The hill was alive with the sound of … pads popping.

For the sixth time this preseason, the Hawaii football team went off campus to practice, this time going up the hill for Friday’s two-hour workout on the Kamehameha Schools campus.

The move was necessitated because the Rainbow Warriors wanted to ease the wear and tear on their grass practice field. UH’s Ching Athletic Complex is undergoing renovations, leaving the Warriors without a backup practice field this summer.

“We have to give (the grass field) a break,” said coach Nick Rolovich, noting a rugged surface might lead to footing problems. “Safety first.”

Of the first 18 preseason practices, two were held at Aloha Stadium, two at Punahou, and one at Saint Louis. “Some schools couldn’t help us, so we said, ‘Let’s go up there,’” Rolovich said. “Kamehameha was very hospitable.”

It was a crisp practice with more of an emphasis on instruction than contact. The players were accessorized in shells — helmets and shoulder pads.

“They’re getting their bodies ready for next week,” Rolovich said of the practices leading to the Aug. 24 opener against Arizona.

Rolovich said most of the Arizona game plan has been introduced. He also said the depth chart is being finalized. No surprise: Cole McDonald has been announced as the starting quarterback.

“We’ll make the best decisions and keep guys ready to play,” Rolovich said. “I think we’re going to need a lot of players ready to play this year.”

It was a homecoming of sorts for several Kamehameha alumni, including safety Tiger Peterson, linebacker Wesley Faagau, defensive back Kalamaku Kuewa and defensive lineman Alema Kapoi.

“It’s been awhile,” said Kapoi, who recently completed his transfer from Navy, where he played the past two years. “It was good to be up there. A lot of good memories up there. I was thinking about that on the drive up there. Not too long ago, I was in Maryland, a couple thousand miles away from here, and now I’m practicing at my old high school. It was definitely a good experience. This is the kind of stuff about college football I’ll remember. And being back there with all the other alumni, too, it was definitely a memorable moment.”

In what has become an off-campus tradition, the former Kamehameha players were asked to sing their alma mater at the close of practice.

“I will give a shout-out to the Kamehameha guys because it’s not fun getting out in front of everybody and singing,” said left guard J.R. Hensley, who was born and reared in Oklahoma. “I sang when I was a freshman. The rule was every freshman had to learn the alma mater and sing it in front of everyone. I still know it. It’ll always be in my head.”

Rolovich said the day excursion served as an educational experience.

“It was really good for the guys who aren’t from here to go up there and see the high school and see the view,” Rolovich said. “It brings up conversations about the Hawaiian culture. It’s a great bonding deal.”

Kapoi said: “It was good for all the kids from the mainland to see all the high schools from around here. There’s a lot of pride in Hawaii high school football. It’s good for people to see that. … And I think (Kamehameha has) the most beautiful campus on the island, and probably the country.”