A handful of local high school football players participated last month in the 2015 Nike Football Combines held in Honolulu at the Aloha Stadium, with the help of a new organization called PISA — Pasefika International Sports Alliance — a nonprofit organization that has as its  mission to improve the health and welfare of Pacific islanders by providing best practices in education and sports for all Pacific scholar athletes.

PISA was founded in 2014 by Kealii Lum (Executive Director) and Keikiokalani Misipeka (Director of Player Development) in Hawai’i and American Samoa. The alliance partners with families who seek better opportunities for their children by using their abilities in sports in obtain a college degree.

Misipeka stated that kids may have all of the talent in the world — however, if they cannot meet high school or college academic criteria, what good are they to any team?

The Nike Football Combine, which takes place at various locations across the nation, has high school football players (Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen) along with motivated 7th and 8th graders, testing their athleticism and comparing their scores to other players nationwide.

According to PISA, they are working to get current American Samoa student athletes to premier bowl games such as the Blue versus Grey All American Bowl.

Their ultimate goal is for children to excel in the classroom and to receive a college degree in the field of their choice. PISA says it understands the limited resources available to families of student athletes, and says that due to the high cost of travel and the low minimum wage in American Samoa, families have to pay three to five times more than parents that live in Hawai’i or the Continental United States.

To help American Samoa’s future prospects, PISA has established a GoFundMe account for the "kids from the rock" : http://www.gofundme.com/kids-from-the-rock to help fundraise and offset costs for families from American Samoa to attend the Nike Regional Camp, PIAA Exposure Camp and Oregon Ducks Skills Football Camp.

“PISA would like to send out our heartfelt thanks to all of the parents, coaches, government officials, ASHSAA and our Heavenly Father as we continue to push forward the betterment of student athletes in American Samoa,” said Misipeka.

The local players, who attended the Hawai’i i Nike Combines were Kaki Manase and Fred Mauigoa (both from Tafuna High), Iverson Moana (Faga’itua) and Juliano Falaniko (both from Leone) along with American Samoans players, now living and attending high school in Hawai’i, Jeremiah Pritchard and Keiki Misipeka.

The Nike Football Combine, which takes place at various locations across the nation, has high school football players (Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen) along with motivated 7th and 8th graders, testing their athleticism and comparing their scores to other players nationwide.

According to PISA, in a short period of time, the alliance has helped secure over one million dollars in athletic and academic scholarships for American Samoa and Hawai’i Pacific Scholar Athletes to date.

For the 2015 season, Jeremiah Pritchard, a former Leone High School football player, has received an invitation to play in one of America’s premier high school bowl games on December 20, called the Blue versus Grey All American Bowl in Dallas, Texas at the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Pritchard is currently a 3 Star prospect through 24/7 and Rivals.com recruiting with three scholarship offers from Division I Universities. He is ranked 9th best overall in the state of Hawai’i and ranked 78th best Outside Linebacker in the country.

For more information you can reach PISA at: pasefikaisa@gmail.com.