During last week’s University of Hawaii football scrimmage, Sean Olvera-Harle calmly connected on field goals of 49, 26 and 37 yards.
In the summer heat at the Ching Complex, it was no surprise Olvera-Harle showed cool confidence.
He spent the offseason and training camp mastering his craft with focused workouts, up to three stretching periods a day, ice treatments and cryotherapy. (Cryotherapy exposes the body to extremely cold temperatures to aid in muscle recovery.)
Olvera-Harle also has bonded with Texas transfer Gehrig Heil, a punter who has ascended to No. 1 holder.
“He also kicks, so he knows how to lean (the football) and where to place the laces,” Olvera-Harle said of Heil. “Being able to hang out with Gehrig and (long snapper) Jack (Mowrey) outside of practice really helps build a bond.”
Special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield hopes to replicate the success of last year’s trifecta of Mowrey, holder Caleb Freeman and kicker Kansei Matsuzawa. Freeman completed his UH eligibility; Matsuzawa is on the Las Vegas Raiders’ training-camp roster.
“Just trying to build connection with all those guys,” Sheffield said. “It’s pretty much a brand new group. Kansei wasn’t successful without Caleb Freeman. The holder is so important. We put a lot of emphasis on holding.”
Head coach Timmy Chang, who was the holder during Philadelphia Eagles training camp in 2006, has worked directly with Heil.
“That’s how important the job is,” Sheffield said. “Coach Chang teaches and coaches the holders. Coach Chang helps me out a ton because I’m trying to get the kickers right.”
And Olvera-Harle has progressed significantly the past several years. Olvera-Harle was a forward in soccer and pitcher/right fielder in baseball before being asked to join St. Margaret’s Episcopal School’s football team as a kicker ahead of his junior year.
“It was definitely a big change,” he said. “I was still, kind of, in soccer form. It’s a different swing.”
Through YouTube videos, he learned to adjust his approach-steps and swing. After practices, he went to local parks in Orange County to drive kicks toward the baseball backstops.
Olvera-Harle played the 2024 season at Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, Calif. He converted 11 of 14 field-goal attempts, and was named to the JCGridiron’s All-America second team.
He received walk-on invitations from South Dakota State and UH.
“You can’t beat Hawaii weather and the people,” Olvera-Harle said. “There were a lot of factors — the weather, the people, the community. They made it very welcoming to come here.”
Last season, he was used as the kickoff specialist. With instructions to place kicks in the lane between the left hash mark and left sideline, Olvera-Harle averaged 59.2 yards in 32 kickoffs while amassing 11 touchbacks. Matsuzawa added kickoff duties for the final seven games.
Olvera-Harle has impressive power. During training camp, he has connected on field goals up to 65 yards. Sheffield helped Olvera-Harle with accuracy and focus.
“I put him in sports psychology, the same thing I did with Kansei,” Sheffield said. “Kansei, in his junior year, had some issues with confidence and sports performance. I sent him to a sports-performance coach. Sean sees the exact same one.”
Coupled with a list of drills from Sheffield, Olvera-Harle is having a breakout camp.
“Those (drills) helped out a lot,” Olvera-Harle said. “The power came naturally with consistency.”
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