Sports Notebook
Star-Bulletin staff
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Northern Colorado’s Pallone wants to make Aloha Stadium his house for a night
Vinny Pallone expects a good-sized cheering section at Saturday's football game at Aloha Stadium.
Is he some Hawaii player you hadn't heard of yet, hoping for some quality garbage time?
Not quite -- Pallone is Northern Colorado's defensive captain, a senior tackle. His Hawaii tie is via his wife, Miranda. She spent some of her childhood in the islands, and her father, Tom Stockard, is a retired military man who still lives here.
"He's going to have a lot of people for me there," Pallone said.
Vinny and Miranda honeymooned on Maui in the offseason, but this is strictly a business trip for the 6-foot, 300-pound third-year starter.
He knows taking on a ranked team is quite a challenge for an outfit that was 1-10 last year in its last year of transition from Division II to Division I-AA. But Pallone said the Bears are excited about the opportunity.
"Coming from a program with a lot of transition, I think the best way to do it is play the best teams, and I think of Hawaii as one of the best teams," Pallone said. "And I can't think of anything better than playing in the Pro Bowl stadium. I've been here five years and played the Colorado School of Mines and the South Dakota States. This is a big deal."
The Bears arrive in Hawaii tomorrow.
Farmer awarded
It's been a good week so far for
David Farmer. On Monday, the UH junior was listed No. 1 at running back when the depth chart was released. Yesterday, coach
June Jones told the team Farmer had earned a scholarship.
Farmer walked on at UH three years ago instead of going to UC Santa Barbara or San Diego, Division I-AA programs where he might have gotten more playing time earlier.
But he's been an outstanding role player at UH, and a popular one with teammates -- they cheered loudly and hoisted him in the air when the scholarship announcement was made after practice.
"(Coaches) told me I was close the last two years. I never got discouraged," Farmer said. "I love all these kids."
Soares hopeful
It's been a bad week so far for
Blaze Soares. Yesterday the sophomore linebacker jogged around on his tender left hamstring while his teammates whacked each other in preparation for the opener. He said he still hopes to play in the game. Soares pulled it last Saturday and Jones said the strongside starter is out this week unless he's "100 percent."
"I'd like to be out there with my boys, but I cannot," said Soares, who also missed most of fall camp with a shoulder bruise. "The shoulder is great, I had a great rehab. I don't know what it is with the hamstring. I hydrate good, stretch day and night. I don't have that burst now."
Kelly listing
Dan Kelly is on the watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-kicker Award.
The list is comprised of the top 29 preliminary candidates for the award that goes to the nation's top kicker.