Hawaii football coach June Jones and athletic director Herman Frazier confirmed yesterday that the Warriors will fly charter to and from select road games this season. Jones had previously proposed securing special flights for the Brigham Young, Fresno State and Boise State games. Warriors to pile up
charter milesBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comJones said two weeks ago that the charters would cost $12,000-to-$15,000 more than regular commercial flights for the UH traveling party of around 90 people.
"We've been talking about it for three or four months," Jones said. "I don't think they're cost prohibitive. We're under budget. So I don't think there's a problem."
Frazier agrees.
"We're going to make it work," he said. "We need to do whatever we can to help our student-athletes be successful."
Frazier said the UH athletic budget may be "still soft" in some aspects, and money will be found for the charter flights.
"We're going to make it happen," he said.
Battling the blitz: Receivers blocking isn't the first thing that comes to mind in UH's run-and-shoot offense. But it is an important component, especially when the inside receivers are tasked with picking up blitzing outside linebackers.
Gerald Welch, a 5-foot-7, 201-pound slotback, made the block of the day when he held off blitzing 6-foot-5, 227-pound Mel Purcell long enough for a successful pass attempt.
Welch drew applause from his teammates, and fellow starting slot Chad Owens clapped him on the pads.
"All the way on the left knee, yeah brah?," Owens said, referring to Welch's tender right knee that he sprained last spring.
"Nah, it's OK," Welch said. "It's about 90 percent, but if I worry about it, it's more likely I'll hurt it again. The blocking stuff is important for all of us. I don't mind it at all. To me a touchdown is just as much fun if I'm blocking for someone else or if I get it. It's rewarding either way."
Jones said he was pleased with the offense's work against the blitz yesterday, but there's more to be done.
"We kind of spend a lot of time on that. Our defense is probably our toughest competition because we do so much on defense. The more we see it, the better we get at it," he said. "We're not where we need to be now at any stretch, but we just have to hope after another 20 practices we'll be close."
Family ties: If Sean Stennis is as much a battler as his uncle, former UH quarterback Mike Stennis, the Warriors have a tough player in the freshman wide receiver.
Mike Stennis, a Los Angeles businessman who played at UH from 1976 to 1980, is battling cancer which was diagnosed last year.
"He's in chemotherapy right now, but he's doing pretty good," Sean Stennis said. "He still works out and doesn't act or look like he's sick. He's strong."
Sean said he chose UH on his uncle's urging.
"He said I'd love the offense and that June Jones is an excellent coach," the nephew said. "It's hard learning the reads on the offense, but other than that, I really like it."
Back to the future: It seemed like a reunion of stars from the 1980s. Former UH All-American defensive tackle Al Noga and his brother, linebacker Pete Noga, visited practice yesterday. The former Farrington High School stars chatted with former Waianae and Brigham Young standout Kurt Gouveia (now a UH student assistant) about their prep, college and NFL days.
Al Noga was an assistant coach for the arenafootball2 Hawaiian Islanders in their just-completed inaugural season. He said the UH defenders look more impressive than when he and Pete were part of a unit that was fourth in the nation against the run in 1986.
"There's a big difference," Noga said. "The players are much bigger and faster."
Noga said he is proud of his cousin, defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga.
"He has a chance to be an outstanding player, a real impact player," Noga said.
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