Honolulu – After a full week of work, the Polynesian Bowl has finally arrived and both teams will have the opportunity to square off at Kunuiakea Stadium on Friday night. The rosters continue to expand, and both rosters are packed with talent on both sides of the ball, although delays have caused some players to postpone their arrival until later in the week.
The Rivals attended each practice throughout the week, and there were plenty of stories to follow.
There's plenty to see when Team Makai and Team Mauka take the field at 4pm PT.
Receivers were dominant this week.
Both teams lined up at the receiver position, and nearly everyone found a way to stand out through the four practices leading up to Friday's matchup.five stars mike matthews (tennessee) and oregon Signer jordan anderson Two of Team Makai's highest rated players. notre dame cathedral-Bound pass catcher Logan Saldate.
Team Mauka features Rivals100 new hires Terry Bassey (Texas A&M commit) and bryant wesco (Clemson) together with Rivals250 University of California Los Angeles Signer Kwazi Gilmer.
Each of the players listed above had highlight plays, but Gilmer was the most consistent of the group through four practices. It will be interesting to see which players have the best games on Friday.
*****
Defensive lineman gets opportunity for contact
Some players have already enrolled in college and started offseason practice, but to protect the health of the players, not much contact was allowed during this week's four practices. The team only wore shoulder pads for one day this week, and it was clear that some of the defensive players were ready to start adding a little more physicality on the field.
Up front, two of the highest-rated defensive tackles — oklahoma Signer david stone and miami Signer Justin Scott — is scheduled to be on the field Friday. Stone had an impressive performance this week for Team Makai, playing both inside and at times as an edge rusher. Scott plays a disruptive role by hitting down passes at the line of scrimmage, causing problems for Team Mauka's offensive line.
tennessee Signer jordan ross, michigan Signer David Peerpere and edge rusher bound for Miami. booker pickett Those are some of the other defensive linemen to watch on Friday. Each of us had bright moments throughout this week.
*****
Tennessee will be in the spotlight.
Josh Heupel His staff will no doubt be tuning in to NFL Network during Friday's game, as the Vols have five players participating in the game.In addition to Ross and Matthews, quarterback Jake Marklingeroffensive lineman Bennett Warren and linebacker edwin spillman Everyone is in Honolulu for the event.
Spielman and Ross had a chance to work together on the same defense Friday, while Warren had a chance to block for Merklinger all week. Matthews is the only Tennessee signee not playing for Team Mauka, but that means the Vols are guaranteed a winner in Hawaii.
All five players certainly stood out in their respective positions, but Matthews' play at the receiver position was the most impressive.
Notable players who don't get noticed
The two teams in the Polynesian Bowl each have a number of big names, but the benefit of this event is that it gives a chance to the spotlight to new recruits who otherwise wouldn't have had the chance to do so.
A number of players from the Hawaiian Islands were in attendance this week, allowing even prospects a little further down the Rivals rankings to test themselves against their Rivals 250 rivals.
Among the players who made their presence known this week are: State of Washington-bound cornerback Kayo Patu, BYU recipient signer Tei Naqua, UNLV linebacker signee charles correa, michigan edge rusher contract Kekai Barnett and arizona defensive back contract Rahshawn Clark.
*****
Brandon Baker leads a talented group of offensive linemen.
texas Signer brandon baker He is the highest rated offensive lineman participating in this week's event. The 18th-ranked prospect has backed up his previous ranking through four practices and looked like the best player at his position. He practiced in various locations throughout the week, but was making the right tackles to finish his last practice.
With very limited contact all week, Friday's game will be the best chance to see how the offense stacks up, and there are plenty of big names to keep an eye on besides Baker.
4 stars michael wini (georgia) and Paki Finau (Washington)plus pennsylvania state university Signer Donovan Harbor Everyone is doing well for Team Makai this week, but Warren is a Rivals100 member. deandre carter and University of Southern California-bound Justin Tauanou Highlight Team Mauka.