Jewell suits up for CNMI anew

Former Paire Football Club member Hunter Jewell has answered another call for national team duty.

Hunter Jewell poses for a photo before training at the Oleai Sports Complex Field during his visit on Saipan in July this year. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Kansas-based Jewell returned to the island in July to join the training sessions of the CNMI U19 National Team and is one of the players the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association named to the select squad that will compete in the AFC U19 Championship Bahrain 2016 Qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand later this month.

“It’s nice to be back. It’s always an honor to represent the CNMI,” the 18-year-old player said.

“I spoke to coach Seki (Kiyoshi Sekiguchi) and he told me there is a team going to Thailand in September or October to play in an AFC event. He asked if I am interested and I immediately said yes,” he added.

Incidentally, Jewell played for the Sekiguchi-coached CNMI U15 National Team that made history in 2011 after giving the Commonwealth its first-ever victory in an international competition following a 2-1 win over Macau in the East Asian Football Federation U15 Youth Tournament at the Taipei Municipal Stadium in Taiwan. The 2011 competition was also the last time Jewell carried the CNMI colors as the following year his family moved to Kansas.

In Kansas, Jewell kept his passion for the sport and is now on his senior year with the Lawrence High School’s soccer team, playing as midfield defender for the Lions. He is also a member of the Sporting Kaw Valley Jambars, a local club in Lawrence.

“The time I spent playing soccer on Saipan really helped me get to the level that allowed me to play for a school team,” said Jewell, who was among the promising players in the CNMI when the sport was just starting to lay its ground in the Commonwealth.

Since leaving the island three years ago, Jewell said he saw and learned about significant improvements from CNMI players and its program.

“When I was still there, we played for fun. Now, the playing environment is a lot different. It’s more intense. Players definitely got better as NMIFA’s program develops,” said Jewell, who joined the grateful company of Bo Barry and Lucas Knecht in coming back and donning the colors of the island where their soccer career started.

“I am glad that I will be able to play for the CNMI again and join the guys I had been with before,” Jewell said.

The 6-foot-1 player will be reunited with Jehn Joyner, Joel Fruit, Enrico Del Rosario, Kennedy Izuka, and Sean Perez, who were Jewell’s teammates in the tournament in Taiwan four years ago.

“I am looking forward to working with these guys anew and learning how to play with the rest of the team. I will definitely work harder to make things happen,” Jewell said.