Leilehua High quarterback Andrew Manley. - Photo: Sylvia Manley Koch.

Manley under pressure

To various observers, Leilehua High quarterback Andrew Manley is known as The Human Sponge and Man Child. But he could also be called Ice.

At 6 feet 2-and-a-half inches and 195 pounds, Manley is cool under pressure. But it's more about it his mind than his size, which gives him about a six-inch height advantage over most quarterbacks in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association.

“My thoughts were just go out there and get the job done and try to help my team win and keep going into the playoffs,” said Manley, who was called up from the junior varsity team to lead the Mules through the playoffs after two quarterbacks fell to injury. Manley, a 16-year-old sophomore, finished 5-0 as a starter and helped Leilehua to win its first state title ever – in front of a crowd of more than 15,000 at Aloha Stadium.

“His first time under the lights, to do what he did it's a story out of Hollywood,” said Mules head coach Tokuda, who calls his sophomore quarterback The Human Sponge for his willingness to learn.

Leilehua High quarterback Andrew Manley makes the calls to the offensive line. - Photo: Courtesy of www.mulesrule.com.

“Andrew is just a pleasure to coach,” Tokuda said. “Right now he's just soaking up all the knowledge. He wants to learn. He's asking the right questions. This guy can only get better.”

For Manley, whose father, Kimo Manley, also played football for Leilehua, this season was “a dream come true.” After the team's 20-16 come-from-behind win over powerhouse St. Louis at the Nov. 30 state title game, Wahiawa exploded in celebration.

“From the time we got off the freeway, people were just going crazy, popping fireworks, honking horns all the way up to the football field,” Manley recalled. “The band was playing. It was just crazy. We didn't get out of the school until 4 in the morning.”

Manley, who also won a spot on this year's varsity basketball squad, said he won't soon forget that his first completed pass came on his first attempt in his varsity debut. “I rolled out of the pocket and hit Allen (Macam) for the first down and my first completion,” Manley said of the game against Mililani. “I heard the stands go crazy. I think I'll remember that play for the rest of my life.”