Kai Hall’s football story begins in the sixth grade, when a certain blackberry bush seemed more interesting than running the rock.
“I wasn’t very good; I was just kind of there,” Hall remembered. “My mom will tell you how when I was little, I would pick berries because there was a blackberry bush next to practice.”
Fast-forward to his freshman year at St. Vincent de Paul High School, and the incoming senior said his interest in the sport really picked up.
“At first I was kind of playing to play, but going to a smaller school and starting on varsity was pretty cool,” Hall recalled. “After that season, when I rushed for over 1,700 yards, I thought, ‘I think I can do this for my future.’ I realized that I was not so bad.”
That freshman season in 2019 was a wake-up call for the rest of the North Bay League. Hall ran 1,773 yards on 182 carries with 19 touchdowns for the Mustangs of the westside Petaluma Catholic school.
It was teammate Nathan Rooks, however, who got the first taste of Hall in practice their freshman year.
“The one story I laugh about every time I tell it is when I tried to tackle him in practice freshman year,” Rooks said. “I was making a routine tackle, and Kai ends up running me over. I didn’t really expect that, but that just shows Kai’s toughness.”
During his sophomore year, Hall racked up 536 yards on 79 carries in the pandemic-shortened season, only playing five games.
Then he hit a speed bump his junior year, tearing both labrums in his shoulders the first game against St. Bernard’s of Eureka. Despite that, Hall continued the season and finished with 1,474 yards on the ground and 20 touchdowns. The injury, however, forced Hall to get surgery earlier this spring.
“Well, I always feel that when it comes to injuries and surgeries, when people come back, they’re afraid of reinjuring or having to go through the process of rehabilitation,” Hall said. “I feel like it hasn’t crossed my mind, honestly. I just want to play football.”
As a senior, Hall is on the doorstep of entering Sonoma County lore. Entering this season, he has amassed 50 touchdowns and 3,783 yards in his high school career. As it stands, the Redwood Empire all-time rushing leader is Joe Trombetta (Casa Grande, 2006 graduate) with 5,447 yards and 60 touchdowns. In St. Vincent history, Kris Farinha (2010) has 3,827 yards, and Ray Tamblyn (1999) has 60 touchdowns.
Breaking down the numbers, Hall needs only 44 yards to hold the school’s all-time record, 1,664 yards to break Trombetta’s record, and only 10 touchdowns to break both Trombetta’s and Tamblyn’s marks.
In Hall’s mind, however, what matters most is winning.
“I mean of course I want to break those records, but I kind of just want to play and see how the season goes,” Hall said. “My first goal is winning a state championship, so whether I break those records or not, that’s my goal.”
Hall’s work ethic and leadership over his time at St. Vincent have not gone unnoticed. Senior linemen Cameron Vaughn, who has played with Hall since they were freshmen, cited his teammate’s focus as the key factor.
“I remember young Kai and he was crazy; he’s gotten a lot more mature,” Vaughn said. “He’s toned it down and grinded it out. He has just realized the opportunity that he has based off his athletic ability. I think that’s really pushed him to the next level.”
“There’s so much to say about the kid,” Rooks added. “He’s a natural-born leader, both on and off the field. He’s proved himself day in and day out, and this is his moment to prove to everyone who he really is.”
That leadership is what got St. Vincent so close to that state title last year. The Mustangs clinched a share of the NBL-Redwood league title and cruised through the playoffs before falling to Argonaut of Jackson by a score of 42-12.
This year, however, Hall thinks it will be different.
“I definitely feel like we’re more disciplined,” Hall said. “Respect for the coaches and respect for the senior leaders has grown … having that season last year where we made it far into the playoffs and almost won state, we were right there and so close. This year it is, ‘Let us get after it.’”
The Mustangs open their season with a trip to Eureka, as they face St. Bernard’s. They then travel to Incline before returning for their home opener against familiar foe St. Helena. They begin NBL play Week 5 at home against Montgomery.
And Hall has all the confidence, not only in himself, but his team around him.
“Honestly, I think we can win this league,” Hall said. “Then I think we can go get a state championship.”
You can reach Sports Reporter Kienan O’Doherty at 415-887-8650 or kienan.odoherty@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kodoherty22.
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