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Columbus athlete enjoys Hawaiian style football
By Jacob Truchard
A Columbus High School senior recently got a taste of gridiron action Hawaiian style while taking a trip overseas.
Nathan Bundy was invited to represent Columbus in the South Texas team in the “King Kamehameha Pigskin Classic” in Honolulu, Hawaii, June 6-13 by Brad Franchione, head football coach of the Blinn Buccanneers football team in Brenham.
The competition consisted of teams from South Texas, North Texas, East Texas, Oklahoma, Montana/ North Dakota, Kansas/ Missouri, Kenturcky/ Georgia, Iowa/Michigan, Ohio/Indiana and Tennesse/Nebraska. The teams were guided by collegiate football coaches from across the nation.
Before practices or competition began, Bundy was able to absorb a large portion of the Hawaiian culture and visit sites that he had only read about in textbooks or had seen in movies.
The teams travelled to the historic Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, went to the Hawaii's largest flea market located at Aloha Stadium, the location of the annual NFL Pro Bowl, and concluded the dose of culture with a trip to what is considered by many the most beautiful side of the island of Oahu, the world famous “North Shore”.
“We saw the areas where the ‘Tears of the Sun' and ‘Windtalkers' were made,” Bundy said. “It was interesting to see these locations because I am a fan of military movies.”
Practices began on the following day, Thursday morning, June 8 and continued on Friday morning and Saturday where Bundy was able to get to know football players from Kansas, Georgia and Tennessee.
“Everyone got along pretty well,” Bundy said.
The later part of the practice days were left free for such activities as snorkeling with his family, surfing with teammates, competing in a Hawaiian Fear Factor against opposing teams resembling the format of the reality TV show and a Samoan war dance, where the loudest group won the competition.
According to Bundy, many of the guys from Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Iowa, Michigan were getting bored during the luau and opening ceremonies and decided compete in arm wrestling matches to see how the Texas boys favored against athletes from other states.
“Everyone got along pretty well,” Bundy said.
He joked about how the football players from the three Texas teams dominated the competition in the arm wrestling battle of strength, and proved that these Texans meant business.
“We were filming (the arm wrestling matches) and they just took it,” Bundy said.
Bundy competed in two games with the South Texas team, defeating the Iowa/ Michigan team, but losing to Ohio/Indiana by a 2-point conversion on Sunday, June 11.
He also said with Lone Star pride that the two other Texas teams were undefeated in competition.
Bundy was a bit intimidated by the size of the opposing athletes, with many of the players well over six feet tall and 250 plus pounds, but he found out that despite of the size they possessed, they lacked the strength of many of his fellow teammates from the South Texas team, as well has his fellow Columbus Cardinals.
Bundy embraced the style of the game play he experienced during his tropical vacation.
“Defense dominated the games we played,” Bundy said. “I loved the aggressive style and hitting people.”
Bundy hopes to incorporate the defensive hard-hitting aspect of game play into the 2006 Columbus Cardinal varsity football program.
Bundy said that he was thrilled with how the South Texas team worked together so well as a team even though they only knew each other for a brief period of time and hopes that the Cardinals can achieve the same effort in teamwork once the high school football season comes around.
He said that Coach Brent Mascheck, head football coach of the Cardinals varsity team, has set the bar during the off-season for the football team to work up to when the season begins.
“Everything is going in the right direction and the whole coaching staff has got things in the right hands,” Bundy said.
He said that he and his fellow teammates are looking for a more “in your face” aggressive style of defense to compete with against teams in their new district which includes Wharton, Needville, West Columbia, Brookshire, Sealy, Sweeny and Stafford.
“If we put enough work in during the summer, we'll come out on top next year.”
David Janecek, Columbus Cardinal varsity football offensive coordinator, commented that Bundy brings intensity to the table and that the other players feed off that intensity.
“Nathan is a team leader,” Janecek said.
Bundy was named to the 2005 District 20-3A All-District second team for defense as well as the Academic All-District team.
Coach Mascheck said that Bundy led the team with tackles in 2005 and will be a starting inside linebacker in 2006.
“He is going to be a leader on defense,” Mascheck said.
Kenneth Bundy, Nathan's father, said competing against athletes from across the United States did wonders for Nathan. It has given him the confidence that he can hold his own whether it's overseas or at Cardinal Memorial Stadium.
“He knows now that he can compete with the best players,” (Kenneth) Bundy said.
Nathan enthusiastically commented that he had fun playing football and getting to know football players from other parts of the nation but was happy to come back to his hometown and continue his goal of preparing for a brand new football season.
He concluded that he wishes to incorporate the aggressive defensive style he got a taste of in Hawaii to Columbus varsity football and hopes to leave that legacy with the high school football program during his final year as a Cardinal at CHS.
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