Polynesian Bowl: Top performers from Day 2 in Hawaii

HONOLULU – Some travel delays have meant a few more late arrivals than usual at the Polynesian Bowl. The two teams at the all-star event in Hawaii looked different once again Tuesday as they arrived at Kahuku High School on the North Shore of Oahu for the second day of practice.

Top-10 recruit and Oklahoma defensive line signee David Stone, No. 2 tight end and Nebraska signee Carter Nelson and Rivals250 defensive end and Miami signee Booker Pickett were among the new arrivals at practice Tuesday, adding more talent to Team Makai coached by Mike Zimmer.

It was a windy day at the Polynesian Bowl making it a bit of a challenge for the two teams, and the coaching staffs focused heavily on fundamentals and individual work with their respective groups.

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The daily challenge once again proved to be the most competitive part of the day as the two squads came together for a tug of war competition Tuesday.

First up was a mix of players from each position group with Team Makai taking the victory behind a group that included Nelson, UCF-bound safety Jalen Heyward, local defensive lineman Aizik Mahuka (Mililani HS/uncommitted) and running back Va’aimalae Fonoti (Kahuku HS/Montana).

Offensive linemen Michael Uini (Georgia) and Donovan Harbour (Penn State) teamed up with Oklahoma-bound defensive linemen Jayden Jackson and Stone to guide Team Makai to a victory in the second round, which pitted linemen from the two teams against one another.

Team Makua, which is being coached by Marvin Lewis, was given an opportunity to take the win should its group of specialists take the win over a group of specialists from Team Makai. Makua was able to even the score with a victory thanks to uncommitted long snapper Jack Devens, punter Michael Salgado-Medina (Arizona) and kicker Trey Coleman, a Utah signee.

The Notre Dame signee has been impressive through the first two days and has become a top target for the quarterbacks on Team Makai, in particular top-rated signal caller Dylan Raiola. The Salinas, Calif., native has made several difficult catches throughout the first two days of practice, and that continued Tuesday.

Saldate has worked in the slot for Team Makai and has been a safety net for his team’s quarterbacks over the middle of the field. He has shown impressive speed at the position and ability to make plays in traffic throughout the week.

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The future Cornhuskers tight end just made it in from Ainsworth, Neb., on Monday evening, but it did not take long for Nelson to make his presence felt in Team Makai’s second practice. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound tight end looks the part, and he made several impressive plays during his first day of work Tuesday at Kahuku High School.

Along with jumping right in to take part in the tug of war competition, Nelson was in on plenty of reps during the team portions of practice Tuesday. This week will give the Rivals100 prospect an opportunity to work with his future quarterback, Raiola, for a few days and the duo wasted no time to begin building their connection.

Nelson made several impressive catches throughout the day including a few where he had to come back to the ball and showcase his athleticism.

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Headed for Arizona, the Team Makai running back will be a weapon for his quarterbacks and offense this week come Friday’s game. A multi-sport athlete with a background in track, Washington has game-changing speed that has already been well on display through the first two days of practice.

Most of Washington’s work has come in the passing game since the two teams have yet to put on pads, but his ability to catch passes out of the backfield has allowed him to stand out. There is a different gear to his game when he gets the ball in his hands, and he made several impressive plays against the defense during Tuesday’s practice.

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There haven’t been many opportunities for the defenses to make big plays during the first two days of practice, since the coaches have focused a lot on installation and individual work. However, Mitchell, the San Diego State signee, made the most of his chance to go up against the Team Makai receivers Tuesday.

Mitchell came up with an interception during the team portion of practice working against Hawaii quarterback signee Micah Alejado.

There was a bit of a miscommunication for the offense with Alejado looking for Tennessee-bound receiver Mike Matthews before the four-star defensive back stepped in front of the pass to make the play. Mitchell, who this week said his decision came down to the Aztecs and Florida, is the highest-rated recruit in new head coach Sean Lewis’ first class at SDSU.

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Over on the other side for Team Makua, consistency has been at the forefront for the Utah signee. Wilson has continued to make his own name following in the footsteps of his NFL brother, Zach, and his ability to continually make plays at the quarterback position has been impressive through a couple practices so far in Hawaii.

The Rivals250 member has not been afraid to take shots down the field throughout the first two days of practice and has made some difficult passes look easy against the Team Makua defense.

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The four-star receiver headed for UCLA has had the strongest showing among the receiver group through the first two days of practice. Gilmer has an extra gear that has led to several big plays down the field already.

Team Makua features high-level talent at the receiver position with Clemson signee Bryant Wesco and five-star Texas A&M commit Terry Bussey also part of the group, but Gilmer has still managed to stand out.

One of his best plays came while working against Arkansas-bound cornerback Selman Bridges IV. Gilmer was able to cross up his fellow Rivals250 teammate and gain enough separation to make a catch over the middle of the field.

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