LIHUE, Kaua'i – The University of Hawai'i Warrior football team made its first visit to Kaua'i in nearly two decades when they conducted a practice, intrasquad scrimmage and autograph session Saturday at Vidinha Stadium.

A crowd of nearly 1,000 fans greeted the Warriors on picture-perfect day in Lihue. The Warriors responded with an energetic practice and intrasquad scrimmage, giving the Kaua`i fans an up-close look at the 2010 squad. It was the second year UH visited the neighbor islands. Last year the Warriors practice at War Memorial Stadium on Maui.

“The fans here gave us such an outstanding welcome,” head coach Greg McMackin said. “And our players really enjoyed themselves. We fed off their energy on the field and it was great getting to meet and greet everybody during the autograph session. The entire team had an incredible time.”

After 45 minutes of warm-ups and drills, the Warriors used the second hour of their practice to entertain the crowd with an intrasquad scrimmage. The scrimmage was highlighted by three touchdowns. Brent Rausch hit Darius Bright on a long pass for the first score, while Cayman Shutter connected with a streaking Billy Ray Stutzmann on another long touchdown. Shane Austin found Ryan Henry in the back of the end zone for the final score of the day.

Despite the controlled scrimmage with limited tackling, there were also a fair share of highlights on defense, including a series of hard hits by defensive backs Jordan Gomes and Parker Paredes.

“We saw a lot of great things from all three phases of the game today,” McMackin said. “But the defense was what really impressed me. We did a great job of tackling and stripping the ball."

The appearance  also marked a homecoming for several Warriors who were born and raised on the Garden Isle—junior defensive back Kenny Estes (Waimea High School); junior defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga (Kalaheo, Kaua'i); junior wide receiver Jett Jasper (Kaua'i High School); and senior defensive lineman Kamalu Umu (Kapa'a, Kaua`i).

“It was a great appearance,” said Jasper. “My whole family was here (today)…it's hard for them sometimes to come to watch me on O`ahu. There were tons of fans and I was so blessed to be here.”

Following the scrimmage, the team held an hour-long autograph session on the Vidinha Stadium field before their flight back to Honolulu.

UH returns to Honolulu for the final two weeks of spring camp. The Warriors will conclude spring camp on Friday, April 30 with the annual Warrior Bowl at the Clarence T.C. Ching Field on the lower campus.