Local boys hungry for their shot against Warriors

LOGAN, Utah » On first impression, it’s hard to see what cachet the Cache Valley might hold for a young person from Hawaii.

There’s still some snow on the ground here Thursday after a sprinkling earlier in the week. It’s cold in Salt Lake City and it’s colder 82 miles up the road and 4,534 feet above sea level. Really cold, in the 40s. And it’s not even November yet, it’s Halloween.

If the climate doesn’t get you, maybe the cuisine does. There aren’t a whole lot of ahi swimming around in the Great Salt Lake.

"I miss Foodland," says Elvis Kamana-Matagi.

If you’re from Hawaii, you know why. It’s not because of the 5-percent off coupons.

"Yes, the poke. Foodland has the best," says the Utah State nose guard from King Kekaulike. "No raw fish here."

There’s Island Market on Center Street, but don’t be fooled by the name. Whatever island it refers to is not one in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Brian Suite says Mo’ Bettah Steaks is "worth checking out, but definitely not Hawaii grade," when it comes to local-style plate lunches.

Still, for four Utah State football players from Hawaii high schools, Logan has become as comfortable as a favorite pair of rubber slippers despite its obvious differences from home in the islands.

"It’s something different, but overall I like it," says Kamana-Matagi, who is the first FBS-level scholarship football player from his high school. "My parents thought Utah State would be a good place for me and they were right."

Dustin Hoover, a scout team linebacker from Hawaii Prep, was looking for a change.

"All I really knew was the Big Island. It’s been a culture shock but I was able to adapt and I love it."

As a kid, Hoover dreamed of learning the University of Hawaii playbook. He never thought it would be in this manner, to help prepare his USU offensive teammates for Saturday’s game at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium.

"It is surreal. Growing up I watched Colt Brennan and Timmy Chang and now I’m here, practicing the UH defense," says Hoover.

Jarom Baldomero, a sophomore backup linebacker from ‘Iolani who plays special teams and has eight tackles, says the Aggies (4-4, 3-1 Mountain West) are ignoring the records and point spread that had USU favored by 24 on Thursday afternoon.

"We’re treating it like they’re 7-0 instead of 0-7," says Baldomero. "We know their games have been very close and they don’t give up."

Baldomero, who rooms with Kamana-Matagi and defensive end Paul Piukala from Oakland, says the large number of Pacific Islanders on both teams will add to the intensity.

"It’s Polynesians against Polynesians, so it’s a rivalry for us," says Kamana-Matagi, a 6-2, 298-pound junior who has played in all eight games and has 12 tackles this fall.

Suite, who starts at safety for the nation’s 19th-ranked team in total defense, ranks fifth on the team with 40 tackles and is considered a heady leader. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior anticipates a collision or two with a former high school teammate, UH running back Steven Lakalaka.

"I remember him as a really talented player and really good person," Suite says of the Rainbows’ leading rusher, who graduated from Punahou two years after Suite did in 2010. "He’s a big guy who runs low and hard."

Suite started on the Buffanblu team that won the state championship in 2008. He chose Utah State’s scholarship offer over one from Hawaii.

"I was set on UH, but I had heart-to-heart conversations with a couple of people important to me and they convinced me going away would be good," Suite says. "Our class was told we were going to change things for Utah State football, we weren’t just passing through."

That’s proven true so far, as a perennial losing program put together back-to-back winning seasons in Suite’s freshman and sophomore seasons, including 11-2 and a bowl win in 2012.

Now, with head coach Gary Andersen and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda (UH fans remember him) off to Wisconsin, the Aggies are trying to keep the positive trend going, despite the loss of star quarterback Chuckie Keeton for the season to a knee injury.

"Before (Andersen) left he told us, ‘I didn’t win 11 games, you guys did,’ " Suite says. "Coach ‘A’ mentored Coach (Matt) Wells, so a lot of it is the same."

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Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.