The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that is will present its first-ever Polynesian High School Player of the Year Award at the 2018 Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii.
“There are several thousand Polynesians that play high school football today,” said Jesse Sapolu, Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Chairman, Co-Founder and Inductee. “Football for these young men is way of life, it’s family, it’s culture and an opportunity to further their education through a college scholarship.”
Related: Jesse Sapolu helping high school linemen through his MITT Academy
In addition to the award announcement, the Polynesian Hall of Fame released its Watch List for the award that includes 53 senior high school football players from 43 schools. The list includes 22 players that are rated as either 5 or 4-star prospects.
Heading the list is 5-star linebacker Palaie Gaoteote of Bishop Gorman (Nevada). Gaoteote, who has given his verbal to USC, is considered the No. 10 overall college football prospect in the 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Five finalists will be revealed on December 7. The winner of the inaugural Polynesian High School Player of the Year Award will be announced on January 19, 2018 during the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Celebration Dinner and also recognized at halftime of the Polynesian Bowl.
INAUGURAL POLYNESIAN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
The Polynesian Bowl is a premier high school football all-star game featuring 100 of the world’s elite football Players, of which a majority will be of Polynesian ancestry. The game will be played Saturday, January 20, 2018 at Aloha Stadium.
