If University of Hawaii running back Steven Lakalaka knew then what he knows now — the losses, the coaching changes, more losses — he still would hit the “repeat” button.

“I’d do it again,” said Lakalaka, who spurned a football scholarship from UCLA to sign with the Rainbow Warriors on Feb. 1, 2012. “Everything happens for a reason. For all the things we’ve been through, we were meant to be here. We were meant to be in this situation.”

The Warriors are preparing to play Middle Tennessee in Saturday’s Hawaii Bowl, UH’s first postseason appearance since 2010. This storybook’s once-upon-a-time start was set in a UH dormitory in June 2012. It was when Lakalaka and Leo Koloamatangi, a Northern California offensive lineman, met.

“My first day here, I got off the plane and came straight here,” Koloamatangi recalled. “The first person I met was Steve … and his 20 family members that are there. You know how the local boys do it. The whole family is going to move you in.”

What Koloamatangi knew about Lakalaka was gleaned from newspaper articles about then-head coach Norm Chow’s first UH recruiting class.

“I knew he was the top running back coming out of high school,” Koloamatangi said. “He gave me those intimidating local-boy eyes. He tried to set the tone early. Right afterward, he asked if I wanted to go to Zippy’s.”

Both redshirted that first season — Koloamatangi to add bulk to his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame; Lakalaka to gain familiarity with the offense.

Every other weekend, they drove to the top of Tantalus to view Honolulu’s city lights.

“To be part of a program, you have to know what you’re playing for,” Koloamatangi said. “That’s what Tantalus was about. That’s what you can look over and see from Tantalus.”

But the Warriors struggled for four years. By the time, Nick Rolovich was named as Chow’s successor, UH had gone through five offensive coordinators. There would be two more OC hires before the kickoff to the 2016 season. There were mixed reviews, especially on the Manoa campus.

“That humbled us,” Lakalaka said, “and made us even hungrier.”

Koloamatangi said: “Like any other challenge in life, there are some who are going to dock you for your experiences and what you’re going through. It’s really about those you’re experiencing those things with that are important. It’s not about those who are watching and don’t understand details about the teammates you’ve experienced it with.”

Both volunteered to serve as hosts for recruiting visits, even taking around players who would become future competition for playing time.

“You can’t be selfish,” Lakalaka said.

Koloamatangi said: “You have to be willing to build something bigger than yourself to make something great.”

This season, Lakalaka has morphed into a ball-control, short-yardage runner. Koloamatangi has played all five line positions. They also contribute as members of the team’s leadership council.

“We know everyone’s excited about the bowl, but that was the plan all along,” Koloamatangi said. “You have to go through what we went through to enjoy this as much as we do now. It’s a bittersweet story, but it’s one that’s worthwhile.”