Ikaika and Melila Injury Update

They both record sacks in the Hula Bowl, and they both get injured.

In the first quarter, Alama-Francis recorded one of the three sacks by the Kai team, but suffered an injury to his pectoral muscle late in the first half.

"(Alama-Francis) was in a lot of pain," Kai assistant coach Rich Miano said. "Pectoral tears don't always require surgery, but it might. It's also terrible since he might miss the East-West Shrine Game now."

Alama-Francis returned to the field without his pads for the opening kickoff of the second half, but left midway through the third quarter.

Fellow All-WAC defensive end Mel Purcell was also injured. Like Alama-Francis, Purcell had a sack, but sprained a knee in the final minute. The early diagnosis is an MCL sprain, Miano said.

Let's hope they heal quickly. It doesn't sound like Ikaika will make the Shrine Game if they're talking about possible surgery. Hope he'll be okay for the NFL Combine.

As for the game itself, the Aina beat the Kai. All the Warriors were on the Kai side, but they had fun nonetheless.

Sparked by players from the Western Athletic Conference, the Kai scored on the opening drive.

Zabransky's 16-yard touchdown pass to Ilaoa gave the Kai an early 7-0 lead. On the play, Ilaoa caught the swing pass on the left side, got an upfield block by Colorado State offensive guard Josh Day and rammed his way into the end zone.

"It was a good thing I was able to score," Ilaoa said. "It ranks up there, but it was mostly hanging out with all these dudes that was special."

...

"It didn't matter what the outcome was," Hawai'i safety Leonard Peters said. "The main thing was we got to showcase our skills to the NFL scouts. I think people who came out here had fun watching us play."

The Kai team performed the haka at midfield about 20 minutes before the game. Hawai'i running back Reagan Mauia led the Maori war dance that was greeted with a roar from the crowd. Even Fresno State coach Pat Hill, the coach of the Kai team, danced from the back row.

I wonder what Bulldog fans think about Pat Hill doing the haka? Too funny! Anyway, here's a clip from the game of Nate Ilaoa scoring on a TD pass from Jared Zabransky.