The Falcons of Torrey Pines (Calif.) High School have a bit of a Big Ten look.
They’re proud to be the Falcons, but spectators at Aloha Stadium probably wouldn’t guess it. The helmets have the exact design worn by the Michigan Wolverines. The colors aren’t duplicate — Torrey Pines wears a shade of burnt (cardinal) red and goldenrod yellow — but the look is absolutely distinct.
The connection between a California high school and one of the oldest college programs in the nation doesn’t trace back to Ron Gladnick, who enters his third season as head coach. He played high school football in California before matriculating to Hillsdale College in Michigan, but that helmet design has been on TPHS helmets for ages.
“We’re a wing-T team, so that was the whole history behind it,” Gladnick explained. “You have to drink the crazy Kool-Aid to get in the club.”
Torrey Pines, a public school in Del Mar, arrived in the islands on Monday, taking to the lush acreage of the Turtle Bay Resort for practices. On Tuesday night, it was a luau at nearby Polynesian Cultural Center. Today, the Falcons’ first game of the season will be against ILH and state title contender Punahou. They work hard and play hard.
“We enjoyed the luau. One of our coaches has a ton of family here, so they’re hosting a pig roast for us tonight,” Gladnick said on Wednesday. “We have 16 four-man ukulele teams. Every team has a stage and microphone and they have to sing one original Hawaiian song.”
Punahou is ranked No. 3 in the Star-Advertiser Football Top 10. Torrey Pines is ranked No. 8 by San Diego Prep Insider and 58th overall in California by MaxPreps. The 2016 Falcons were 8-3, including 5-1 and the title in the Avocado League, which includes Mission Hills, Oceanside, La Costa Canyon, San Marcos, Carlsbad and El Camino. They lost to Cathedral Catholic in the CIF San Diego Section playoffs.
“Oceanside is a very similar team to Punahou in talent and size. They’ve got a large Polynesian community there,” Gladnick said. “Punahou’s offense reminds us of El Camino, San Marcos and Mission Hills, having the ability to run and throw. Smart PO (pass option) stuff. Their receivers are really athletic and long. They’re a well-coached football team.”
The helmets aren’t the only old-school flavor embraced by the Falcons. They run a wing-T offense, something that Punahou coach Kale Ane has seen before. His father, the late Charlie Ane, operated the single-wing formation at various schools, including Punahou and St. Anthony.
“Agenhart Ellis (Punahou’s defensive coordinator) coached against us when my dad was running the offense. He’s done a good job with our defense. It’s just a couple of mechanics that are consistent for all teams that run wing offenses,” Ane said. “You have to focus on those and expand out from there, some simple keys in an offense that can be very distracting. You have to be focused on the keys for your position.”
Punahou’s defense features Hale Motu‘apuaka (6-foot-2, 280) in the trenches. The senior has four offers. The secondary is led by juniors Marist Liufau (6-2, 175) and Kaulana Makaula (6-3, 190). Another DB, sophomore Alakai Gilman (5-11, 180), already has an offer from UH. Versatile linebacker Maninoa Tufono (6-3, 220) has offers from 12 universities. Lots of talent, but unless all 11 Punahou defenders are responsible, Torrey Pines will find opportunities.
“For us, we run about seven plays out of about 20 formations,” Gladnick said. “We run it because it suits our personnel. We tend to play teams that are more athletic and bigger than we are. We have to work hard at it. Five of the top 10 teams in the county are in our league. We look at our league like we play six playoff games. We’re playing a mighty talented team this Friday.”
Ane has evolved with the development of high-powered aerial attacks, but is a trench man at heart. If Punahou ends up in a low-scoring, smashmouth chess match, he is ready.
“Their offense is very technical. Torrey Pines has faith in it. They know if they don’t get it on first or second down, they have a good chance on third down. They’re very physical, and very much like Navy and Army,” Ane said. “These kinds of offenses are all tough when you don’t see them that often. The key is angles and taking advantage of your matchups. We definitely want to get three-and-outs, control tempo, and this one is even more important because of their commitment to doing what they do.”
