The Honolulu Advertiser asked each coach in today’s championship games to select a player to write about how he sees his team’s chances in the Division I and II title games. The writers are Kahuku running back Malosi Te‘o, Punahou offensive guard Ed Pallett, Iolani defensive lineman Chris St. Sure and Radford receiver Joe Brundidge.

Eddie Pallett, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior, starts at offensive guard for Punahou.

We are not the biggest or fastest team, but we bring qualities to the game that set us apart.

Our team is built on desire. From bull-headed to scrappy, each person brings a characteristic that is individual to each, making this group all the more capable of taking it all the way.

Although we all do our best to play with the tenacity and heart it takes to win, we also realize that it is impossible to be victorious unless we play as one. Our team is just that, a close-knit family that loves the man next to him like his brother.

The theme of unity was drilled into us the first day of summer practice while we ran in the scorching sun. It is omnipresent in our day-to-day routines, from grueling practices to the adversity of a game we play, not as 65 athletes, but as one.

(Offensive) Coach Daryl Kan used the idea of Camelot, taking it from the 1972 San Francisco 49ers team. "You all sit at a round table. And even though each person has a different role, you are all equals," he would explain.

And that is exactly what we are. Our team came together earlier than in past years, and we have only grown closer as the year went on.

A perfect example of this occurred during the first game against Saint Louis.

We were down 14-3, but no one gave up. Every person urged on the guy next to him. There was a feeling of intensity and hope from the sideline that everyone on the field could sense.

In the huddle, we were focused, but relaxed. Each player was confident in the guy next to him, and that was what we needed to win.

Unity was not something that just appeared overnight. There were the Friday night dinners for the offensive line and running backs. It gave us a chance to relax a bit and really get to know our teammates and what they are like off the field. When you are closer to the man next to you, it's easier to know he'll be there for you in the game.

As with all other football teams, we really wanted to win this year. Although victory was a prevailing goal, our coaches really stressed the idea of "a man built for others."

Winning was important, but what they cared more about was teaching us values that would make us better men in the future.

These values not only made us closer, but also helped us play to our maximum potential.

All the lessons instilled in us by our coaches, and the efforts made by each player to improve as a team, have really made a difference for us this year.

There are some great athletes on our team, but any one of them would be lost without his 10 brothers standing next to him on the field.

Each of us realize the importance of playing together, both on and off the field, and though our last game is tonight, the bonds we have made will last forever.