Summer workouts have players ready for start of fall practices

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — When school lets out in early June, student-athletes are supposed to be on vacation.

Quite a few didn’t get the message, at least at Kadena and Kubasaki high schools on Okinawa.

With team captains leading the way, football and volleyball players conducted informal workouts leading up to the first official day of DODEA-Pacific team tryouts.

Some teams began their tryouts Monday. Others are delaying theirs until later in the month.

Kadena senior Samantha Kehe strikes the ball during Kadena volleyball conditioning Monday. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kubasaki junior Cameron Eavers spikes during volleyball conditioning. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

“We’re grateful for everybody coming out,” Kubasaki volleyball junior outside hitter Zoe Carranza said, adding that between 10 to 15 players worked out over the summer.

The Dragons are the reigning Far East Division I tournament champions, but they begin the season for the first time since 2022 without prime hitter Yuri Biggins, who graduated in June.

“It was bound to happen,” Carranza said. “But we’re working hard, shooting for a goal to be better as a team and not Kubasaki being seen as just one player. And there’s always bound to be new players.”

Kadena football players go through their paces during Monday's first day of tryouts. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

On the gridiron, Kadena is seeing a bounce in its numbers from last year. The Panthers, who boast a Pacific-record eight D-I titles, had 40 players come out for the morning tryout session, a 30% jump from 2025.

“The numbers and the spirit are there,” coach Sergio Mendoza said. “We had a good summer program, putting in a lot of work.”

Last year’s football D-I runner-up, Kubasaki had some players doing informal conditioning as well before Monday’s tryouts.

“We’ve been working out every day,” senior quarterback Maurice Brown said, adding that his teammates have worked on running and receiving routes, blocking and to “see who can throw and who can run.”

Kinnick volleyball players did informal workouts through the summer leading up to Monday's first day of tryouts. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

Summer workouts weren’t confined to Okinawa. At Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Nile C. Kinnick volleyball players kept in shape in the weeks leading up to Monday.

“We have a core group of girls who have been committed to getting together in the gym and practicing,” coach Joe Mohn said.

“Just watching tryouts today, I can see that the fruit of that, like our skill level starting out here, maybe it’s a little bit farther along … If not the skill, then at least the energy and attitude towards competing.”

The DODEA-Pacific football season kicks off Aug. 21 when Kadena and Kubasaki battle at Ryukyu Middle School’s Habu Field.

DODEA-Japan volleyball, tennis and cross country get underway the same weekend. DODEA-Korea begins Aug. 26, then DODEA-Okinawa cross-country, tennis and volleyball open the first week of September.

Stripes reporter Alex Wilson contributed to this report.