Homegrown Warrior: Hawaii's Corey Paredes Proud to Be Playing for the Home Team

When Corey Paredes was a senior at Castle High School in Kaneohe, HI., the OIA Defensive Player of the Year had an intuition that he should stay home and play football at the University of Hawaii instead of going to school on the mainland to pursue his dream.

"You know, a lot of guys go away," Paredes said on Wednesday thinking back to when he decided to become a Warrior.

"I saw a lot of guys going away and then coming back home. And I ask them why they come back home, and they say, 'It's just rough living on your own, and away from your family.' And a lot of the local boys are really close with their families, the local culture kind of breeds you to be close to your family."

Talking to Paredes it becomes clear that the 6' 0" 235-pound linebacker is a "local boy" through and through. The Hawaii senior, who will graduate this December with a degree in Sociology, is proud to call Kahaluʻu on Oahu's windward side his home.

But Paredes—and two of his three brothers—was actually born in Sacramento, Calif. and lived there until he was three before moving to Hawaii.

"My parents just wanted us to grow up local. My dad was born and raised here, and he knew that this was the best place and best situation to raise a family in," he said. "I'm thankful for my parents making that decision, because it's rough when we go on the road. You kind of get a culture shock when you go to different places, and there's no place like Hawaii."

Since walking onto Hawaii's football team in 2007 and redshirting, Paredes has slowly moved up the Warriors' food chain, culminating in his being named team co-captain in 2010 and 2011.

Prior to that, in 2009, Paredes was awarded a scholarship for his efforts. And Hawaii, in return, has been rewarded with his spectacular play and intangible leadership.

After tallying 54 tackles and four sacks during his sophomore season, Paredes earned all-Western Athletic Conference first-team honors as a junior. His 151 tackles that season ranked him second in the WAC and 14th nationally, and it also is the second-highest single-season total in school history.

This season, Paredes is leading the team again with 46 tackles and is tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles. He also has one fumble recovery and as usual, is playing through a litany of ailments—most recently a bothersome knee.

Paredes proved his toughness last year by playing the final six games with a torn labrum in his right shoulder before going under the knife in the off-season.

But shoulder surgery was not the only off-season enhancement for Paredes. He also married his longtime sweetheart, Liz, and welcomed their first child into the world, a daughter.

"I met (Liz) when I was a freshmen in high school. October 3, 2003, was the first day that we met," he said glowingly. "We hooked up and I've been with her ever since; it's been about eight years. I proposed to her (last) December and we got married in February. We got married on her birthday, February 19."

Now with a family of his own, Paredes has extra motivation to perform on the field.

"Definitely I got stuff to play for. Not only for my family and myself, but being successful is going to help my family out in the long run," he said. "So definitely it gives me extra motivation in the game to play as best as I can."

Paredes also admits that he never expected he would achieve as much as he has wearing the Warriors' black and green. Prior to this season, he was selected to the watch list of The Butkus Award, the annual award which honors the nation's most outstanding linebacker.

"You like to dream and think ahead and stuff, but where I'm at today it's kind of, I don't think I thought that I'd be where I am today back then (when I was) walking on," he said. "I'm really thankful for where I am at. There's a lot of people to thank for that and sometimes it's just surreal. But I thank God every day, and I'm happy where I'm at playing with my boys.

"That was a big part of me staying home, just playing with a lot of the local boys and a lot of the guys I played against in high school... There's nothing like representing Hawaii nationally."

Paredes is forthright with his approval of the coaching staff at Hawaii, and credits them with nurturing him into the man that he is today.

"It's an awesome environment out here," he said. "So the coaches do a really good job with that, (they) really make you feel like they're a part of your family and you're a part of their family... I know a lot of guys (on the team that are from the mainland), they feel comfortable, they feel like they're at home.

"You know when we go on the road they're like, "Oh, man. I wanna go back home already," and they mean the rock, they mean Hawaii. So the coaches do a really good job with that, they do a really good job at building your character."

Asked if he had a message for the youngsters in Hawaii who aspire to become a football player like himself, Paredes said:

"For those young guys, just work hard, focus on school. School's the main thing. If you don't have the grades and academics it's tough to get to the next level. That's where it starts; if you get discipline in the classroom it's easier to be disciplined and do good stuff on the field."

Offered the chance to deliver a message to those who wandered off to play football at colleges throughout the mainland, Paredes paused and thought deeply before simply stating, "I hope you're doing good out there. You're not playing for your home team so I hope you're doing good out there. Hopefully the guys coming out of high school (now will) stay home, play for the home team.

"It's a good decision," he said. "You get to play in front of your family and your family really appreciates it. And who says you can't be successful coming out of UH? There's a lot of guys in the (National Football) league playing who did good at UH, so you still have opportunities. And there's nothing better than playing in front of your family."

As for his future, Paredes replied, "I tell everyone who's at the college level, "You shouldn't sell yourself short, and not try." (So) definitely I'm going to try to go to the next level. I really want to play, I don't want my career to end here. I'm going to work as hard as I can this season to put a good (scout) tape in.

"(Then) work my butt off this off-season, and try to get to that next level so I could continue to play what I love. Plan B can wait til then," he said. "Til that time comes... We'll see how football goes first."

This Saturday's homecoming game between Hawaii (3-3, 1-1 WAC) and New Mexico State (3-3, 1-1 WAC) at Aloha Stadium should be extra special for the Paredes family, after all, home is where the heart is.

"I don't really know" how many friends and family members will be at the game, he said after trying to calculate a high number. "But it feels good to play at home."