Big Isle battle: Unger vs. Teo-Nesheim
HPA Grads Oppose Each Other Today
by Brendan Shriane
West Hawaii Today
bshriane@westhawaiitoday.com
Ka Makani fans will see double this weekend when two Hawaii Prep graduates battle it out in today's Washington at Oregon Pac-10 football game.
On one side is Washington redshirt freshman defensive lineman Daniel Teo-Nesheim. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tackle and nose guard has started every game this year for the Huskies (2-4 Pac-10, 4-5 overall).
On the other side is Oregon's 6-foot-5, 296-pound left tackle Max Unger. Unger, a third-year sophomore, has started every game the last two years for the 22nd-ranked Ducks (3-2, 6-2), who have the top-scoring offense (36.6 points a game) in the Pac-10.
The two linemen, who played together three years ago with HPA, will line up against each other at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. TV coverage of the 99th meeting of the Northwest rivals starts at 10:30 a.m. HST on TBS. Unger is a 2004 HPA alum, and Teo-Nesheim graduated the following year.
"I don't know what it's going to be like (blocking Teo-Nesheim)," said Unger, a key member of an Oregon offensive line that has allowed the least amount of sacks -- five for a loss of 20 yards -- in the Pac-10 this year. "I think it's going to be weird facing him -- especially since we're going to be going head-to-head on some plays."
Teo-Nesheim, who has 26 tackles in the nine games he's started for Washington, lines up at right end, where he'd face Unger on some plays, but he also plays nose tackle and even drops back into pass coverage for the Husky defense.
Three HPA coaches -- current head coach Geoy Purdy, line coach Bern Brostek and quarterback coach Lincoln Kalama -- will also be at Autzen when the two Ka Makani products face off.
"We figured we're not in the playoffs so we thought we would see the two guys play," said Purdy, who was defensive coordinator at HPA when Unger and Teo-Nesheim were playing for Ka Makani. "It's kind of rare (to have two guys from HPA in a Division I football game), especially with the two guys facing each other."
Purdy, Brostek and Makana visited with Unger after the Ducks finished practice Friday.
"Bern told me he can't wait to see us knock heads," Unger said. "Take that for whatever that means."
Teo-Nesheim wasn't available to talk to West Hawaii Today Friday.
Daniel Teo-Nesheim, a 2004 Hawaii Prep graduate, has 26 tackles in nine starts this season for Washington. - University Of Washington Athletics
No comments:
Post a Comment