Stage set for ‘Ninth Island’ showdown at Allegiant Stadium

It’s fitting the first potential matchup of Polynesian star quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Marcus Mariota would happen in Las Vegas.

The oasis in the desert has come to be affectionately known as the “Ninth Island” as a result of the pipeline of both visitors and settlers from Hawaii to southern Nevada in search of opportunity and a cheaper cost of living.

“So many of us live here now,” Liberty High School defensive coordinator Kaipo Batoon said. “When you’re from Hawaii and you go on vacation, you go to Vegas. That’s just what we do. Then people started moving out here because it was so affordable. Now they come because their family is already here.”

It is estimated at least 50,000 Hawaiians now live and work in Las Vegas, with some 300,000 visiting annually.

In normal times, many of them would be flocking to places such as Aloha Kitchen or other traditional Hawaiian business around town to watch what has been called the biggest NFL game in the history of the state of Hawaii on Saturday night.

Batoon pointed out the tradition of gathering in garages to watch a major event would also be honored.

He will certainly be watching when Mariota’s Raiders host Tagovailoa’s Dolphins. Like the two star quarterbacks, Batoon played football at the esteemed Saint Louis School in Honolulu.

Liberty’s roster has been loaded with Polynesian talent for several years and is coming off a state championship last season. The team has made trips to play games in Honolulu in recent years, including against Saint Louis when Tagovailoa was a junior.

Batoon knows his players will be among those in Las Vegas excited to see Mariota and Tagovailoa play.

“Our community, we kind of stick together,” he said. “This is huge for everybody. Even the non-football fans look at these kids with a sense of ownership and a sense of pride and really want to see them do well.

“It’s a sense of pride and a sense of hope for the people here and the locals back home that can watch their own make it big in prime time. It’s a big thing. A lot of people will be watching here and on the Islands. It’s going to be fun.”

Much of the credit for Las Vegas becoming such a hub for relocated Hawaiians has been credited to the marketing efforts of the downtown California Hotel in the 1970s.

Then-owner Sam Boyd was looking to increase business for a location that didn’t get much foot traffic or publicity.

Boyd, who had lived in Hawaii for a short time as a child, decided to market to the islands and worked with airlines to offer cheap airfares and hotel stays. The hotel also offered traditional Hawaiian restaurants and entertainment.

The California’s connection to Hawaiian tourists continues to this day.

“As far as the Polynesian community out here, it’s very strong,” Batoon said. “Everybody always jokes around that everyone is nephews and cousins. In the Polynesian community, it’s a real sense of family and extended family. People take such pride in that.”

Whichever quarterback’s team wins may have a few extra aunts and uncles floating around town on Saturday night.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.