Downey graduate Zwahlen returns from mission, joins Hawaii football team

At long last, Aaron Zwahlen is back on the football field.

The former Downey High School star and Bee Player of the Year has joined the University of Hawaii football team after spending two years on a church mission. Zwahlen and his family are devout Mormons.

He has been in Oahu since May 25 taking part in summer workouts.

“It’s a dream come true, really,” said Zwahlen, who will begin one-on-ones and seven-on-sevens this week. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do since my childhood. To be here right now is surreal.”

He left for a Maryland Baltimore Mission following a record-setting career at Downey. The 6-foot-3 gunslinger passed for 3,852 yards and 49 touchdowns during his senior season, leading the Knights to a Modesto Metro Conference championship, an upset victory over Central Catholic – which went on to win its first of three consecutive CIF Division IV state championships – and their first playoff victory in 25 years.

Zwahlen was the No. 11 quarterback prospect in the Class of 2013, according to ESPN300, when he deferred his scholarship to serve his faith.

“He had a lot of momentum coming out of high school,” said his father, Lynn Zwahlen. “Who knows how it will be? But he was able to stay in good shape on his mission. He grew a half-inch. He’s in Hawaii now doing summer workouts with the team, and he’s hanging with them.”

Aaron chose Hawaii over a number of marquee schools with rich histories at the QB position. Boise State, Washington State, Texas Tech, Duke, BYU and Northwestern lined up for the strong-armed quarterback.

The Warriors held the ultimate bargaining chip, though: coach Norm Chow, who began recruiting Aaron while he was at the University of Utah in 2011.

As a graduate assistant at BYU in the mid-1970s, the offensive guru – Chow helped groom NFL quarterbacks Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Carson Palmer, among others – also coached Lynn, then a wide receiver.

The two remain in close contact, and Lynn said Chow believes Aaron can compete right away for the Warriors’ backup spot. USC transfer Max Wittek was named the starter, according to The Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

“They’re counting on (Wittek) to be really good this year,” Lynn said of college football analyst Phil Steele’s preseason all-Mountain West Conference first-team selection.

Hawaii has four quarterbacks in camp, including junior Ikaika Woolsey and redshirt freshman Beau Reilly. Like Aaron, Reilly is also returning from a two-year mission. Reilly has helped ease Aaron’s transition. The two have spent considerable time talking about their adventures as missionaries, providing Aaron with some semblance of home.

“It’s good to have people like that around,” Aaron said.

Friendship aside, the competition for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart should be fierce.

Aaron’s arm didn’t take on much rust while he was away. He was forced to be creative with his workouts, whether it was throwing at a local high school two to three times a week, doing pullups in a stairway at night or lifting weights at church members’ homes.

“We’d do some pretty weird stuff,” he said, “but you do what you can, and that’s all you can do.”

His family is banking on seeing him in uniform this fall ... and perhaps on the field, too.

“Aaron will probably be on the traveling team for Hawaii,” Lynn said optimistically. “As long as he’s on the sideline, we’re going to want to be at the games because there’s a chance he could get put in.”

On Friday, Lynn and wife Sue finalized trips to national champion Ohio State (Sept. 12), perennial Big 10 contender Wisconsin (Sept. 26) and Boise State (Oct. 3).

To make time, Lynn will retire from his position as offensive coordinator at Downey following the Lions All-Star Football Game on June 13. The Downey staff is coaching the South All-Stars.

“There’s no way I could be on the sideline on a Friday night and in Columbus, Ohio, on a Saturday afternoon,” he said. “I had to make a decision. It’s going to be a busy fall.”

Lynn missed daughter Annie’s college debut for the BYU soccer team in 2003 and won’t make the same mistake twice. Then a coach at Grace Davis, Lynn didn’t expect Annie – a true freshman – to see the pitch against Tennessee. Not only did Annie play, she netted the winning goal, too.

Sue was there. Lynn was not, and that moment haunts him to this day.

“It will be nice to see Aaron play the next four years,” he said.

Though he forfeited a chance to play right away out of high school, Aaron believes he’s better equipped to handle the rigors of college football because of his two-year hiatus. He’s back on the field with a strong mental approach to match his arm.

“Physically, I don’t think I’ve taken too many steps back. If given a month or two, I can get back to where I was,” Aaron said. “I think mentally I have more of an advantage now than if I would have come straight out of high school.

“Being on a mission, you face a lot of persecution and rejection. A lot of people don’t want to discuss religion. You’re used to dealing with situations that you’d normally get down on yourself about. Knowing and experiencing those things has helped me face rejection and hard times with a better outlook.”

This story was originally published June 6, 2015 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Downey graduate Zwahlen returns from mission, joins Hawaii football team."