More than 70 high school seniors signed their National Letters of Intent at the annual Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance NLI Signing Day Ceremony at the Sheraton Waikiki Wednesday morning, but it was just a little more special for three specific individuals.

Soccer players Pikake Kaneshiro and Raisa Strom-Okimoto, along with football player Leejay Lauti, each suffered devastating knee injuries prior to the start of their respective senior seasons, but all three are looking forward to the future rather than lamenting the past after making their commitments official.

Kaneshiro, an Iolani forward, will attend the University of Idaho, while Strom-Okimoto, an Aiea midfielder, will play for the University of Hawaii.

"It was pretty nerve racking, but I got through it," said Kaneshiro, who missed the postseason in her junior year with another knee injury. "I feel beyond blessed to have this opportunity."

Strom-Okimoto came back from a torn ACL as a sophomore with a stellar junior campaign last year — that saw Na Alii make a run to the Division I state final — but was dealt with another torn ACL during the preseason this year.

"It wasn't good tearing my ACL again, but I think that now and later on the future it's about what you do with it and this opportunity will be really good for me," Strom-Okimoto. "It was tough mentally to go through that again, plus it's my senior year, too, but the girls did good work out there."

Lauti, who signed with Pima College (Ariz.) was set to start at safety for the Mules last year, but his season came to an abrupt end before it even got started.

"The (Pima) coaches were pretty understanding — not many coaches are like that — and I think it's a good opportunity that I'm able to continue on with my athletics and that I'm able to get a higher education in college and be able to get a degree," Lauti said. "It's like taking another step in life and you're actually able to play the sport that you love."

Yet another signee, Kamehameha soccer player Kawai Makue, also saw a happy ending to a difficult year. Makue, who started since her freshman year, blew out her knee during the preseason, but signed Wednesday with Gonzaga.