Pop Warner football players travel to Disney World for awards event.

Two members of the Kihei Dolphins Peewee Division football team traveled to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., in May to be honored as 2007-08 Pop Warner All-American Scholars. Luke Broadbent and Evan Phillips earned and maintained grade point averages of 96 percent (approximately 3.8) or higher for the last academic year. A third member of the football team, William Simon, also earned the award but did not travel to Florida.

Broadbent and Phillips attended the 2008 Scholastic Banquet Tribute Event at Coronado Springs Resort at Disney World, where they enjoyed great food, entertainment and speeches from current and former NFL players and coaches, many of whom got their start in the Pop Warner league. The young men were among nearly 1,500 students who attended the event. This academic honor, according to the Pop Warner Website, places them in the top one percent in the nation, out of more than 380,000 football players. They received certificates of achievement acknowledging their hard work on and off the field.

Broadbent played offensive flanker and defensive end for the Kihei Dolphins last year. Phillips was quarterback and defensive cornerback. Simon played tight end and defensive line. All three also played special teams on punts and kickoffs.

All are multi-sport athletes. Broadbent and Phillips currently play baseball for the Yankees of the Kihei Little League Majors Division. Broadbent, Phillips and Simon all played basketball for the Kihei Southsiders and all three have played soccer for various Kihei teams.

Broadbent and Simon are completing the 6th grade at St. Anthony Elementary School, where their teachers are Rhonda Fonseca and Carole Celebrado, respectively. Phillips is completing 7th grade at Doris Todd Memorial Christian School, where his primary teacher is Sabrina Hamrick. The three boys have all maintained or increased their grade point averages this academic year. All are graduates of the accelerated studies program at Kamali‘i School in Kihei, where they were taught by Joy Gaston, who retired recently.

When not studying or playing sports, Broadbent enjoys boogey boarding, skating and taking guitar lessons. He is the son of Scott (a Maui Weekly contributing writer) and Roxanne Broadbent. Phillips enjoys golfing, snowboarding, surfing and skateboarding. He is the son of John and Darla Phillips. William Simon likes to skim board, boogey board, golf and play hockey. He is the son of Jeff Simon and Molly Murawski.

Before and after the awards banquet, Broadbent and Phillips enjoyed several days visiting Disney World, water parks and fishing the Florida waterways. All three of the boys are eagerly anticipating next year’s football season.

For more information about Pop Warner football and the scholars’ program, or to see listings of the scholars, visit www.popwarner.com.  Note: In the listings, William Simon is erroneously listed as being in 7th grade.