LIHU‘E — The University of Hawai‘i football team will practice and play an intra-squad scrimmage on the Big Island, Saturday, April 9, at Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i’s campus in Kea‘aui. The Warriors will fly to Hilo that morning and hold a two-hour
LIHU‘E — The University of Hawai‘i football team will practice and play an intra-squad scrimmage on the Big Island, Saturday, April 9, at Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i’s campus in Kea‘aui.
The Warriors will fly to Hilo that morning and hold a two-hour practice/scrimmage beginning at 11 a.m. An autograph session with UH players and coaches will begin at 1 p.m. Admission is free, states a release from the UH athletic department.
“We want to thank Mayor Kenoi and his administration, as well as Bob Wagner, who served as a UH coach for 20-plus years, and Kamehameha Schools for making this event a reality,” Jim Donovan, UH athletics director, said. “We’ve always received a tremendous amount of support from the people of the Big Island and this event is meant to show an appreciation to them. Our women’s basketball team played in Hilo this past December and it was a huge success for both our fans and student-athletes. We’re excited to return to the Big Island and give the fans there an early glimpse of our 2011 Warrior football squad.
“I also want to acknowledge the incredible support we have received from Hawaiian Airlines. Without their generous partnership, these neighbor-island trips would not be possible.”
Greg McMackin, UH head football coach, added: “We’ve said from day one that we represent the entire state of Hawai’i and we’re grateful for the opportunity to showcase our team to our Big Island fans. The reception we received in our previous trips to Maui and Kaua‘i was outstanding. This should be another great experience for our team and particularly for our handful of student-athletes from the Big Island. It should be a real nice homecoming for them.”
Current Big Island natives on the spring roster include Levi Legay (Kealakehe HS), Jordan Loeffler (Hilo HS), Elmer Lim III (Kamuela, Hawai’i; Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama), Hogan Rosehill (Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i) and Kana Silva (Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i).
Jack in the Box is donating post-scrimmage meals for the UH travel party and Pepsi will provide soft drinks, water, and sports beverages. The event will be drug, alcohol and tobacco-free.
The event marks the third consecutive year that the Warriors will make an appearance on a neighbor island during spring practice. In 2009, the team held a scrimmage at Maui’s War Memorial Stadium and last year’s event was held at Kaua’i’s Vidinha Stadium.
