LIHU‘E — The Warriors will soon be descending upon Kaua‘i as the University of Hawai‘i Athletics Department and the County of Kaua‘i announced plans Tuesday for an intra-squad scrimmage to be held on Saturday, April 10 at Vidihna Stadium.
The football squad, coming off a 6-7 season that had plenty of ups and downs, will fly over from Honolulu for a two-hour scrimmage beginning at 11 a.m.
The game will be free for the public and will conclude with an autograph session on the field.
A press conference was held at Mayor Bernard Carvalho’s office Tuesday afternoon, attended by UH head football coach Greg McMackin and athletic director Jim Donovan, as well as members of the Kaua‘i County Council.
“We always say we play for Hawai‘i,” Donovan said. “If we play for Hawai‘i, we better get out and meet all of Hawai‘i.”
“I told Jim, ‘You’ve got to come to Kaua‘i,’ ” said Carvalho who, along with Donovan, is a former Warrior football player.
He said it was just that brief talk story that got the ball rolling and resulted in the event coming to Lihu‘e.
“Kaua‘i will have the opportunity to come out and visit with UH football,” Carvalho said. “As mayor, I’m very excited. I can’t wait.”
The event marks the second straight year that the Warriors will make an appearance on a neighbor island during spring practice. Last year, the team held a scrimmage at Maui’s War Memorial Stadium.
“Lots of the kids even from Hawai‘i have never been to the outer islands,” McMackin said. “We know we have a lot of fans here. We do an autograph session afterwards, where they can share Aloha.”
All the logistics from here on out will be handled by Brent Inouye, a Kapa‘a High School graduate and an assistant marketing director for the UH athletic department.
It will be UH’s first trip to Kaua‘i since 1992, which was Kaua‘i defensive coordinator Mike Tresler’s senior season.
“It’s finally going to happen,” said Bill “Kaipo” Asing, Council Chair.
Councilmember Dickie Chang said he was “obviously elated” about the game and about the continued relationship between the UH football program and Kaua‘i, with McMackin having come over for two charity walks, as well as running the free youth football clinic.
The Kaua‘i ties to UH include Carvalho, Tresler, current players Vaughn Meatoga, Kenny Estes and Jett Jasper, as well as Kapa‘a High School senior Sean Michael Shigematsu, who will be joining the Warriors in the fall.
McMackin commented on Shigematsu, saying that he has the size and temprament he and his staff were looking for in a lineman.
Co-sponsor Hawaiian Airlines is providing air transportation for the more than 150 players, coaches and support staff. The County of Kaua‘i is also a co-sponsor and the host of the event, providing Vidinha Stadium facilities, along with ground transportation and lunch for the UH travel party.
Discussion turned to the game itself, with someone in the room floating the idea of Lenny Rapozo, Director of Parks and Recreation and also an experienced member of the Kaua‘i officiating crew, refereeing the scrimmage.
“As long as you keep that handkerchief in your pocket,” McMackin said.
“Stay off my field,” Rapozo responded with a smile.
Since it will be just the second week of the team’s spring practices, McMackin said they will be working on base offense and defense and trying to get players in the right position.
“Every team develops a personality,” McMackin said. “This will be the first time we’ll be developing that personality.”
The team is hoping to build on the positives that came about during the second half of last season, winning four straight games to get to 6-6 before falling to Wisconsin with an Aloha Bowl bid on the line.
“That team dealt with a lot of adversity and was a young team,” McMackin said. “I thought our season turned around at the Nevada game… The players and coaches stayed together and came into that final game (Wisconsin) playing for something.
“I will never forget last year’s team,” he said.
This year’s squad returns 17 starters, creating more stability than last season, when just seven returned.
Regarding recent reports by Sporting News that the Pac-10 will be seriously contemplating expansion and mentioned UH as a potential fit, Donovan stated that “it is truly a Pac-10 decision.”
“Many people on Hawai‘i would love to see us as part of the Pac-10,” he said, but added that if the conference is looking to add a large television market, other schools would be more appealing.
However, he said that if they consider expansion into the Asian markets to be an important step, UH might make sense because Hawai‘i is the “ultimate bridge.”
