This kid’s name is going to come up again when football resumes. It has to.
A few weeks ago just before departing from home after an outdoor activity on Saturday with a few friends, somebody saw the kid throwing a football at Mililani’s Makaunulau Community Park and asked me, “Who is that? He looks pretty good.”
The kid’s name is Christian Rapis. The sun was going down and I wasn’t in work mode, but I figured I would introduce myself and find out if this was like, um, the next Tua Tagovailoa or something. A whiz-kid freshman, perhaps?
But no. Not that young. At first his name didn’t ring a bell. I didn’t want to keep him and his family who were packing up the gear, so I just said, “I’m a sports reporter covering high school football and wanted to find out what school you play for.” He said he was a Leilehua High School student. I thought about getting his phone number just in case, but did not.
After a little while, his name started to sound familiar, so I googled him and after a little research, found that he is a three-year high school player. These days, it’s the norm to move from school to school and that’s what he’s done. He started out at Aiea as a freshman, went to Kapolei as a sophomore and to Leilehua as a junior. I hope to eventually talk to Christian (when football resumes) more and see what his plans are.
Those plans might include missing his senior year altogether due to the COVID-19 health crisis, and that would be a shame for all players but especially seniors in high school who will not have a chance to give it that one final, American-style go at Friday night glory.
But football could return at some point this fall. Even if it doesn’t, there is a chance you will be hearing Rapis’ name playing somewhere in college eventually. His arm (after a subsequent look at his HUDL videos) appears to be legit.
As a sophomore with Darren Hernandez’s Hurricanes, Rapis — who is 5 feet 10 and 195 pounds — threw for 739 yards and four touchdowns in eight games. In one of those outings, he led Kapolei to a high-octane comeback against eventual Open Division state champion Saint Louis that fell short in a 30-22 loss.
Christian Rapis’ Kapolei highights during his sophomore, including a game in which he and receiver De’Zhaun Stribling nearly led the Hurricanes to an upset of eventual Open Division state champion Saint Louis.
“He has a great arm and he’s a super kid,” Hernandez said by phone Tuesday. “I have nothing but positive things to say about him.”
As a junior at Leilehua, Rapis wore the unusual jersey No. 81 and didn’t start or throw a pass in a regulation game. The Mules advanced all the way to the Division I (second tier) state semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion Hilo.
Leilehua coach Mark Kurisu said it’s very difficult for a player transferring in as a junior to learn the playbook and that was one reason Rapis didn’t get many snaps.
“But he stuck it out and learned the system,” Kurisu said on a Thursday phone call. “That comeback against Saint Louis two years ago speaks to a lot of what he’s capable of. He does put in a lot of work. He gets as much coaching as possible with private work, too. He’s one of those kids who has a goal, has the work ethic and the support to try to get him what he needs to go to the next level.”
In his freshman year with Na Alii, Rapis was a backup to Ty Matsunami and threw for 98 yards in five games.
One more season in high school could be a good springboard to college.
A recent Christian Rapis workout.
According to other sources who did not want to be identified, there’s a chance Rapis is transferring to Pearl City, where he apparently played during his Pop Warner years.
On his HUDL profile, Rapis lists Leilehua and Pearl City under “Team History,” so mayde that is his way of announcing his intentions to play for coach Robin Kami’s Chargers.
New Waialua athletic director Darnell Arceneaux, a former Saint Louis and University of Utah standout QB who helps out at football camps, said: “I don’t now him personally, but I’ve heard good things.”
