Stone selected for Hawaii Tiki Bowl

Sally Nichols
Posted 1/1/25

HONALULU, HAWAII – Wheatland High School senior Bode Stone and his family flew to Hawaii over Christmas break to watch Stone play in the Tiki Bowl. The bowl game is by invite-only, thus it is …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Stone selected for Hawaii Tiki Bowl

Posted

HONALULU, HAWAII – Wheatland High School senior Bode Stone and his family flew to Hawaii over Christmas break to watch Stone play in the Tiki Bowl. The bowl game is by invite-only, thus it is quite an honor to get to compete.
Bode was joined by four other Wyoming high school football players. The Wyoming contingent consisted of: Bode Stone (#50-defensive tackle); Carter Archuleta (#42-linebacker from Douglas); Braunson Sims (#22-comer from Evanston); Davon Crosby (#13-quarterback from Lovell); and Siler Hess (#11-quarterback from Dubois). All five Wyoming athletes played on Team Kekoa (a word meaning “warrior” in Hawaiian, pronounced kay-ko-a.) The coaches for Team Kekoa were Buck Buchanan, Head Football Coach from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas; and Jordan Neal, head coach from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas.
The selection process is set up to ensure the best talent from around the country is represented at the Tiki Bowl. The process is as follows:
Each team consists of 35-40 players. Rosters are small to ensure that each player gets plenty of playing time.

Players are recommended by college and high school coaches as well as the nation’s top recruiting service.
Players can submit their own Hudl video for consideration to receive an invitation.
The college coaching staff creates team rosters to ensure there are enough players at each position to be competitive in the event.
Player film is evaluated to make sure talent is spread evenly throughout each team.
Bode was notified on May 3, 2024 that he had been nominated by Coach Vince Flipp of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa to play in the Tiki Bowl. Stone communicated with the Tiki Bowl committee and committed to playing over the holiday break.
On Dec. 19 the teams gathered in Hawaii where they spent two days practicing and participating in numerous team bonding activities including the Hawaiian Olympics sponsored by the Tiki Bowl. One highlight included Team Kekoa winning the tug-of-war over Team Lokahi.
The Tiki Bowl was held at Kamehameha High School in Honolulu, Hawaii on Dec. 21. Kamehameha is a private high school that sits on top of the hillside overlooking the ocean. The local schools were founded by the will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha the Great. The view was spectacular and it was a great opportunity for these athletes to compete in the sport they love.
On game night, Team Kekoa prevailed over Team Lokahi by a score of 29-6. Certainly, Stone’s fans in Wheatland are proud of all of his accomplishments and representation of WHS football at such a prestigious event.