It was 4:00 pm on August 31st when the McKinley Tigers played against the La Salle Falcons in Corvallis, Oregon. They left Honolulu, Hawaii on August 29th.

Before the game, the McKinley football boys felt “pretty confident,” said Sakalaia Hungalu (11), an offensive tackle from McKinley’€™s team. They saw things that they did not see in the other team that they saw in themselves, and they believed in their coach and were ready to work.

To prepare for the game at Crescent Valley High School that Friday night, the Tigers “€œate hearty meals,” Hungalu said. In addition, they slept early and did a lot of praying.

After the McKinley football team won the game against La Salle with the score of 43-22, they felt good and very accomplished.

Since the Falcons were the champion team in their division, Hungalu said the Tigers were “a great team headed in a great direction.” He also added that nothing could stand in their way. Besides the game, the football players got to do other memorable things in Oregon.

Joe Cho, the football coach for McKinley’€™s team, took the boys sightseeing where they got to visit different outlets. Furthermore, they were given the opportunity to visit the Oregon State and Willamette University. A great thing about their trip was getting to experience snow for the first time. The Tigers returned home to Honolulu, Hawaii on September 3rd.

Hungalu said he thanks the coaches and Neal Takamori, the athletic director, for making the trip to Oregon possible.