After big summer, Campbell’s Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele set to chase history

Campbell’s Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele acquitted himself well at the Elite 11 finals in Los Angeles earlier in the month. The southpaw turned heads throughout the competition, winning the rail shot contest, and finished with a Top 11 ranking in the competition, earning true Elite 11 status.

“Being able to compete with the best of the best was something I was truly grateful for,” Sagapolutele told KHON2 about performing in the nation’s premier quarterback competition. “And to be able to learn from such high coaching, Pete Carroll and other coaches who were there as well, I tried to take back as much information as I could back home before my senior season.

“Of course there’s nerves, but I was never intimidated by the competition. Of course, I’m always ready to compete anytime that I need to but coming out and doing the challenges, of course you’re gonna be a little nervous but I’m just grateful that I went out there and did my thing.”

While making a name for himself nationally, Sagapolutele also made sure to take lessons with him learned from the competition back home to Ewa Beach, where he’ll be a senior at Campbell in the fall.

“One of the main things I took away was to invest in your teammates,” he said of the Elite 11 experience. “That was a big thing that we talked about, just doing the little things to get your team closer together, like simple dinners, inviting them over, hanging out. Another thing was keeping the main thing the main thing. Whatever your goal is in life, that’s the main thing and that’s what you gotta keep first and all the other stuff on the side, just make sure that doesn’t get in the way of the main thing.”

Sagapolutele’s recruitment has been steady throughout his high school career as a four-year starter, intriguing coaches with his 6-foot-3 height and smooth left-handed release. He currently has earned a dozen scholarship offers from FBS schools.

On July 8, Sagapolutele will make his college commitment, choosing from a final four of Cal, Boise State, Oregon State and Utah State.

“Those are the schools I took visits to and those schools showed genuine interest in me,” he said. “They’ve been recruiting me hard, since early this year. I’m just grateful for each and every one of the coaches that have been recruiting me and the final decision will be made on the 8th of July so I’m truly excited.”

Sagapolutele’s older brother, John, is a backup quarterback at the University of Hawaii after starting for four years behind center at Punahou.

“The main goal is to just make sure my parents don’t have to pay for college, and just thankful that God has blessed us both with scholarships and hopefully we’ll be able to play each other in college and hopefully be able to play each other in the NFL,” Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele said.

Once Sagapolutele announces his college commitment, he will be able to shift more of his focus towards Campbell’s season, which will feature a pursuit of history.

With 7,244 career passing yards, according to Hawaii Prep World, Sagapolutele is on pace to narrowly surpass Dillon Gabriel‘s Hawaii passing yardage record of 9,848.

“it’s not something that’s always on my mind, but that’s a goal that I really want to break,” Sagapolutele said. “Being the all-time Hawaii passing leader, that’s something that’s a goal for me in high school, but it’s just truly a blessing from God and I’m grateful I get to be up there with the greats that have come out of Hawaii.”

Said Gabriel when asked about Sagapolutele’s record-breaking pace in May: “Records are meant to be broken and I’m super happy for him when that time comes and it’s gonna be a cool time. I know how special it is and for him to add his name with all the guys who’ve thrown for a lot of yards and played a lot of football, it’s very special so I’ll be happy for him when he does it.”