Warrior Beat

Expanded coverage of UH football, including practice notes, game analysis, recruiting info and observations on the Mountain West Conference.

About the blog host

Stephen Tsai covers University of Hawaii football for the Star-Advertiser. Follow him on Twitter @StephenTsai and sign up for the Hawaii football newsletter here: http://www.hawaiiwarriorworld.com/email-signup/

Latest news

Warriors land lineman, score high on APR

By Stephen Tsai on June 11, 2013

The Warriors’ 2014 recruiting class continues to build following a pledge from  lineman Samuela “Sammy” Lauaki of Los Angeles’ Cathedral High. Lauaki is 6 feet 4 and 250 pounds. At Cathedral, he is used as an offensive tackle and defensive lineman. “He’s a very coachable kid, very talented,” said Chris Maumalanga, a former NFL player who now coaches at Cathedral. “He’s very humble, but hard-working at the same time.” Maumalanga said if Lauaki gains a lot more weight, he would […]

Warriors to the Rose Bowl

By Stephen Tsai on June 10, 2013

UH confirmed today it will play UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Sept. 9, 2017. It will be the Warriors’ first appearance in the Rose Bowl. UH coach Norm Chow, who had served as offensive coordinator at UCLA, praised the Rose Bowl as one of college football’s top venues. * * * * * For  Grant Steen, the promotion comes with emotion. “It’s a professional move,” said Steen, who accepted a job as assistant strength and conditioning coordinator at the […]

Down the road

By Stephen Tsai on June 9, 2013

If talks continue to do well, UH might be sending hold-the-date cards to its football fans. The Rainbow Warriors are seeking to play future road games against UCLA and Ohio State. The games would be particularly meaningful because of the venues. UCLA plays its home games at the Rose Bowl. Ohio State’s home stadium — “The Horseshoe” — is one of college football’s wonders. If the Warriors need to go on the road to fill dates, those two would be […]

Childs play

By Stephen Tsai on June 8, 2013

A few weeks ago, the Rainbow Warriors received a call from a player who wanted to join as a walk-on. He already had been admitted into UH. The coaches then reviewed videos and checked references. The player’s previous coach — George Rush of City College of San Francisco — provided an enthusiastic recommendation. And that is how Nick Childs became a Warrior. Childs, a defensive lineman, is 6 feet 4 and 280 pounds. He is capable of running 40 yards […]

Vacation

By Stephen Tsai on June 3, 2013

It’s vacation time. That means for the next few days, there will be no spam. Well, at least a minimal amount. It also means the blog will go on hiatus. We will re-open on Saturday. You’re invited to follow my (very occasional) tweets @StephenTsai. But I don’t know how to retweet or send direct messages, which might explain some mass tweets. Take care, everybody. See ya soon.

O-lineman commits to Warriors

By Stephen Tsai on June 2, 2013

The Rainbow Warriors secured a commitment from Sullivan “Sully” Wiefels, an offensive lineman from American River College. Wiefels is 6 feet 3 and 295 pounds. It was widely believed Wiefels would be part of the 2014 class. But he was a “predictor” as a high school senior, meaning he met the requirements to play as an NCAA freshman and is eligible to play for the Warriors this season. Wiefels, who will join the Warriors this summer, will have four years […]

Who’s who

By Stephen Tsai on June 1, 2013

The training camp roster will have some unheralded names. Here are two: Wide receiver Daniel Masifilo is a Campbell High graduate who spent the past three seasons at Arizona State. He also spent a season at powerhouse Mount San Antonio College. As an unrecruited walk-on at ASU, he is eligible to transfer to UH as a walk-on and play without redshirting. He is 6-3 and 205 pounds. Placekicker Joe Uglietto began his NCAA career at Colgate. He transferred to UH […]

Friday notes: Davis, Manley, exhaustion

By Stephen Tsai on May 31, 2013

Notes on a Friday: • Wide receiver Trevor Davis has requested — and received — a release from his football scholarship. He is seeking to transfer. Davis had 17 receptions for 235 yards and two touchdowns as a true sophomore in 2012. • Former Leilehua High quarterback Andrew Manley is transferring to Eastern Illinois. (Former UH player Dino Babers is the Panthers’ head coach.) Earlier this month, Manley was granted a release from his New Mexico State scholarship. • The […]