It's early Saturday morning. The sun has yet to creep over the mountains, the birds waking up to sing their song, believing they are the first to wake up. They are mistaken. Randy Vuxta has been up for roughly an hour, getting warmed up.
Randy had offers to play for Auburn and even Ohio State, until the nasty PCL tear in his junior year.
"It was just a routine tackle. I caught the ball, then got hit low. The problem was as soon as I got hit I knew something wasn't right."
Randy had to take the rest of the season, and half of the next season to rehab from his injury. By the time it was time to choose where to play college ball, he had no DI offers. However, he had two DII offers, University of Hawaii-Honolulu and Illinois Charter. Randy chose the warm beaches of Hawaii and has not looked back.
"Coach Falloway really helped my decision. He knew what I was coming back from, and wanted to help me play my best."
Randy played WR and RB for the University of Hawaii-Honolulu, even helping his team to the semifinals in his last year. To him that seemed ages ago.
"I walk around town and see my jersey and think 'Hey thats my name'", Randy said with a laugh.
Randy ended his tenure leading his team with 836 receiving yards, second in rushing at 255 yards and 14 total TDs. He holds the Honolulu record with 21 total receiving TDs, and 2335 receiving yards. Unlike most players at Honolulu, Randy left a year early.
"I had accomplished all that I could there. I have no regrets about my decision. There was no friction between me and Coach Falloway. I was just ready to move on."
Many remember the emotional decision made by Randy to declare for the DSFL draft shortly following their loss to Iowa Tech in last years Division II semifinals. The game was neck and neck, and on the final drive Randy made his eighth catch to put the team in FG distance to win the game. They lined up, kicked, and the ball didn't make it. One. Yard. Short.
"I tell myself if I had just gotten that one extra yard, what if ya know. But then I remember what Coach said, 'If you focus on the past you'll never move forward.' Hell, if I focused on the past, I would have never gotten over that injury."
Iowa Tech went on to win the Division II championship, and Randy turned his focus towards the DSFL.
"I am excited to spend the next couple months preparing myself for the DSFL. I plan on whatever team decides to select me to help them reach team success, while also developing myself to be the best player I can be."
That takes us to this Saturday morning. Randy is seen working on his short and medium routes, as the beautiful sunrise creeps in. The sunrise is synonymous to the routes being displayed on the field: a work of beauty and precision, expertly crafted to be remembered. When asked about his knee, Randy demonstrated how it has healed by kicking two 30 yard FGs. Neither were a yard short.
Randy had offers to play for Auburn and even Ohio State, until the nasty PCL tear in his junior year.
"It was just a routine tackle. I caught the ball, then got hit low. The problem was as soon as I got hit I knew something wasn't right."
Randy had to take the rest of the season, and half of the next season to rehab from his injury. By the time it was time to choose where to play college ball, he had no DI offers. However, he had two DII offers, University of Hawaii-Honolulu and Illinois Charter. Randy chose the warm beaches of Hawaii and has not looked back.
"Coach Falloway really helped my decision. He knew what I was coming back from, and wanted to help me play my best."
Randy played WR and RB for the University of Hawaii-Honolulu, even helping his team to the semifinals in his last year. To him that seemed ages ago.
"I walk around town and see my jersey and think 'Hey thats my name'", Randy said with a laugh.
Randy ended his tenure leading his team with 836 receiving yards, second in rushing at 255 yards and 14 total TDs. He holds the Honolulu record with 21 total receiving TDs, and 2335 receiving yards. Unlike most players at Honolulu, Randy left a year early.
"I had accomplished all that I could there. I have no regrets about my decision. There was no friction between me and Coach Falloway. I was just ready to move on."
Many remember the emotional decision made by Randy to declare for the DSFL draft shortly following their loss to Iowa Tech in last years Division II semifinals. The game was neck and neck, and on the final drive Randy made his eighth catch to put the team in FG distance to win the game. They lined up, kicked, and the ball didn't make it. One. Yard. Short.
"I tell myself if I had just gotten that one extra yard, what if ya know. But then I remember what Coach said, 'If you focus on the past you'll never move forward.' Hell, if I focused on the past, I would have never gotten over that injury."
Iowa Tech went on to win the Division II championship, and Randy turned his focus towards the DSFL.
"I am excited to spend the next couple months preparing myself for the DSFL. I plan on whatever team decides to select me to help them reach team success, while also developing myself to be the best player I can be."
That takes us to this Saturday morning. Randy is seen working on his short and medium routes, as the beautiful sunrise creeps in. The sunrise is synonymous to the routes being displayed on the field: a work of beauty and precision, expertly crafted to be remembered. When asked about his knee, Randy demonstrated how it has healed by kicking two 30 yard FGs. Neither were a yard short.