COLFAX, Wash. — "What are you doing here?" a Colfax High School student wondered out loud after seeing the University of Hawai'i football team roll onto campus yesterday.

Here the Warriors were, two busloads in practice gear, in this quiet farming community of 2,880 by the Palouse River near the Washington-Idaho border.

Sixteen miles from Washington State University and 22 miles from the University of Idaho, no college team had ever found its way here among the rolling wheat fields to hold a practice before, a school official said. And, clearly it was a surprise to see one encamped for two hours, especially with the Bulldogs' unbeaten junior high team soon to take the field for an afternoon game.

But folks in this town, where Halloween pumpkins line the porches, were as hospitable as curious when the Warriors called, desperately seeking use of a field to prepare for tomorrow's game at Idaho. With plans to use another high school having fallen through at the 11th hour and the use of one of WSU's having been denied, they took in UH.

Yes, you could say things have been tough of late for the Warriors, losers of three games in a row, booed in their last home appearance and now 91/2-point underdogs against Idaho. But here, of all places, they remember the Warriors in better times.

"I know a little bit about Hawai'i football," said Colfax athletic director Mike Morgan. "So when they called and said they'd been turned down (by) three other places, I said, 'of course you can use our place. Right on!' "

They recall the Sugar Bowl run of 2007 and last month's thumping of WSU. And, for a day at least, they embraced the Warriors as their own.

Well, most of them, anyway. "One (Idaho fan) told me, 'how can you sleep at night if you do that?' " Morgan said. "I said, 'maybe we'll turn on the sprinklers.' "

He didn't, of course. " I know of (UH assistant Chris) Tormey and Coach (Greg) McMackin," Morgan said.

When McMackin asked for 10 more minutes to finish a special teams session, even as Colfax players stood by in uniform, Morgan said, "take the time you need, coach."

Said Morgan: "No doubt, they have a tough one (against Idaho). I hope we could help."

Sometimes you find the aloha spirit in the strangest places.