The best story from college football’s opening weekend felt like an inspiring movie playing on the big screen.
Kansei Matsuzawa grew up playing soccer in Tokyo, Japan, and became a captain and three-year letter winner for the sport at Makuhari Sogo High School.
He graduated in 2017 and was working as a waiter, until a trip to America changed everything.
He visited the United States and saw his first NFL game. The kickers in particular caught his eye and he started to think — or, really, dream.
I could do that, right? Couldn’t I?
He returned to Japan with a new goal firmly implanted in his mind. Someday, Kansei would return to America to become a college football kicker. In the meantime, he learned to kick by watching YouTube videos of Seattle Seahawks player Jason Myers. He practiced on his own and sent highlight videos to about 50 schools in the United States.
Eventually, an opportunity arose at Hocking College, a small community college nestled in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio. In two seasons at Hocking, he hit 16-of-17 extra points and 12-of-17 field goals, including a game-winner from 50 yards—and other schools took notice
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Kansei soon earned a spot at the University of Hawaii and was put on the practice squad for the 2023 season. But, last year, he played in all 12 games for the Rainbow Warriors team, and made every extra point (32-of-32) to lead the school in scoring (68 points). He even kicked a game winner against Fresno State and earned academic All-Mountain West honors.
Kansei Matsuzawa – Courtesy of University of Hawai’i Athletics Department
The big game
Then, last Saturday in College Football’s Week Zero and Hawaii’s opening game, the Warriors trailed Stanford by three points late in the fourth quarter. Kansei hit a 37-yard field goal to tie the score at 20 with about two minutes left.
Moments later, Hawaii forced a punt and then moved the ball down to Stanford’s 21-yard line. Only two seconds remained on the clock. And the kid from Japan would take the field to win it all.
Fans in attendance and thousands more watching on the national TV broadcast were overflowing with suspense. Kansei lined up for a 38-yard, potential game-winning field goal. A CBS announcer narrated what happened next.
“Snap…kick…Is up…”
Far-flung hopes that took root almost 4,000 miles away in Japan were realized as a football sailed through the uprights in a late summer Honolulu sky.
“…And good!!!…Hawaii has done it!!!”
The kicker had become a hero. An improbable dream, born a world away, came true.
WATCH the moment…
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AloJapan.com