Houston High football standout earns shot to play at the Division II level

HOUSTON — Kiderro Fono didn’t step onto a football field until his freshman year of high school. When Fono returned as a sophomore, Houston’s head football coach, Glenn Nelson, saw something different.

“He gained a couple inches and put on some weight,” Nelson, who coached Fono for four years, said.

Nelson had a hunch the Hawks had a young player ready to make an impact.

“We get a couple of running backs and a quarterback, and we’re going to state,” Nelson told one of his assistant coaches in 2019. “And the Mulhaneys came along, and we were off to state running behind him.”

The Mulhanys were twins Gavin and Owen, who ran through highway-like lanes opened by a front line led by Fono. And Division III’s top defense was also led by Fono.

The ultimate result was a Division III state title, Houson’s first state championship in school history. Fono was a centerpiece of that historic squad, and a highly decorated standout who now has the opportunity to take the next step in his career.

Fono signed his National Letter of Intent to attend Glennville State University in Glennville, West Virginia, where he will play college football for the Division II Pioneers.

Fono said he started to think playing college football was a realistic goal when he started receiving attention as a sophomore.

“Ever since I was a sophomore when I got the awards,” Fono said after inking his intent Tuesday evening on the Houston High field surrounded by family and friends.

Fono was named the Division III Lineman of the Year and was first-team all-state on the offensive and defensive line as a sophomore. He earned the same awards in the Peninsula Conference.

The accolades kept coming. As a junior, Fono was named All-Valley on offense and defense during a 2020 season shortened by the COVID pandemic. Fono was named the Division III Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team all-state on both offense and defense as a senior. Fono also helped lead Houston to the 2021 Division III state title game.

“When he came back as a sophomore we thought he had the potential to help the team, get a scholarship, and maybe with his size, get into that Division II level,” Nelson said.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Fono chose the move to West Virginia to play at the NCAA Division II level over options such as NAIA Valley City State, a popular destination for Mat-Su football players in North Dakota.

“They had a really good offer for me,” Fono said.

Nelson said he excited to see Fono have a shot at the Division II level.

“I’m proud of Kiderro. He definitely has the size and the strength, but he worked really hard,” Nelson said. “He worked to develop himself outside of the season and went beyond whatever he could coach him. He’s going Division II because of the work he put in.”

Fono will play in the interior of the defensive line in college.

“I think he’s going to do really well. He’s got the size, height, strength. He’s been doing great work in the weight room. He’s also really dedicated. He loves the game, he loves his teammates. Those are the things that are going to propel him,” Nelson said. “I think he’ll get playing time as a sophomore and be a junior starter.”

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com.