HPA Grad Brostek to Debut for Washington Saturday

While surfing the many channels that feature college football action on Saturday, make sure to spend some time on the FX network. The Washington Huskies host Portland State  on that channel at 10 a.m. Hawaii time, but the main attraction for local football fans will be the collegiate debut of former Hawaii Preparatory Academy standout Shane Brostek.

Following Washington’s 41-3 loss to third-ranked LSU in Baton Rouge, Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian faced injury issues that left him no choice but to find a way to get Brostek on the field. Starting right tackle Eric Kohler suffered a knee injury, adding to injury list on the offensive line that includes Ben Riva, who broke his forearm in the team’s opening game of the season.

According to Sarkisian, Brostek is practicing at the right guard position, splitting time with fellow freshman James Atoe. Brostek is expected to play, if not start outright at that position, when the Huskies host the Vikings at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

The move to get Brostek on the field is necessary, says Sarkisian, because of the true freshman’s skill set and fundamental abilities, which are a credit to his father, former Washington player Bern Brostek. Still, Sarkisian was hoping to redshirt Brostek instead of playing him this season.

If you are going to watch the television broadcast, make sure to look for number 60. Brostek will be wearing that number this season for the purple-clad Huskies. If he can pass this test, expect him to be on the field for his team’s bigger tests: Stanford, USC, Oregon, and Arizona.