By Hana Kaufman
Contributor
Three of the same blood step onto the field together every Friday night for Desert Mountain. Being able to play together is something Journey Solomon, Jeneral Solomon, and Ikaika Solomon value on a daily basis.
Having a Hawaiian background, family ties are very important to each of the Solomons. Their connections have grown on the field, expanding from their childhood experiences together.
The brothers, Journey and Jeneral, moved from Las Vegas, Nev. in the summer of 2023 to live in Scottsdale. Following them just a few months later, their cousin Ikaika moved to live with them after searching for a better opportunity for football.
The three players are graduating in different years, back-to-back, in 2025, 2026, and 2027. Journey is a senior, Ikaika is a junior, and Jeneral is a sophomore.
“We got recommended to Desert Mountain by a distant friend and have been going there since,” said Jeneral, who plays multiple positions for the team.
Even though the Solomons transferred schools in the middle of their high school career, they have made immense impacts to the team, which has led Journey to become a team captain.
“My mindset is to make sure the team is mentally and physically ready for every game each week, whether it is on the field or off the field,” said Journey, the wide receiver and cornerback.
This includes Jeneral and Ikaika, who both look up to Journey and are hoping to follow his footsteps as they continue their future seasons without him at Desert Mountain.
“I think Jeneral is on a good stepping stone to become a captain. I’m pretty sure he knows the expectations from everyone. He already has a lot of confidence as a young player,” said Journey.
Jeneral is currently working hard to make that a reality in the future, learning from Journey’s experience this year.
“On the field is always intense and Journey being acknowledged as a team captain puts more responsibility on me for the future of the team,” said Jeneral.
Having the support of Ikaika and Journey is beneficial, creating reassurance for Jeneral.
“I know I could always rely on my brother and cousin to know their assignment and make some plays for our team,” said Jeneral.
All three players feel the same way, pushing each other to succeed as often as possible.
“I feel like when we’re all on the field it gives us more confidence because we like to compete and push one another,” said Ikaika, a defensive back.
This is another instance where having a strong family connection comes into play. Ikaika said their family will visit Arizona to watch them perform in the games. The brothers and Ikaika try to visit the family in Hawaii every summer when they are not in season.
In season, having a bond has served to be rewarding, thinking of each other as not only teammates, but family.
“I feel like I can push my cousin harder than my teammates because he is very close to me and he wouldn’t get mad, but use it to get better and add some fuel to him,” said Jeneral.
This mindset applies to all of them and has pushed each of them to become better, and ultimately perform better.
“Our relationship is very challenging because we love to play football and we like to be competitive against each other. Every day is a day to get better at being competitive,” said Ikaika.
Journey, Jeneral, and Ikaika are enjoying their time on the field as they play their last season together at Desert Mountain.
“I feel like the team is going to be left in good hands with them around. They are already very experienced and know what to do in situations,” said Journey.
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