Walk-ons Corey Paredes and Richard Torres received scholarships from UH

About how Corey Paredes and Richard Torres can now eat their training-table meals, Mac said:
"Now they can eat." (HA)

HA Note: "Paredes and Torres were told of the offers during the post-practice huddle."

About getting a scholarship, Paredes said:
"This feels so good." (HA)

HA Note: "Paredes, a Castle High graduate, and Torres, a Kahuku High alumnus, are both third-year sophomores. Both have relied on summer jobs and student loans to pay for tuition and expenses. They share an off-campus apartment that is stocked with saimin packets."

About how walk-ons sacrifice to be a part of the team, Paredes said:
"You eat chips for dinner. You eat peanut-butter sandwiches for dinner. You rarely eat breakfast. It was hard. But we still did it. We love the game of football. We'd do anything for it." (HA)

About how Paredes' father often brought pre-cooked meals that they would store in the freezer, Torres said:
"He'd heat it up for me and him. We'll eat whatever is in the apartment, mostly saimin." (HA)

HA Note: "Paredes has been part of the No. 1 rotation at outside linebacker. Torres is a safety and nickelback, as well as a standout on special teams."

About how both Paredes and Torres will play this season, Mac said:
"They're both excellent players, and they're both going to play. They've been contributors to our success. We could go outside and get players, but why not take care of your own?" (HA)

About the obstacles he kept overcoming to play for UH, Paredes said:
"I went through some tough times to get here. It seems something was always happening. I'd get one thing done, and then I'd have to get another thing done. I was always taking the hardest route. I'm here right now, and I'm playing my heart out, and I'm so happy for the scholarship. I thank God. I thank my family for their support. And I'm thankful to coach Mack and coach Cal (Lee) and coach Mike (Smith). They really pushed for me." (HA)

About how he was "overwhelmed" by the scholarship offer, Richard Torres (son of Kahuku coach Reggie Torres) said:
"My family has been helping me a lot. I've been struggling. My biggest goal was to get on the field. Now I can really focus on just playing football. I don't have to worry about financial stuff." (HA)

HSB Note: "Paredes and Torres were roommates in an off-campus apartment last year, keenly aware of each other's struggles in meeting the demands of school and football while dealing with the financial burdens walk-ons must bear."

About what he and Paredes would talk about when they were roommates last year, Torres said:
"We were both talking about, 'Man, if we had a scholarship life would be so much easier.' That didn't stop us from training, though. It made us stronger." (HSB)

About his emotional response to getting the scholarship, Paredes said:
"It means a lot. I'm in my third year in college, I've been paying out of my own pocket the whole way. I'm really glad that the coaches decided to give me and Richard scholarships because we've both been struggling. My parents, my girlfriend, my girlfriend's family, they all supported me. They all told me they knew I'd get it." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Paredes said he's been taking out loans to pay his way through school. Torres had some financial aid, but also worked side jobs in the summer to fund his education while also training for the season."

About getting the scholarship, Torres said:
"I felt like a burden was lifted off." (HSB)

HA Note: "Paredes, a Castle graduate, shuffled between running back and linebacker as a redshirt freshman. He worked his way into the first unit at outside linebacker during spring practice and has maintained that spot so far in fall camp."

Praising Paredes and Torres, Mac said about Paredes:
"He's fast. He's going to play a lot of football both on defense and special teams. And he's a good student and so is Richard, which is important in our deal. Those are the two things we want, good students and guys that win football games." (HA)

HA Note: "Torres is a backup free safety and the first nickel back when the Warriors send five defensive backs onto the field. He had a scholarship offer to Western Oregon after leading Kahuku to back-to-back state championships as a quarterback in 2005 and '06. But he elected to stay home to walk on with the Warriors."

About Torres walking on to UH, his father Reggie Torres said:
"He just wanted to play ball at UH. Even if he had to pay for it, that's what he was planning to do. The scholarship coming, that's like icing on the cake for somebody living his dream." (HA)

HA Note: "At 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, coaches have raved about Torres' mastery of technique since he joined the program, and he's added muscle and speed in the offseason. He broke the 300-pound mark on his bench press and was timed at 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash after spring practice."

About how he is more confident this season, Torres said:
"I feel a lot more confident. I'm still smaller than everybody, but I have a little something behind me this year." (HA)

Reggie Torres said that the scholarships awarded to walk-ons demonstrates:
"to the state that UH is rewarding kids who work hard and do well in school. (UH associate coach Rich) Miano and those guys run a great walk-on program and it gives kids more incentive to walk on." (HA)

About how he won't lose any motivation even after getting the scholarship, Torres said:
"I don't want that to be the end. I want to keep working and try to get on the field." (HA)

About how the scholarship will motivate him, Paredes said:
"It's extra motivation, that's for sure." (HA)

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