Lahaina high school football captains honored with Super Bowl trip
Lahainaluna High School varsity football team rehearses the school song after practice with the afterglow of a sunset behind the Hawaiian island Lanai in the background; they will sing before and after a homecoming game against Baldwin. (Photo by Jo
LOS ANGELES - Captains of a Hawaii high school football team whose town was destroyed by the deadly Maui wildfire will be at Super Bowl LVIII this weekend as guests of the NFL, The Maui News reported.
Three coaches will be joining them in serving as honorary coin toss captains before the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
Lahainaluna High School inspired their community
Just two months after the disastrous Aug. 8 fire, tickets for the Lahainaluna High School football homecoming game sold out in minutes.
It was an indication of how badly residents of the town needed some glimmer of hope after they had lost everything.
The deadly fire claimed at least 100 lives.
Like many other small towns in the U.S., the Lahainaluna High School football program is a source of pride for the community.
NFL: The Lahainaluna High School football team ‘embodies power’ of the sport
"We are honored to have members of the Lahainaluna football team join us as coin toss captains at Super Bowl LVIII to recognize their incredible efforts in rebuilding their community," said NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility Anna Isaacson in a news release.
Teva Loft, a player on the Lahainaluna team thought he was in trouble when he was called into the principals office last month to hear the news that he would be headed for Las Vegas.
"It’s going to be crazy, I don’t have the words to describe it," Loft said. He's been living with his father after his mother's house burned down in the fire.