HONOLULU — A typical Hawaii football spring practice was minutes away from its usual conclusion on a drizzly Thursday morning.
An audible collision between two defensive players changed that in an instant. Redshirt freshman safety Kona Moore got the worst of it during the red zone drill, making apparent head-first contact with the other player and dropping to the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex turf.
The mood quickly turned solemn as athletic training staff rushed to tend to him.
Moore, a 2022 Saint Louis School graduate from Kapolei, remained prone and immobile for many minutes as teammates and coaches gathered around him. Players broke up into position groups to talk, then returned to form a circle around Moore with blank faces. After about 15 minutes, an ambulance arrived and loaded him on a stretcher.
Head coach Timmy Chang said the extent of Moore’s injury was not immediately known as he was to be taken to an emergency room.
“Best-case scenario, probably a concussion with some neck pain. We’ll pray for that,” Chang said.
A UH spokesperson told Spectrum News that as of 2:18 p.m., "prognosis is good and (there is a) possibility he may be discharged today," though the results of Moore's MRI had not come back yet.
This evening, Moore's family provided another update. "Our family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. Kona is stable and in good spirits. He is still awaiting further test results however he has full movement in all of his extremities."
Chang said Moore reversed course over the middle of the field trying to make a play on the ball when his head made contact against the other defensive player who was marking a receiver.
Asked about the team’s response, Chang said, “We’ll see, we’ll see. They definitely have a love for each other. That’s what you want. You want them to be for each other and that’s what we have here. That’s powerful. That’s one of their braddahs and I know they’re praying for him and they feel bad. It’s part of our game.”
Moore appeared in two games in the 2022 season, primarily on special teams. He recorded his lone tackle of the season at Fresno State on Nov. 5.
Coming out of Saint Louis, Moore was graded a three-star recruit by ESPN. He was a member of the Crusaders' 2019 state championship team. He had 19 tackles and five pass breakups in seven games in his senior season of 2021.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Kona Moore's family. (Feb. 23, 2023)