Feature on the Na Koa fundraiser in Kauai

GI = Garden Isle

Abotu how the Warriors will continue to get players from Kauai (they have 5 now), Mack said:
"Of all the neighboring islands, this is the largest group we have — and we're after two more that are still in high school that I can't talk about." (GI)


GI Note: "All five current Warriors — seniors Kenny Estes, Jett Jasper and Vaughn Meatoga, sophomore Siasau "Saui" Matagiese and redshirt freshman Sean Shigematsu — were on hand to sign autographs and take pictures with guests, while McMackin also mingled with the crowd, even parting with his conference championship ring for a photo op."


Praising the people of Kauai, Mack said:
"The people here are just outstanding. My wife and I love to come over here. We've come and done the two-mile walks and ridden in the parade and gone to the rodeo or the picnics. We're from Oregon and this island reminds us more of Oregon because of the agriculture on the inside, but we have Hawai'i on the outside of the island." (GI)


About having 5 Kauai players representing UH, Jett Jasper said:
"It's really a unique experience. It's the first time all three high schools have been represented — Kapa'a, Waimea and Kaua'i High. I feel like the whole island is behind us and definitely roots for UH because of that." (GI)


Praising their younger Warriors from Kauai, Shigematsu and Matagiese, Vaughn Meatoga said:
"I never knew Sean and Saui before, but I get to play against Sean and I work with Saui. I get to see how good Sean is as an offensive lineman and he's just scratched the surface of his potential. He's going to be one of the best offensive tackles.

Saui is one of the hardest-working defensive players. A lot of the coaches brag about his work ethic. He just pops off the screen. You just turn on the film and you see him running from whistle to whistle, so coaches love him for that. These guys, we take them under our wing." (GI)


About how their team has a good work ethic, Kenny Estes said:
"This year, we definitely have a hard-working team and we can see it in our workouts. We kind of know where we want to get, the leaders just have to step up and bring the team together." (GI)


About how Meatoga is one of hteir leaders, Mack said:
"He was a leader last year as a junior and with he and Kaniela (Tuipulotu), we're as tough in the middle as anyone in the country. Vaughn will be a leader this year, also. He's weighing around 300 pounds, great attitude, great student. If a person was to live a good life, they'd be Vaughn Meatoga. He's a special person." (GI)


About how it was good for him to watch the team play last year, Shigematsu said:
"It was great just watching the guys play. It was a good experience. Just going in there with a chip on our shoulder, being the underdog, it feels great coming out on top." (GI)


About wanting to be the first repeat WAC champions for UH, Jasper said:
"The biggest key word I think you guys should know is 'back to back.'  That's what we're trying to do — back-to-back WAC champions. Never been done before by a University of Hawai'i football team and we definitely want to achieve that." (GI)


Proud of their 3 NFL draft picks in the recent NFL draft, Mack said:
"We're very proud of that. Number one, we want them to get their degree and those guys did get their degree. The second thing, we want to prepare them for as high as they can go in football. Through speed and quickness and learning the game, we use pro techniques to get them ready to play." (GI)


About how they have been able to let their young receivers and RBs watch and learn so they will be ready to contribute this season, Mack said:
"Miah Ostrowski is one of them. Darius Bright is another, and two running backs that I think people will like. We sort of put the 'run' back in the run and shoot this year." (GI)


Looking forward to playing for UH after transferring from Portland State, Matagiese said:
"I'm just excited to finally get back on the field. I don't have to sit outside and watch the games. (The coaches) told me I had a really good spring and they invited me to camp, so that's a plus. If I do good in camp, hopefully I can get on the field more. They were talking about using me a lot on special teams, as well, because I'm a big guy that can move more. So we'll see how that goes." (GI)


About how he learned a lot during his redshirt year last season, Shigematsu said:
"It was great, a good learning experience. The veterans really took us under their wing and showed us a pretty good time and I learned a lot from them. Right now I'm just focusing on where I'm at, playing at right tackle. I'm not really worried about if I'm going to start or anything like that. I'm just focusing on the plays and getting the system down." (GI)


About how they will be better this season than people think, Mack said:
"People don't really know us. They don't know the hearts of our players and coaches, they don't know how hard they work." (GI)


Agreeing with Mack's statement, Meatoga said:
"We've seen our potential and we really don't see any ceiling." (GI)


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