Hekili Keliiliki has worn the black jersey that Bentonville’s defensive unit wears throughout offseason workouts.
If the senior had his choice, he would rather be in the offensive backfield, where he can use his 6-2, 224-pound frame to gain tough yardage and punish defenses. It’s the position he’s played since seventh grade, and the position he works on when he goes to camps.
Keliiliki will have the opportunity to do plenty of both this fall. He is expected to split his time evenly between tailback and outside linebacker — a rarity among teams in Arkansas’ largest classification.
“I knew coming into the season I would see more time on defense, considering that we lost two outside linebackers,” Keliiliki said. “I knew they would be calling on me and relying on me to fill one of those spots.
“Right now, I’ve been mainly working on defense. The offense hasn’t changed that much, and I have most of it down. So I’ve shifted my focus to defense because it’s still kind of new to me, and defensive schemes always have to change because offenses change.”
Keliiliki — whose actual first name is Hekilikohaikalani — showcased his offensive talent when he had 192 yards and two touchdowns in last year’s season opener at Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst. He finished the season with 771 yards and 11 touchdowns on 129 carries, including two touchdowns Bentonville’s 39-28 victory over Cabot in the Class 7A state championship game.
His defensive statistics were sparse because of limited play, with only four unassisted tackles and nine assists. But three of those unassisted tackles, as well as a sack and another tackle for loss, came during the second half of a 35-21 victory over Fayetteville that clinched Bentonville’s seven consecutive 7A/6A-West Conference championship.
Bentonville brought in Keliiliki in the second half and lined him up on the same side as C.J. O’Grady, one of the state’s top tight ends who is committed to the University of Arkansas, in an attempt to keep O’Grady from getting a free release off the line of scrimmage.
“It’s difficult to do because C.J. is a fine athlete, but we were determined to go ahead and let Hekili play a ‘nine technique,’ which that position turns into a defensive end,” Bentonville Coach Barry Lunney said. “We decided to let him come after the quarterback.
“The thing that changed in the second half was we got pressure on the quarterback. Hekili ran over the one back who was supposed to block him and sacked the quarterback. He also made a play on a screen play.
“His rushing and tackling on the line of scrimmage changed the complexion of that game.”
Keliiliki is just as talented in the classroom. His grade-point average is 3.90 but climbs past the 4.0 mark with advanced placement classes, and he’s already scored 29 on the ACT.
That enticed Stanford University enough that it made Keliiliki a scholarship offer during Bentonville’s team camp in June. He also went to the Palo Alto, Calif., campus for a camp just before the Tigers began preseason drills, and visited with the Cardinal staff when he went to a camp in Utah.
“It was great because I’m from Utah and I grew up a Pac-10 fan,” Keliiliki said. “My dad and I are big USC fans, and we’ve watched Stanford win the Pac-12 championship the past two years.
“To have them call and say, ‘We want to take a look at you,’ it was surreal.”