Feeling blue: For Kailua football fans, it was a night of broken hearts. Kenny Ellis, a 6-4, 215-pound quarterback, saw his season come to an abrupt end in a scrimmage against Kapolei on Thursday.

Ellis, a fluid athlete who also stars in basketball, was scrambling out of the pocket when Kapolei linebacker Chad Lopati caught up. Lopati made the tackle and landed on Ellis' shinbone, resulting in fractured tibia and fibula. Ellis had surgery that night and a pin was placed in the leg.

Recovery time is three to four months, with rehab to follow.

With an entire summer of hard work behind him, Ellis won't see the fruits of his labor just yet.

"We had a lot of plans for Kenny. He's a unique athlete, tall, athletic, can run and pass," coach Gary Rosolowich said, noting that Ellis had drawn early interest from some Pac-10 schools. "Now we're in the midst of retooling."

Rosolowich is proud of his injured signal-caller, who had transferred from Kamehameha two years ago and showed significant maturity and growth since. That made Saturday's team meeting a tough one.

"He came in because he really, really wanted to be with his teammates," Rosolowich said. "It was pretty emotional."

Ellis, in a wheelchair and just a day removed from surgery, was glad he went.
"It was mixed emotions. I was happy to see my team, but it was kind of hard to look them in the eye knowing I can't play for them," he said. "But I had to be with them. They're my home away from home. My family."

The reality of Ellis' circumstance hit the Surfriders hard that morning.
"Everybody tries to be manly and tough, but something like this brings out the feelings," said Ellis, still remembering the tears that were shed by his football brothers.

For what it was worth, his injury may have been a catalyst and a bridge. "We kind of had some issues on the team, so we worked that out," he said.

Ellis will heal and rehabilitate, hoping to be on the Surfriders' sideline for games. For now, the team will have to recover on the field.

"You tell them, that's how quickly your season can end, that there are some things that are out of our control," Rosolowich said. "You only have the play in front of you, so you've got to make the best of every situation."

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