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Tonganoxie grad traveling to Hawaii for gridiron games

By Shawn Linenberger - | Jun 7, 2006

Phil George is eager to lace up his cleats and throw on his shoulder pads and helmet one last time.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’ll be playing football in Hawaii, either.

George left Tuesday for Honolulu to play in the King Kamehameha Pigskin Classic.

The former THS football player will compete on a Kansas-Missouri all-star team against other teams from across the United States.

George said he received a letter inviting him to play in the football tournament, which is sponsored by Elite Sports International. Last year, former THS players Kaleb Lawrence, Sam Mitchell and Zach Ditty participated in the event. The year before, another Chieftain, Nick Stein, competed in Hawaii.

“I think it will be fun to play a football game because I won’t be able to play again,” George said.

George will attend Park University in the fall and major in sports therapy. Park does not field a football team.

Aside from one last opportunity to play football, George is looking forward to leaving the mainland. He said the only other time he’s traveled outside the contiguous 48 states was on a trip to Minnesota when he traveled across the border and visited Canada for a day.

His family will be going as well, including his grandmother, Marcene George. With the trip to Hawaii, Marcene will have visited all 50 states.

Phil George said he was glad his grandmother could check Hawaii off that big list. He’s also ready for some sightseeing.

“I’m excited to go see Pearl Harbor,” George said. “Because I’m into history.”

Players participating in the pigskin classic must pay $2,200 for the trip, which can be paid through fund-raising.

According to the Elite Sports Web site, www.esifootball.com, players are invited based on college coaches’ selections. Their selections come from recruiting lists, personal observations of players or high school coaches’ recommendations.