The timing and precision of the wing-T are crucial. Jason Heine, a junior QB, is at the controls. Torrey Pines also returns offensive lineman Michael Perrone (6-2, 260) and running back Sully O’Brien, who was second on the team with 716 rushing yards (6.2 per attempt). The ground game is their bread and butter — the Falcons attempted just 123 passes (44 completions) in 11 games last season. The Falcons’ offensive line isn’t as large as Punahou’s, but it is one of the biggest in recent seasons.
Their defense is led by linebacker Louis Bickett and two-way lineman Jacob Raab. Bickett (6-3, 185) has offers from Idaho, Idaho State and Navy and the equivalent from non-scholarship schools Brown and Columbia.
“Our defense plays a disciplined brand of football. Gap control. We like to make you have to earn it. Offensively, we want to drain clock, and on defense, we want them to drain clock,” Gladnick said.
OTHER FRIDAY GAMES
Moanalua (0-2, 0-1 OIA) at No. 2 Kahuku (2-0, 2-0), 7:30 p.m.
If Waianae has endured the toughest early schedule in the state, Moanalua is not far behind. Lopsided losses to Punahou and Kailua were tempered some by a bye week. Now it’s a trip to Kahuku, where the Red Raiders have not lost a home game since …
Na Menehune were due for a dropoff with the graduation of QB Alaka‘i Yuen. The good news is that Nicholas Alexandre-Au has thrown the ball 69 times, and receivers Ezra Grace and Aaron Monico have stepped up. The bad news: nine interceptions thrown.
The Red Raiders have been efficient after snap, not so much pre-snap. Once the penalties diminish, Kahuku will be in full beast mode. Enoch Nawahine, the former Punahou RB, has been a dart with 262 yards and three TDs. Sophomore QB Sol-Jay Maiava has been efficient, with three TDs and just one interception in 42 pass attempts. His completion rate (45 percent) is a sound trade-off for the long-term goal of this offense: to vertically stretch defenses as Maiava matures into a consistent threat in the short and deep passing game.
Carson (Calif.) (0-0, 0-0) at No. 6 Kamehameha (2-0, 0-0 ILH), 6 p.m.
The Colts were 6-5 in the tough Marine League last year, losing at Palisades in the CIF playoffs. Quarterback Jaja Bellinger passed for 1,209 yards, 11 TDs and nine picks as a sophomore. Leading rusher Tyus Maldonado (427 yards) also returns.
The Warriors have repelled two Top 10 teams, Farrington and Lahainaluna. Thomas Yam may have fewer opportunities to hit the 300-yard mark than he did under the previous coaching staff, but he is beginning to thrive in the quick-strike, efficiency-molded offense. RB Kanoa Shannon is off to a strong start.
No. 7 Campbell (2-1, 2-0 OIA) at Waianae (0-3, 0-2), 7:30 p.m.
The Sabers are settling in, able to throw deep, run the ball and play solid defense despite an influx of first-year starters. Poki‘i Adkins-Kupukaa has been a thriller with 15 receptions for 399 yards and four TDs. He had a school-record 204 receiving yards on eight catches against Farrington, then added 157 yards on six grabs against Aiea, which was enough for Hawaii to make him a scholarship offer.
The Seariders have already faced the state’s toughest schedule (Saint Louis, Kahuku, Kapolei). Rico Rosario moved from running back to quarterback last week, but the Seariders’ ground game was cornered by Kahuku. If Justin Tacgere (ankle) returns, Rosario will be back at RB, where he was an All-State selection last year.
Waipahu (1-0, 0-0 OIA D-II) at Roosevelt (1-1, 1-1), 7:30 p.m.
The Marauders have been sidelined for three weeks thanks to a forfeit win (Kalaheo) and bye week. The offense is prolific with Braden Amorozo in the pocket and sophomore Alfred Failauga (149 yards, three TDs vs. Nanakuli) in the backfield.
