College coaches in attendance for the Life Champion Senior Bowl were recognized at a banquet held at University of Hawaii at Hilo's Sodexho Hall. Brien Ing | SL

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HILO, Hawaii — Mike Maynard and Joe Schmitz didn't exactly need to be convinced to return to the Big Island.

Maynard, the head coach at the University of the Redlands (Calif.), and Schmitz, an assistant head coach at Briar Cliff (Sioux City, Iowa), are back in Hilo this week as part of the Life Champion Senior Bowl.

The second edition of the all-star game — which is once again being held at Paiea Stadium on the campus of Kamehameha-Hawaii — will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Maynard and Schmitz are just two of the nearly 20 college coaches who are taking part in this week's festivities.

"I think being here is incredibly important for us," Maynard told ScoringLive at Friday night's banquet at the Hale Kehau dining room on the University of Hawaii-Hilo. "This is a priority to recruit all the athletes from Hawaii."

Schmitz served as head coach of the White team in the inaugural bowl game last year.

"A lot of the time last year it was just ‘I'm gonna go play in the game and have fun' and all that stuff," Schmitz said. "This year they seem to be more focused on the whole picture. I think a lot of them are more focused on their goals and why they're here. It's been great."

Both Schmitz and Maynard were in town last year for the inaugural edition of the game.

"The quality of the student-athlete is impressive; that's what I think is the most impressive thing," said Maynard, who has served as Bulldogs' coach since 1988. "Not to say that last year's group was but, (but) I've just been really impressed with the young men that are here. They are unique in a lot of ways: in attitude and in the quality of their character."

Much like the other coaches in attendance this week, Maynard is hoping to establish a Hawaiian pipeline.

"Last year I was able to bring (former Kamehameha-Hawaii quarterback) Micah Kanehailua and that was a great start for us. We hope to be even more successful in our recruitment this year," Maynard said. "We're on the Pacific Rim at the University of the Redlands and it should be a natural opportunity for young people. We want to make certain that the University of the Redlands is a destination that is welcoming and we want to be sure that they know that this is an opportunity that is available to them."

Schmitz did not split hairs when talking about his reason for being in Hawaii this week.

"The quality of football here is great and these guys can come in and help us get better and that's what we're looking for," said Schmitz, who also coaches offensive line for the Chargers. "Part of my philosophy is the whole purpose of the game: having guys that can come back and make a difference here. That's huge and it's part of giving back and hopefully helping these guys to see the big picture."

Maynard said the bowl experience for the prep players is about more than just X's and O's.

"I go to a lot of all-star games and just the title of it — the Life Champion Bowl — says a lot about what they're trying to do. It's more than just the competition of football; this is a great learning experience for the young people and think about the fact that this is almost a college environment where you're meeting all these new people and they're having to work together as a team in a short amount of time. I think this prepares them well for what they'll do if they go on to playing college football."

While Maynard and Schmitz may be veterans to the game, this was Allen Stanfield's first go-around. The Whitworth (Spokane, Wash.) offensive coordinator also took some time Friday to speak with ScoringLive.

"This is a neat opportunity," Stanfield said. "It's the first time I've been involved in a postseason all-star game. Most of the time in Oregon and Washington they're in the summer and you don't get very much participation because you're so far removed from the season, so this is a nice kind of capstone to their season year and close enough to their season where you seen to have pretty good participation of the local athletes."

Like Maynard and Schmitz, Stanfield would love nothing more than to lure a few Hawaii players his way.

"There's a lot of good talent here," Stanfield said. "A lot of the kids that came can help us win a conference championship and that's what we're hoping for, but more importantly we offer a great degree and Whitworth is going to empower them to have the future that they want to have if it's a good fit for them."

The coaches, along with the 104 players participating in this year's games — as well as their families — enjoyed live music and hula performances during the banquet Friday night.

"My only regret is not bringing my wife," Stanfield joked. "I'm in the dog house for leaving her at home with the four kids, but everything here has been awesome. The facilities and the camaraderie between the kids is awesome and it's been great for the coaches, too."

Kickoff Saturday is scheduled for 5 p.m. The game will be broadcasted live exclusively on www.ScoringLive.com.