UH Warriors head to West Point with winning on their minds

Under somber and respectful conditions, the University of Hawaii football team departed Tuesday — the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks — in advance of Saturday’s road game against Army.

“My heart goes out to everyone who’s lost loved ones,” quarterback Cole McDonald said following Tuesday’s two-hour practice on the Manoa campus. “It was a big change for the nation, a big change for the world.”

The Rainbow Warriors were set to arrive in New York this morning on a non-stop flight from Honolulu. They are scheduled to practice this afternoon. Practices Thursday and Friday are expected to start around noon, mirroring the kickoff time for the nonconference game at West Point, N.Y.

“We’re on a mission,” said J.R. Hensley, co-captain and the starting left guard. “We’re heading to the East Coast to win a ballgame.”

Because of the distance (4,949 miles) and six-hour time difference, the Warriors had a walk-through session on Monday. They practiced early Tuesday to allow ample time for their equipment to be packed for the flight.

The Warriors, who are 3-0 for the first time since 2007, accommodated interview requests from national media on Tuesday. McDonald had telephone interviews with three national outlets. John Feinstein, a best-selling author and award-winning sportswriter, interviewed UH coach Nick Rolovich for 20 minutes for an article that will appear in Thursday’s Washington Post. Other requests will be handled today.

As for the collective hoopla surrounding the Warriors’ start, the players have responded with a collective “meh.”

“Honestly, we don’t even think about it,” Hensley said of the start. “The next game is the first game of the season for us. We don’t buy into the hype.”

For the Warriors, their biggest concern was passing time on the flight from Honolulu. Two years ago, the Warriors opened the season in Australia. Last year, the Warriors traveled to New York on the first leg of a road trip in advance of the opener against Massachusetts.

“It’s the same flight as UMass,” Hensley said before Tuesday’s departure. “We’ll see about the new guys. They don’t know. They’ll be ready by the time we land. But, man, it’s a long one.”

Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon offered hopeful advice to the players, telling them: “This is great. You’re college kids. You get to sleep for 10 hours. What’s better? You’re not in class. You’re sleeping. You’re hanging out with your friends.”

Hensley added: “Honestly, you get used to it the more you go. Frequent flier is a real thing. It’s kind of like football. The more you do it, the more you get used to it.”