Warriors take it to the stadium

UH practices today where it will open the season in two weeks

Hawaii goes to Aloha Stadium today for its final practice of fall football camp.

Catch more updates on the UH Sports Extra blog

It's an important 3-hour session for many players on the bubble for playing time, and might include a 50-play live scrimmage -- or at least the closest thing to full contact coach June Jones will allow when its Warrior-on-Warrior.

"A lot of things will sort themselves out when we go live," Jones said earlier this week.

The starting lineups on offense and defense are mostly set, but the coaches still want to get as much on tape as they can before making decisions for the Sept. 1 opener against Northern Colorado.

Jones said this week David Farmer, Leon Wright-Jackson and Kealoha Pilares will be the primary running backs this season. Pilares has been seeing a big chunk of the first-team reps recently, especially when the Warriors run the ball. He took a couple of big hits yesterday, one from Keenan Jones (forcing a fumble) and another by R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane.

Kiesel-Kauhane is among a group of backup linebackers getting plenty of time with injuries to starters Blaze Soares, Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard.

Brad Kalilimoku is linebacker No. 4 in some people's eyes. But the coaches consider him a starter, even though UH will usually use three linebackers at times this year.

Kalilimoku is a senior, and the only UH player on this year's team to have started games in all of the past three seasons.

Paniolo pride drives ’backer

Brad Kalilimoku is a graduate of Roosevelt High School, just a few blocks from downtown Honolulu. He lives in Kapolei, Oahu's "Second City."

But the Hawaii senior linebacker considers himself a country boy.

"I totally could live on a ranch, I don't like the busy, fast pace," said Kalilimoku, who is keeping alive the Hawaiian paniolo (cowboy) tradition.

Kalilimoku's two passions are football and ranching. When he's not in school or involved in team activities, he likes to spend time at Kualoa Ranch in Kaaawa or the Gunstock Ranch in Laie. He competed in a rodeo last June at Gunstock.

"Not bad for his first time," said his father, Fred.

Brad's event was cow sorting, where three cowboys on horseback compete to round up 10 cows and then keep them contained in a specified area.

"It's pretty hard, because you have to keep an eye on them after you catch them," Kalilimoku said.

Though he is new to rodeo, Kalilimoku is an experienced horseman. Brad got his introduction to riding when he was 8.

"My wife (Roxanne) was in the Aloha Week Parade (as a pa'u rider) for Oahu," Fred Kalilimoku said. "We put him on a horse after the parade and let him ride. From then on, he was on a horse every chance he got."

Kalilimoku, a Hawaiian language major, spent two weeks on the Big Island this summer in a Hawaiian language immersion program.

"I wouldn't say I'm fluent, but I can hold conversations," he said.

Kalilimoku wants to expand his paniolo knowledge and experience. He said Abraham Akau, a veteran of Parker Ranch, is a mentor.

"I've learned a lot about the traditional ways from him," he said. "I hope to someday own my own horses."

In addition to weight training, Kalilimoku credits ranching for helping him bulk up to 222 pounds.

"I'm getting stronger," he said. "I tackle and brand cows, and they're heavier than the guys."

For now, he'll focus on rounding up running backs. Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin and linebackers coach Cal Lee consider Kalilimoku a starter along with Blaze Soares, Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian -- especially since the other three are tending to injuries.

Kalilimoku has been shuttled around from linebacker to safety and back in his career. But he's started 23 of his 37 games played in since 2004 and made 134 career tackles.

You might say it's not his first rodeo.

"He's become a really solid football player," UH coach June Jones said. "He's got great athleticism and really worked hard this summer. He gets better every year. He's settling into the scheme."