CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii freshmen Larry Sauafea, right, and Hercules Satele could be a big part of the Warriors' future.
Laying it
on the lineHawaii's offensive linemen
are busily trying to impress
Warriors coaches
The good news for Hawaii offensive-line coach Mike Cavanaugh this spring is he's got eight players who started last year.
That makes his job different than last spring, when he had to replace three standouts who went to the NFL. But the current task is not necessarily easier.
"There was no one coming back who had a lot of experience except (Uriah) Moenoa," Cavanaugh said. "We looked at all the guys. Samson (Satele) was new, Brandon Eaton was new, (Dane) Uperesa was new. Derek Faavi had started three games. There were a lot of questions."
There are questions this year, too, since only left tackle Tala Esera and left guard Satele, both sophomores, are considered anything close to sure things as starters in the fall. The other incumbents are junior Faavi at center, senior Moenoa at right guard, and junior Eaton and sophomore Jeremy Inferrera at right tackle.
"There's going to be a battle at center, and there could be battles at right guard and right tackle depending what we want to do," Cavanaugh said.
Moenoa is a three-year starter, so you might think he'd be a rock to build around. But he is actually a wild card because of his struggles with the scale.
The 6-foot-3 Moenoa weighed in at 365 pounds last August during preseason camp. His weight fluctuated during the fall, and he is around 330 pounds now after losing 18 since January. But Cavanaugh and head coach June Jones want Moenoa to shed more.
"He knows what he has to do," Jones said.
Cavanaugh expressed frustration with his most experienced player yesterday, saying the onus is on Moenoa to get down to close to 300 pounds by the start of the season.
"I've said enough. My piece is out there," Cavanaugh said. "Either he wants to do it or he doesn't. It has nothing to do with what people say. Everybody's saying a lot of things, but if it doesn't matter to him nothing's going to change. It's up to him. It's all on his shoulders."
Moenoa, who remained after practice yesterday morning for extra conditioning, said he doesn't want to let himself or his teammates down.
"It's gonna be the biggest issue for me going into the fall. Take it off and keep it off," Moenoa said. "I really need to lose the weight. All these guys working hard ... for me, for my senior year. The best thing I can do is give back by doing the same."
So are the youngsters who are getting the most repetitions in spring practice. Yesterday, freshmen Michael Lafaele (center), Hercules Satele (guard) and Larry Sauafea (guard) got a lot of attention from Cavanaugh.
"The big thing we're trying to do is get all those young guys on the same page," Cavanaugh said. "I'm pretty confident the older guys know what to do. We're just trying to get these young guys developed and understanding the system, improve their technique. To me, that's what spring is all about. Working on fundamentals."
The freshmen have progressed well and gained muscle and confidence, as has guard Marques Kaonohi, who will be a third-year sophomore in the fall.
"Spring ball is the time for us young guys to shine, show what we've got," Sauafea said. "Basically, it's all learning. I feel great about getting the reps, I have to prove I continue to deserve them."
On the corner: Junior Omega Hogan and freshmen Ray Bass and Ernest Powell got a lot of action yesterday due to projected starting cornerback Kenny Patton's hamstring strain.
"Those guys are coming around," defensive coordinator George Lumpkin said. "I think the more they're in there the better we can evaluate. They made a play or two individually and they look like they know what they're doing. You can never have too many cornerbacks. Sometimes we're playing five DBs, six DBs, and a corner's the best guy to have in those situations.
Patton said the strain isn't as bad as he originally thought, and he was jogging on his own without pain yesterday.
Setting goals early: Senior slotback Chad Owens said he's excited that he will return kicks full-time again this season, something he shined at as a freshman.
"I'm looking forward to all that stuff," he said. "What I'm mostly looking forward to is for our whole team to have a great year. We've got to win the WAC title. That's the No. 1 goal. This is my fifth year and we haven't done that. The next goal is to be undefeated. ... A WAC title would certainly make my career here a joyous one."
Owens said he is nearly fully recovered from the lingering foot injury similar to turf toe that dogged him last season.
Uperesa healing: Sophomore offensive lineman Dane Uperesa said the hamstring he strained last week is feeling better and he expects to return to drills soon.
He said Jones spoke with him about a month ago about possibly switching to defensive line.
"Nothing really happened since then about it," Uperesa said. "I'm up for anything that will help the team."
