Used to be a time when camping meant mosquitoes, flies and campfires late into the night. For football players, it now entails a voyage across the ocean to get first-hand teaching and evaluation from some of the NCAA's best coaches, like Norm Chow of UCLA).

As I wrote in yesterday's Star-Bulletin, Manti Te‘o (Punahou) and V.J. Fehoko (Farrington) scored big with coaches as they selected the best players at the three-day All-Poly Football Camp in Utah. One of the things the two youngsters have in common is an incredible work ethic. Not just in the weight room, but with speed workouts. And both excel in the classroom.

There may not be another football player who runs as often as Te‘o, which may seem odd to some fans who look at the 6-2, 230-pound linebacker as a big guy who outmuscles linemen and running backs. This strength, no pun intended, has always been speed. Pursuit.

For Fehoko, growing up with two outstanding older brothers (Whitley and Sam) was a good thing. They've always been stoked about the Strongest Man competitions. Just a couple of seasons ago, I saw Sam drag the family SUV across a parking lot at Keehi Lagoon. Sure, they've got great genetics thanks to dad Vili, but how often do you see kids work really hard in the off-season regardless of natural size?

Just as often as you might see a big kid from a family of big guys, you will see that some of them just don't hit the iron much. That's part of what separates the elite athletes from the rest.

There's more that I wrote about the All-Poly Camp. If you see it in tomorrow's Star-Bulletin, you'll read about guys like Kala Friel (Kamehameha), who made a strong impression to camp director Alema Te‘o and the college coaches.

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