The dream hasn’t changed and neither has the altitude, but the landscape is definitely different for Kamaehu Richards.
As his former Honokaa teammates were gearing up Monday for their preseason football opener, Richards was in Tuscon, Ariz., competing for a starting spot at Pima Community College.
The temperature during a late-afternoon practice in the desert was 101 degrees.
“That’s the average,” Richards said. “Blazing hot.”
The coaches’ advice: Eat, drink, eat, drink, drink and drink some more.
After growing up in Waimea, he’s found life in Southern Arizona – elevation 2,389 feet – to be as sultry and satisfactory as in Northern Hawaii.