As he removed his shoulder pads and jersey, a slew of nasty scars on his upper right torso became visible. They spoke volumes about his hellish past.
"I put my arm through a window in my junior year because I was mad," said Lealao, a 6-foot, 225-pound senior tailback/linebacker.
"I almost died from that. The glass cut my main artery and I lost six units of blood."
Rage used to dictate Lealao's life, and it kept his sports and academic careers from blossoming when he attended Kaimuki High.
"I fought, I got arrested, I argued with my coaches and teammates, I threatened a teacher, I drank, did drugs," said the Kalihi native, soberly ticking off a litany of his past sins like a man who's been freed of his demons.
"And I got so mad I punched lockers. I tried breakin' a wall once. It didn't happen. The wall won."
A new venue, anger management classes and a firm personal commitment to change have helped him realize some dreams.
The high point of his football career came last week when he scored three touchdowns against previously unbeaten Leilehua (4-1). At inside linebacker, he helped keep Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference leading rusher, John West, out of the end zone.
Lealao's performance was critical in McKinley's (4-2) upset victory over the Mules and it propelled him into the conference scoring lead (10 touchdowns and 74 points).
He also moved into second place in rushing (380 yards) behind West (536). Defensively, Lealao is leading his team in tackles with 54.
He's also averages 40 yards a punt and kicks extra points and field goals..
But Lealao's not only making it athletically at McKinley.
When he left Kaimuki High, he said he had a 0.3 grade-point average. His latest grade check at McKinley shows Lealao has A's, B's and one C.
"I wanted to play real bad because I love this sport," he said. "It gives you self-respect."
McKinley head coach David Tanuvasa said he's not surprised at Lealao's improvement. "He's really a smart kid who just never applied himself before," he said.
The turning point in Lealao's young life came one night last winter while he was drinking. In a fit of fury at a Kaimuki basketball teammate, he thrust his right arm through an elementary school cafeteria window. Before emergency medical personnel reached him, he lost half his blood supply and nearly his life.
A week later, he was arrested.
"I was afraid I'd never play football again," Lealao said. "I couldn't move my arm."
A few months after his recovery, he enrolled at McKinley.
Lealao said he regrets letting down the teachers and coaches at Kaimuki who tried to reach him.
"He's channeling his anger into something he loves to do," Tanuvasa said.
"He reads his blocks real well and you can't arm-tackle him," said Leilehua coach Cass Ishitani.
Aiea head coach Wendell Say saw Lealao score three times in a game Na Alii barely won, 22-21.
"The kid likes to fight for yardage, and you can't deny him the end zone when he's close."
That's how Lealao feels about his attempt to straighten out his personal life.
He's going for it, and and it'll take a lot more than an arm-tackle to bring him down.
