U.S. MARINE CORPS FORCES, PACIFIC, CAMP H. M. SMITH, Hawaii -- Come August, the smell of freshly cut grass, the sound of football helmets crashing into pads and a coach’s whistle screeching are all signs of the Camp H.M. Smith Warriors intramural football team gearing up for the new season.
While most other service members head home at quitting time, the Warriors, playing under head coach Carson Peapealalo, have been meeting on Bordelon Field after hours and practicing for the past three weeks.
Last years’ hard work paid off, propelling the Warriors to the semifinal playoffs.
The Warriors have brought back many key players from last season, and hope to have a better overall record this year.
Playoff hopes are high amongst the team members returning for a second or even third season.
“We had a great team last year, especially on defense and we had a solid running game,” said Lance Cpl. Ronald Pierce, a Warriors defensive end. “This year we want to improve our passing game, so we can keep the opposing defense honest.”
“We definitely want to improve on executing our plays and concentrate on keeping our penalties to a minimum,” said Pierce, a Houston native who collected ten sacks last season.
Head coach Peapealalo has added a few new routes and runs to the playbook to keep things interesting this year.
“We definitely feel confident in this year’s team,” said Peapealalo, who played three years for the Dallas Cowboys. “We’re going to take this season one game at a time, we’ve got some challenges ahead.”
The Marine Corps Community Service Intramural Football league’s regular season will kickoff in early September. The schedule is to be determined.