said. “That environment will take you however far you want to go.”
The Aztecs, who are led by head coach Lev Kirshner, are coming off a 9-4-6 season.
Santos has had an opportunity to talk with Kirshner, who has been at the helm of the San Diego State program for 17 years, and playing time could be available quickly.
“He is excited for me to get up there and do some work,” Santos said. “I will either drop in and play defensive center-midfield or right back. He is expecting me to play, but I also could redshirt and start fully the next year.”
To say Santos has had success on the Big Island would be an understatement. As a key cog in the Kealakehe program since his freshman year, the senior with a 4.0 GPA has led his team to three BIIF titles and three state berths.
“I am very proud of what he has accomplished,” Kealakehe head coach Alden Sawada said. “He was born with natural talent but that isn’t enough to get you to that next level. He is a soccer nerd, and his whole life revolves around the sport. Kudos to him. On and off the field he is a leader. He is a complete player.”
On the same day of his signing, Santos helped the Waveriders reach the state tournament once more with a victory in a BIIF Division I semifinal game against Keaau at Waverider Stadium.
“The environment that has been created to let me thrive in has been great,” Santos said. “Starting as a freshman, playing with by brother, Keoni Yates, being a three-time BIIF champion and a two-time POY has been great as well.”
As for a possible third player of the year title, Santos believes he has done everything needed to wrap up his senior campaign in the right way, except for taking home a fourth BIIF title, which he will have the opportunity to do on Friday.
“I think I have made my mark on the island,” said Santos, who has a reputation as one of the premier goal scorers in the state. “It all comes down to Friday night.”