Kapolei High School's football season ended less than three weeks ago with an O'ahu Interscholastic Association playoff loss to Farrington.

But nine days later, Hurricanes quarterback Noah Pascua was already preparing for his senior season. The first step was enrolling in the first-ever Hawaii Football School class at Booth Park on Nov. 2.

"I want to get more velocity on the ball," Pascua said after his second session this past Sunday. "I want to get better, do more reps, practice more ..."

Pascua is the type of athlete the Hawaii Football School was designed for, the type who loves the game and wants to improve, and is willing to learn all year 'round.

"That tells me he's committed," said Chad Owens, the former University of Hawai'i standout who helped create the first-of-its-kind school. "He wants to better himself as a quarterback, and he knows what it takes. That's gonna make a difference. He has a goal, and he's willing to make sacrifices because he knows there's work to be done. He's one of those guys who knows what he wants, and I guarantee he'll be a better player and a better person if he keeps working at it here."

The Hawaii Football School opened its doors on Nov. 2 with about 70 kids ages 5 through 17, although only two high school players showed up the first day. On Sunday, five more high school athletes showed up.

The classes are broken up into one-hour sessions for each age group: Menehune (ages 5 to 7), Imua (ages 8 to 10), Na Koa (ages 11 to 14) and Ali'i (ages 15 to 18). Each group starts with stretching exercises and footwork/running drills, then there are specific drills for each position (quarterback, running back, receiver, offensive/defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs).

Along with football skills, the students also will be encouraged to stay on top of their schoolwork and live up to standards of sportsmanship.

"We're going to have grade checks, awards for Most Improved, Scholar-Athlete, that sort of thing," said Chris Teves, the school's founder. "The whole concept is 'Live Your Dream,' and it's all about goal-setting. We'll talk to the kids about life, about staying away from drugs and alcohol ... not the whole class is about football drills."

Teves, who played defensive back at Punahou and UH in the 1980s, first hatched the idea of a year-round football academy after enrolling his daughter in a hula halau.

"After just one year, she could do chants and complete dances for three or four songs, and that was just from one hour a week," Teves said. "I was amazed at her learning curve, and I thought, 'Why don't we have something like this for football?' "

Teves then pitched the idea to Owens, whom he knew through Owens' father, and together they put together a teaching staff that includes other former UH standouts like Kenny Patton, Brad Kalilimoku, Derek Fa'avi, Britton Komine and Ryan Keomaka.

"I'll do anything for the kids in Hawai'i," Patton said. "We have so many talented athletes, and they need coaching — not just to learn how to catch and hold a ball, but also to become better people."

The school's tuition is $60 per month.

"We want to make it affordable, so we can reach as many kids as we can," Teves said. "All we ask for is commitment. We don't want them to show up for only one or two weeks; we want them to have consistent training. It's not just about football, it's also about hard work and commitment."

Owens, who was having a breakout year for the Colorado Crush in the Arena Football League before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last summer, sees the Hawai'i Football School as a golden opportunity to have an impact on youths.

"We want these kids to better themselves as people and make sure they have goals," Owens said. "We want to give them the necessary tools to reach those goals; they need to listen to their parents and their coaches. To me, football relates directly to life — the hard work, the character — and we want them to understand that."

Owens said he already has seen results after the first two sessions.

"It's been an unbelievable week," he said. "We had about 30 more kids come out today. You see them smiling, you already see the growth. We want to give them a positive atmosphere, and they're already looking forward to next week."

Patton said the positive atmosphere is needed in an increasingly hostile world.

"Just yesterday, I was at a youth basketball game, and one of the parents wanted to fight with the refs," Patton said. "I mean, what is that? The kids see things like that. We want to teach them sportsmanship, how to keep their composure. We want to keep it a family."

Pascua, the Kapolei quarterback, said he has attended football camps at UNLV, Maui (Just Win) and Aloha Stadium (Game Plan). But those lasted only a few days and he was one of many quarterbacks attending.

On Sunday, Pascua was by himself working with quarterbacks coach Matt Manuma.

"This is more one-on-one, you get more attention," Pascua said.

Pascua added that while Kapolei has an offseason conditioning program that begins in January, it is limited to lifting weights and running.

"We can't touch a ball," he said.

Teves said long-term plans include expanding the school to different locations on O'ahu and even the Neighbor Islands.

"We take players of any skill level," Teves said. "If they're committed, we'll work with them."