After a season-opening win over McKinley, Roosevelt came up short in a 42-0 loss to Pearl City. The run-heavy offense — 85 percent running plays — struggled against a talented Chargers defense.
Waialua (0-2, 0-1 OIA D-II) at Pearl City (2-1, 2-0), 6 p.m.
The resurgent Bulldogs program is 0-2 for the first time since 2014. Coach Lincoln Barit’s team has won the past two meetings with Pearl City, including a 27-23 victory at Bino Neves Stadium in ’15.
Coach Robin Kami’s team is hungry after watching title hopes fade last season with three consecutive losses.
Aiea (0-2, 0-2 OIA) at Radford (1-1, 1-1 OIA), 7:30 p.m.
Na Alii had some success with the short-passing game against Campbell, but three turnovers in the red zone curtailed the effort. At least they will always have Romance (Maae-Liupaono) in their lives.
The Rams posted their first win in the Lon Passos era last week when Kaiser forfeited. Quarterback Randy Wright, who passed for 142 yards and two TDs against Castle, has come a long way. The emergence of running back Iovani Alatini has helped immensely.
SATURDAY GAMES
No. 3 Mililani (2-0, 2-0 OIA) at Castle (2-1, 2-0), 6:30 p.m.
Life after Jeremy McGoldrick and his hearty Knights teammates has been different. First-year Castle head coach John Hao has employed three QBs who have combined for 59 pass attempts with just one interception. The emergence of Kilifi Malepeai at running back gives two-way players Jalen Olomua and Darius Muasau more fuel on defense.
Kaimuki (2-0, 1-0 OIA D-II) At ‘Iolani (0-1, 0-0 ILH), 3 p.m.
‘Iolani, never a team deep with big linemen, is not large by any means this fall. In a 62-35 loss to Hilo, the Raiders lined up lightweights and welterweights in the trenches on goal-line defense. Offensively, they still pack a punch with Tai-John Mizutani at QB and Justin Genovia at WR.
Kaimuki is on a roll under third-year head coach David Tautofi. They have scored 104 points already, using a balanced and powerful combo of QB Jordan Solomon and RB Ieke Seei-Cleveland. The Bulldogs’ O-line will be a formidable test for a Raiders defense that permitted 244 yards by Hilo’s Kahale Huddleston two weeks ago.
No. 5 Kapolei (2-1, 1-1 OIA) at Farrington (1-2, 1-1), 6:30 p.m.
The Hurricanes are in bounce-back mode after self-reporting that they used an ineligible player in last week’s game against Castle. That forfeit loss set the ’Canes back, but they are otherwise at full strength.
The Governors evened their league record with a win at Nanakuli last week, but lost QB Chris Afe to a shoulder injury. Stephen Eter will make a smooth transition to the position after taking roughly half the snaps in preseason, but when he is at QB, Farrington loses him as their top pass catcher.
Nanakuli (1-2, 1-1 OIA) at No. 8 Kailua (2-0, 1-0), 6:30 p.m.
The Surfriders and their 29-strong players are off to a solid start. Kailua has not lost to Nanakuli since Oct. 3, 1986, winning the past five matchups.
Nanakuli is as balanced an offense as there is. The Golden Hawks have passed the ball 84 times and rushed the ball 85.
Kailua is more grounded thanks to Samson Rasay (281 rushing yards, two TDs). First-year starter Aaron Mejia has been effective with 321 passing yards, four TDs and just one pick in 43 pass attempts.
Kalani (0-2, 0-2 OIA D-II) vs. McKinley (0-3, 0-2), at Roosevelt, 5:30 p.m.
The Falcons have been hard-luck losers, falling to Pearl City and Kaimuki by one touchdown in each game. Seth Tina-Sobarano has been on point through the air (64 percent completion rate) with six TDs and no picks.
The Tigers nearly ended a lengthy losing streak last week, falling to Kalaheo 27-26. That extended their streak to 27 losses in a row. Their last win was on Oct. 11, 2013, a 36-15 victory over Waipahu.
