On his first visit to Michie Stadium on the U.S. Military Academy campus in February, Leilehua High School’s Jaryn Villegas could feel the history come alive – so much so that he decided to spend more time there on fall Saturdays, having recently accepted a football scholarship to the school.<\/p>\n
The Mules senior admits he hadn’t seen an Army-Navy game before, but it didn’t take him long to learn about Army’s storied football tradition.<\/p>\n
Michie Stadium, which opened in 1924, overlooks the Hudson River and recently was rated by Sports Illustrated <\/I>as the No. 3 sports venue of the 20th century.<\/p>\n
“To be in that stadium was mind-blowing,” said Villegas. “Just to be there and to think of how many games have been played on that field was overwhelming. Having grown up in Hawaii, my whole visit I kept saying to myself, ‘I can’t believe I’m here in New York.’ ”<\/p>\n
Villegas’ recruitment begun last May when Army assistant coach Payam Saadat visited him at Leilehua and had him fill out a questionnaire.<\/p>\n
“I said I was interested, but I hadn’t thought about (Army),” he said. “In late October or early November, Coach flew back down here and said there’s an open spot and your name is on it.”<\/p>\n
His visit to West Point covered four days, long enough for him to witness firsthand what life at the academy is like.<\/p>\n
Free time is hard to come by, but Villegas likes the regimented aspect of the typical day there.<\/p>\n
“Everything is planned out,” he said. “I enjoyed the campus, and what really hooked me was meeting a cadet up there who is also from Hawaii.<\/p>\n
I could really relate to him and the daily schedule there.”<\/p>\n
Villegas will spend his first academic year at a preparatory academy and will be eligible to play for Army during the 2014 season, if all goes according to plan.<\/p>\n
“It will be like a redshirt year (football-wise),” said Villegas, who was chosen as an OIA Red West Conference’s First Team All-Star last fall.<\/p>\n
At the high school level, Villegas was a player to take note of from an opposing team’s standpoint, according to Campbell head coach Amosa Amosa, himself a former lineman at the University of Hawaii during his own playing days.<\/p>\n
“He was one of the anchors of their line the last few years,” Amosa said of Villegas. “He’s a nice, humble boy. His technique is sound – he’s a very good player.”<\/p>\n
Villegas is one of two players from Hawaii who are part of Army’s newest recruiting class. Campbell standout running back Andrew Paul Rhoden also is headed for West Point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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