No. 3 Leilehua’s turn to face battle-tested Moanalua

At Moanalua, as with so many programs this fall, defense became a cornerstone while a young offense found its way. With an exodus of offensive talent via graduation, coaches across the Oahu Interscholastic Association stocked their defense with their best athletes.

But the teams that didn’t waver from their four-wide offenses found success, too.

Then there’s Moanalua, which converted from its run-first philosophy to a wide-open, ultra-quick paced, no-huddle offense. It was defense that turned Na Menehune (5-4, 4-3 OIA), longtime contenders in Division II, into a force in the OIA Red. After going to the North Shore and giving then-No. 1 Kahuku a scare in a 14-7 loss, one question remained: Could Na Menehune’s offense evolve quickly enough?

After all, the run-first teams — the powerhouses like Farrington and Kahuku — have been vulnerable against balanced offenses. Moanalua had Farrington, ranked No. 1 for three weeks now, on the ropes before losing 28-24. If and when Moanalua’s passing game, led by quarterback Dillon Turk and a stalwart offensive line, can carry more of the load, the smashmouth elite will be in for an even tougher threat.

However, the powerhouses might not have Moanalua, a potential kryptonite, to deal with in the postseason. Moanalua is matched up against the league’s premier passing program, Leilehua (7-0-1, 6-0), at Hugh Yoshida Stadium tonight. If any team understands how to neutralize an explosive, no-huddle offense, it would the Mules.

For Moanalua coach Arnold Martinez, a season of close losses finally added up to a Top 10 ranking this week. His team’s 30-13 playoff win over Kapolei last week finally gave voters the impetus to include the team in blue.

Though Martinez will never admit it publicly, the ranking brings some sense of relief after all these years of work, of encouraging players to love one another, to give everything up for the team.

It validates, in a small way, the way Martinez teaches the game — not that he needed it. The coincidence is that one of his biggest fans is Nolan Tokuda, Leilehua’s head coach. Between Tokuda, who has been on paternity leave but remains involved with the team, and interim head coach Mark Kurisu, there’s plenty of respect for Martinez and his program.

“Coach Tokuda, myself and a whole bunch of coaches like Coach Arnold, we used to get together over at Moanalua Gardens Missionary Church at 5:45 in the morning (on Fridays) with ILH coaches to sit down and study and learn how to become better coaches, better leaders for our young men,” Kurisu said. “To take the negative side out of football. It’s not war, it’s not a battle. That’s not football. It’s about playing hard, playing fast, who you play for.”

Sometimes friends make the best competitors.

“It’s another opportunity to play. We treat them like any other opponent, that they’re No. 1 in the state and we have to take care of our part,” Kurisu said. “The East is very run-driven. We like to pass more in the West because of our personnel. I guess when you look at their defense, they run a 40 and that’s our base also. Coach Arnold does a great job of preparing his players, getting them cutups of film. Its running against another 40 and their defense has its strengths.”

On paper: Leilehua is ranked No. 3 in the Star-Advertiser Football Top 10. Moanalua entered for the first time this season this week at No. 10.

Despite a green receiver corps, Mules quarterback Kenan Sadanaga has been prolific again with 27 touchdown passes and more than 1,900 passing yards with only 11 interceptions. Leilehua’s ability to control the tempo has only improved since August, particularly with the return of Jeremiah Andrade from injury. Sadanaga’s passer efficiency rating of 161.56 is better than last year (152.33), when he had a stable of experienced receivers.

Andrade, Allen Racette and Mikal Peyton have combined for 16 touchdown receptions.

Turk, a 6-foot-3, 187-pound senior, has passed for 16 touchdowns and just nine picks with a passer rating of 127.48. He’ll be tested by a Mules defense that has several pass-rushing threats, including versatile Penetito Melei and linebacker Reece Acohido.

Moanalua hasn’t eschewed the ground game entirely. Christian Akana, who ran the option at Kamehameha as a quarterback, is a threat as a signal-caller and slotback. The 5-8, 180-pound senior has nearly as many rushing attempts (37) as receptions (42).

Jay Laudato, with 426 rushing yards, leads Moanalua’s ground attack.

The skinny: Moanalua’s offensive line, led by Chris Lloyd (6-3, 240), will be tested by Leilehua’s manpower and schemes, including the stand-up look that could lead to a lot of guessing games.

The only two teams with winning records on Moanalua’s slate thus far were Kahuku and Farrington, and they scored a combined 42 points on Na Menehune. Can Moanalua keep Leilehua’s offense under wraps enough to keep it close?

Leilehua’s offense gets plenty of recognition, but the defense has permitted more than 100 rushing yards just three times. It’s the fourth quarter when the Mules take control, right about when opposing defenses wear down after three quarters of chasing receivers from sideline to sideline, one bubble screen after another.

X factor: Moanalua has the muscle and size to pound inside, if necessary. Mililani, which lost 40-33 to Leilehua two weeks ago, showed that an all-out aerial battle could work. But Leilehua’s only other single-digit margin, not including the season-opening tie with Service (Alaska), came against Kapolei, which rushed for 100-plus yards.

Whether Na Menehune can keep Sadanaga and his fleet on the sideline is the biggest question.