HENDERSON, NEV. >> In a city bordering Las Vegas, at the basin of the Mojave Desert, there are waterfalls, palm trees and pools as blue as Thor’s eyes.

Henderson’s man-made spectacles are not a mirage, and neither is Kaimana Padello’s attendance as the Hawaii football team’s representative at the 2019 Mountain West Media Days.

“It’s definitely surprising,” said Padello, a senior rush end from Mililani. “Joining UH as a walk-on (in 2016), I never thought I would one day be at something like this. But you take it a day at time. Now, shoot, now that I’m here, I’m enjoying the moment.”

UH quarterback Cole McDonald and Padello arrived on Monday morning and, after resting, spent the late afternoon and evening posing for videos and pictures to promote the conference’s upcoming season. Their workload intensifies today when the West Division players are available for a full schedule of interviews and video sessions with the media.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Padello said.

Padello was an easy choice as a Rainbow Warriors ambassador after a productive three seasons. In 40 UH games, 44.1% of Padello’s tackles were in an opposing team’s backfield. His average tackle nets minus-3.1 yards. The production is remarkable for a 6-foot player who weighed 200 pounds — barely — during freshman orientation.

“I remember going into my freshman year, I struggled to get to 200 pounds,” Padello recalled. “I felt if I could get to 200 pounds, you know, I would be just like everybody else. I would be as big as everybody else. And then when I got to college, I realized everybody (on the defensive front) weighs more — 240 pounds, 300 pounds. Everybody was way heavier (than 200). That really opened my eyes.”

And then Padello widened teammates’ eyes after moving from will linebacker to rush end in the second week of the 2016 season. With techniques honed from his Mililani High coaches and older brother KK — Trojans head coach Rod York was a sub-6-foot defensive lineman for UH — Padello was able to use leverage and quickness to maneuver against offensive linemen. Padello said his UH teammates helped improve his pass rush.

“They were willing to go against me,” said Padello, who has since worked his way up to 230 pounds. “The older guys, a lot of times, they’d see a freshman and, ‘Oh, he’s a freshman, he doesn’t deserve to go against the 1s.’ But they gave me a shot. I was able to get a shot against great talent. That really helped me along.”

During his UH career, Padello has been penalized only once — on kickoff coverage, when he grabbed a blocker. An opponent tried to blindside UH’s Dayton Furuta. Padello grabbed the blocker and forced him to the side, opening the way for Furuta to make the tackle. “Dayton made the play, but it was a penalty on me,” Padello conceded.

As for his backfield tackles, Padello acknowledged benefiting from the defensive system.

“Starting on the D-line, you have a great chance to make plays,” Padello said. “We do a lot of stunts with our defense. I’m able to shoot the gaps when I please. I’m able to go right after the running back. Our play scheme fits perfectly into my position. I’m put in position to make a lot of plays. It happens that a lot of them are in the backfield.”