After being named the University of Hawai'i football team captains yesterday, safety Leonard Peters and center Derek Fa'avi faced their first leadership decision: Who will make the call on the pre-game coin toss?

"He can pick," Peters said.

"Nope," Fa'avi said, "defense always picks."

"OK, I'm calling 'heads,' " Peters said, "because it's the front of the coin."

Later, Peters added: "I'm not sure about all of my responsibilities. I didn't get the rule book. When they let me know, I'll do what they say."

The Warriors voiced their support of Peters and Fa'avi in Wednesday night's election. UH coach June Jones announced the winners yesterday morning.

"Leonard deserves it," defensive back Ryan Keomaka said. "He's a team leader. Everybody looks up to him."

Peters is a 2000 graduate of Kahuku High School. He delayed enrolling at UH for a year to meet the NCAA eligibility requirements. He was granted a medical hardship because of knee injuries in 2001. During the next three years, he played in 35 of the Warriors' 41 games, with a team-high 120 tackles last season.

"I'm honored to be the defensive captain," he said. "I've been here a while, so maybe they were forced to pick me. I was kind of thinking it would probably be somebody else because I kind of play around too much. I'm glad they picked me."

Fa'avi, who joined UH as a non-scholarship player in 2001, appears to have recovered from a knee injury that shortened his 2004 season to nine games. Fitted with newly crafted knee braces, Fa'avi is set to start at center in the Sept. 3 opener against Southern California.

Fa'avi, a former Campbell High captain, was surprised by his appointment.

"I guess I have to step it up," he said. "I'm thankful, and I'll do my best."

Quarterback Colt Brennan said Fa'avi was an obvious choice. "Physically, he doesn't stand out the most, but mentally he does," Brennan said. "He's the smartest guy out there. He gets everybody on track. He gets that line going in the right direction. He's a true definition of a leader."

Peters and Fa'avi will have ample time to plan. They are roommates.

KELLY PAYING DUES

Last February, after being told he would not receive a UH football scholarship, kicker Daniel Kelly quickly went to Plan B. He decided to pay his way to attend UH.

"It was an easy decision," said Kelly, noting three UH staff members — Jones, defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville and assistant coach Mouse Davis — were former head coaches of pro teams. "It wasn't I couldn't go anywhere else. I didn't attempt to try anywhere else. I just wanted to come here. The opportunity to be coached by Mouse Davis, June Jones and Jerry Glanville ... you can't get that kind of coaching anywhere in any collegiate level."

Kelly said his father gave his blessing — and some financial assistance.

"It was a very smart thing not to give me a scholarship because I work my butt off for things, and I love to work my butt off for things," Kelly said. "As I view it, I'm working right now to get a job. Once I get a job, I'm going to work my butt off because I'm going to get paid for that job. I'm not going to slack off. I wasn't brought up that way."

Kelly was raised in Temecula, Calif., and his high school, Linfield Christian, had an enrollment of 380. There were 46 students in his senior class.

"On rival week, I'd say, we had at most 200 people (in the stands), 250 maybe," he recalled.

Kelly said he had a case of the jitters in the first two weeks of training camp, a condition that led to several erratic kicks.

"It basically was me needing to get comfortable," he said. "I needed to calm my nerves down."

He gradually improved his field-goal accuracy and lengthened his kickoffs. At last week's practice at Aloha Stadium, the first of training camp, Kelly stayed true to advice from Eric Hannum, a former UH kicker and Temecula residents.

"All kids dream of going in that big stadium," he said. "I wanted to make sure I was adult about it and responsible. I wanted to make sure it was a practice, like any other day. I didn't want to over-kick. I wanted to make sure I had a good workout, and that I had enough leg left for the next day."

Kelly has earned Jones' trust — and the starting job. In recent practices, Kelly's kickoffs consistently reach the end zone. His comfort zone on field-goal attempts is about 45 yards.

"This kid has a good leg," Jones said. "He looks like he's what we thought he was."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.