Warrior Bowl today is critical for many Warriors

About how he has something on the line with a Hawaii Bowl opponent, Dustin Blount said:
"Betting is illegal, so there are no bets, but there's a guarantee I will be eating a steak dinner. Ryan (Henry) will be eating hotdogs." (HA)

Predicting that Blount will be the one eating hotdogs, Ryan Henry said:
"I don't like hotdogs. I don't eat them. But Dustin is used to eating them. He'll be doing that after the game Saturday." (HA)

Looking forward to how the players do in the Hawaii Bowl, Mac said:
"I'm really excited to see the players compete. We've divided the teams evenly. I'm excited to see them under game conditions. There will be officials, full-speed contact." (HA)

HA Note: "The exception is defenders are not permitted to hit the quarterbacks. And there will not be a kicking game."

Looking forward to the Hawaii Bowl, Greg Alexander said:
"It's going to be fun. It will be good to be in a live game." (HA)

HA Note: "Mauka is led by Alexander, center John Estes, running back Inoke Funaki, and receivers Rodney Bradley, Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares."

Feeling that his Makai team is the underdog, Blount said:
"They have the better overall team. It looks like an all-star team out there. But it'll be like David versus Goliath." (HA)

Henry responded to that:
"Team Mauka will be prepared." (HA)

About how he likes his team's name (Mauka), Henry said:
"Our goal is to get to the top of the mountain. And I have a friend back home (in Los Angeles) named Mauka. She's actually a neighbor." (HA)

About how they will evaluate the Warrior Bowl afterwards, Mac said:
"We will evaluate this film (of the Warrior Bowl)) and add it to the rest (of the videos) of this spring." (HA)

HA Note: "The coaches will evaluate the performances tomorrow, and meet with the team Monday. Then each position coach will meet with his players and explain their situation. McMackin said at least 20 spring players will be cut to make room for newcomers arriving this summer."

About how they have to cut at least 20 players soon, Mac said:
"We want to do a thorough job selecting our team. Unfortunately, some players will have to be let go. It's not fun to do that. It's tough. Everybody's been contributing and playing hard. But (cuts are) part of the game. We're not playing P.E. football. It's Division I football." (HA)

About how he will honor their scholarships, but a scholarship player might not get a spot in training camp, Mac said:
"We're going to take the best players we feel, in our mind, can help us win. I will not cut a scholarship guy, but if he's not in the top 105, he might not go to training camp. But we'll invite him to join when school starts. We haven't made any decisions (on the roster) yet." (HA)

HSB Note: "But for several members of the roster, the impact of the Warrior Bowl will be measured in a meeting tomorrow rather than on the Aloha Stadium scoreboard today. Whether competing for a starting spot or simply a spot on the team, the spring game represents a last chance to make a lasting impression on the coaching staff. Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin said the staff will meet tomorrow to solidify the depth chart heading into the summer and trim the 114-player spring roster to make room for the incoming recruits in advance of fall camp, when the team is limited to 105 players."

About how there is a lot at stake during the Warrior Bowl, Mac said:
"I want them to have fun and come together. You've got to have fun playing football or it's not worth it. They've been really working hard, so I want them to go out and play good football, because there's a lot of jobs on the line. There's a lot at stake. I'll tell them I want them to have themselves ready just like it's a regular ballgame mentally, and then have fun playing football. We're going to meet Sunday and make decisions, so this game definitely figures into what's going on." (HSB)

About how the last available scholarship will be awarded soon, Cory Paredes said:
"It's really big for me because I'm still a walk-on and I'm still trying to work on getting a scholarship. So hopefully I perform at my best and hopefully win one." (HSB)

About how the Warrior Bowl will be competitive, Rausch said:
"It's going to be real competitive. It was pretty competitive (Thursday) and now it's going to be like a real game." (HSB)

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