Familiar foes set to square off Saturday

Until the season started, everything was normal for David Stant and his friends on the North Shore.

Stant, a Kahuku High School and UH graduate, happens to be a lifelong resident of the North Shore. Several of the Kahuku coaching staff happen to be his pals. That’s what makes Saturday’s powerhouse matchup between Kamehameha and Kahuku at Aloha Stadium a little more interesting.

Kahuku rose to No. 1 this week in the Star-Advertiser Football Top 10 after blanking Waianae 26-0 last week. No. 8 Kamehameha is coming off a 26-21 loss to Farrington.

Both Kahuku and Kamehameha have a multitude of players in starting roles for the first time. Both also kept some starters out for various reasons. It might be more of the same Saturday in a nonconference matchup that has much to do with school pride and nothing to do with regular-season standings.

Still, it would be entertaining to see a quirky bit of strategy when the teams meet. What’s a headgame between friends, anyway?

“Their (offensive coordinator Sterling Carvalho) is a good friend of mine. We surf together. We talk all the time,” Stant said. “I’m close with the coaches. Whoever wins, it’ll be good to talk after the game."

On paper: The last time they met, Kamehameha defeated Kahuku 34-21 in the 2009 Division I state final.

This time around, the Red Raiders are fairly inexperienced with only seven returning starters this fall. Kamehameha is even greener. Stant counts three returning starters in all, but like Kahuku, has plenty of talent to work with.

Last week was a demonstration of that inexperience; the Warriors committed seven turnovers against Farrington. It’s a correctible problem, of course, and the Warrior coaching staff is exercising patience.

“We might be a little one-dimensional right now,” Stant said. “We had a lot of players playing above their levels. A lot of our twos and threes are ones (starters) because of injuries and (academics). We’re a good team. We’re just really, really young.”

Projected starting running back Tyler Meditz saw limited action (nine carries) last week as Kamehameha got plenty of looks at their personnel. First-year starter Makoa Camanse-Stevens completed 14 of his 21 pass attempts for 124 yards with just one pick. Taylor Taliulu ran back an interception 75 yards for a touchdown as the Warriors limited Farrington’s offense to 12 points.

Special teams were the difference. Farrington scored two touchdowns on punt returns — one off a block and another on an 81-yard scamper.

Kamehameha will see a similar run-first attack from Kahuku.

“What I really, really like is they keep it simple,” Stant said. “They recognize who they are and they believe in who they are. They’re not going to change it and try to trick anybody. They’ll run it down your throat and they’re aggressive on defense.”

That’s true for the most part. Kahuku ran a flea-flicker on the first play from scrimmage last week, almost scoring instantly. Though the Red Raiders efficiently moved the chains, they finished with about 2 yards per carry against Waianae’s rugged defense. First-year starter Viliamu Livai was precise and poised in the pocket (8-for-15, 156 yards) behind an offensive line that includes two sophomores and a junior.

With Meditz expected to get more touches, Kahuku’s young defense will get an interesting challenge from Kamehameha’s pistol formation.

“They’re good and physical. I like their (defensive) ends and the way their linebackers fly to the ball. They’re going to give us one-on-one matchups, and hopefully we can get our guys the ball,” Stant said.

Kamehameha spread the ball around last week; eight different players caught passes from Camanse-Stevens and Nephi Stevens. Among them was tight end Keoni Bush-Loo (6-4, 240), one of the top prospects in the state, though he’s used primarily as a blocker.

Kahuku has reason to be confident. Defensive backs Evan Ramirez and Bronson Beatty turned Waianae passes into pick-6s. The unit limited Waianae, which played without its starting quarterback and running back, to 70 total yards.

The skinny: Kahuku running back Aofaga Wily, an All-State first-team pick as a sophomore, will play this week after sitting with an ankle injury. The Red Raiders have two-way players among their slotbacks and wideouts. Mekeli Fiso hauled in a 58-yard touchdown pass last week, while defensive back Kawe Johnson showed some flair on offense with a 26-yard screen pass.

“I know Darren Johnson’s kid (Kawe) can run the triple option,” Stant noted.

X factor: Six Warriors hail from the North Shore, including defensive end Thor Latu. Maybe hometown pride doesn’t mean so much in a nonconference game, but there’s no question pride is among the factors in this matchup.