It's only the halfway mark of the local high school football season, but it's already obvious that there are a number of early heroes on the 2007 gridiron.

Perhaps the most surprising star is a young man with a familiar name to local football fans. The word surprising is used because Kalaheo hasn't been known for its football prowess in recent years, but Mustang quarterback Cody vonAppen is making people think differently. Yes, he's the son of former UH Warrior head coach Fred vonAppen. The 5-foot 9-inch senior has made some eye-popping plays reminiscent of Steve Young or John Elway led Kalaheo to an unbeaten 3-0 start and came shockingly close against defending state champion Kahuku. Perhaps his biggest moment of his season came in a 40-yard scramble for a touchdown in an upset victory over Iolani.

Another rising star is Damien's Kama Bailey. The shifty tailback has had some mind-boggling statistics so far this year, including two games in which he finished just shy of the 300-yard rushing mark - at 295 yards against Radford and 294 yards against Iolani. In one game, he rushed for nearly 20 yards a carry!  Bailey's overall numbers are equally impressive. For the season, he's already over a thousand yards and has a chance to break the all-time local prep mark set by Iolani's Joe Igber. By the way, his longest run is an incredible 93-yarder.

At Punahou, they're picking their heroes by committee. Head coach Kale Ane is continuing to be so fair in selecting his starting quarterback that he flips a coin between junior signal callers Kimo Makaula and Cayman Shutter. Makaula and Shutter are helped by having a deep roster of receivers, including Kameron Steinhoff, Keola Kane, and Robbie Toma.

Meanwhile, linebacker Manti Te'o continues to showcase monster skills on defense. He's not only proven to be perhaps the best defensive player in Hawaii high school in recent years, but offensively, he already busted off a record-setting 99-yard touchdown run in the season opener.

St. Louis Crusader senior quarterback Micah Mamiya is also helped out by a host of speedy receivers on the team that has been consistently ranked number one throughout the early part of the season. The Crusader receiving corps has been unstoppable. Billy Stutzmann, Lucas Gonsalves, Ryan Iaea, and Tamatoa DeMello give Mamiya all sorts of options. It's up to opposing defensive coordinators to see if they can find a way to slow down the top-ranked Crusaders, who are also helped out by former Little League World Series star Vonn Feao.

In the incredible OIA West, Mililani, Leilehua, and Waianae are all chasing the title, with Kapolei and Campbell barking at their heels. One of the bright stars for the Trojans is 6-foot 2-inch 185-pound speedster Taz Stevenson. Taz has the Mililani head coach Darnell Arceneaux smiling because he's only a sophomore.

Then, there's the story of Anuenue, the Hawaiian immersion school in Palolo Valley. A year ago, Anuenue played its first varsity football and secured it's first-ever victory. This year, the Warriors are off to a great start behind quarterback Ehukai Nauka. Speaking only Hawaiian in the huddle, Anuenue has shown that it has a team full of stars and is a true contender in the OIA White Division.

These are only a few of the bright and shining stars in high school football this season. For sure, there are many more come.

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