Scoob, where are you?
On the final day of training camp, Hawaii linebacker Aisiah “Scoob” Paogofie was everywhere during a 98-play scrimmage at the Ching Complex.
He was in the run gaps, in the routes, in pursuit of darting running backs and scrambling quarterbacks. Paogofie amassed two sacks and two pass breakups.
“Scoob is a dawg,” slotback/returner Kainoa “Kaikai” Carvalho said.
It was fitting praise for Paogofie, whose Campbell High teammates nicknamed him after the animated mystery-solving canine. “I’m a dawg on the field, like Scooby-Doo.”
Head coach Timmy Chang said: “Scoob played really well. He’s very athletic.”
After three weeks, the Rainbow Warriors were set to break training camp on Saturday. The simulated game day was moved up two hours, to 8:30 a.m., to avoid the impact of Hurricane Lala. There were no discussions about canceling the two-hour, full-contact scrimmage.
“They said it was going to storm, but that wasn’t going to stop us,” Paogofie said. “We’re a hungry team. We’re going to practice regardless.”
Carvalho said: “Coach Timmy said the only thing football stops for is lightning. Football doesn’t care if it’s raining or windy. We just have to go out there and do our jobs.”
As the Warriors count down to the Aug. 29 opener against Stanford, positional rotations appear to have been set. Paogofie is competing at dime linebacker in the Warriors’ 4-2-5 base defense. Associate head coach Chris Brown is hopeful Paogofie follows in the cleat-steps of his uncle. Brown described Chris Paogofie, a former Waianae High linebacker, as “one of the greatest high school players.”
Brown said the younger Paogofie has comparable skills to Darius Muasau, a former UH linebacker, in speed, tackling ability and tracking. “I think he can be a superstar here,” Brown said.
“The young pups are starting to show up,” Chang said. “It’s a credit to them and their coaches — CB (Brown), (Jordan) Pu‘u (Robinson), DT (Dennis Thurman) and the rest of the guys.”
Wily, Carvalho, Rice impress
Noah Wily, Carvalho and Davone Rice also impressed during the scrimmage.
Wily made two sacks, tipped a pass and nearly got his fingerprints on another.
“I was trying to do my one/11,” Wily said, “and help out anyway I could.”
Wily, who is 6 feet 3, weighed 190 pounds when he joined the Warriors two years ago. Through Bobby Thomas’ strength/conditioning program, Wily now weighs 240. That enables Wily to handle the duality of the hybrid rush end position — a stand-up end who can rush the passer or drop into coverage.
Wily’s grit was shown on his face after Saturday’s scrimmage. He was sporting a cut above his right eye.
“Camp was good,” Wily said. “I learned a lot this year. It was just improving every day. That’s what I was focusing on. And trying to become the player everybody thinks I am. Just trying to prove to myself I can make those plays.”
With Pofele Ashlock recovering from an injury, Carvalho is making a case for extended playing time as a slot receiver.
As a 5-foot-7 junior at Kahuku High, Carvalho was named the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s 2021 Offensive Player of the Year. He also earned KHON Cover-2’s Marcus Mariota Award as the state’s most valuable football player. Carvalho made an oral commitment to Utah before going on a two-year church mission to Japan. While in Japan, he withdrew his Utah pledge. Because he was not enrolled at Utah during the 2023-24 academic year, and scholarship agreements are one-year contracts, Carvalho became a free agent. He joined the Warriors last year.
“That redshirt year (in 2025) helped a lot,” said Carvalho, who learned from slotbacks Ashlock, Nick Cenacle, Tama Uiliata and Blaze Kamoku. “They mentored me and brought me under their wings. It took that whole year to get into (football) shape.”
Despite not growing an inch since high school, Carvalho has added strength and quickness. His body fat is 9%.
On Saturday, Carvalho had five receptions, including a 40-yard catch-and-dash on which he stepped out of bounds at the 2. He also had two long kickoff returns.
“Shoutout to my blockers,” he said. “They did an amazing job. Coach (Thomas) Sheffield set up a great return.”
Running backs Cam Barfield and Rice continued their strong preseason performances. Rice leaped over a defender trying to make an ankle tackle.
“I’ve got a lot of surprises,” Rice said.
Senior nickelback Elijah Palmer, who soared for an interception, said: “Camp was really good. It was competitive, and you love competitive camps. You don’t want one side to be better than the other. Both sides are sharpening each other’s swords.”
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