There are programs that are identified by their success on offense.

None continues to baffle through simplicity and deception over the decades as the wing-T. Waianae still uses it with proficiency. Honokaa adopted it recently. Another version, the double wing, helped Pac-Five stay in games against tough opponents.

Lahainaluna football is, essentially, a modified wing T. With the right personnel, like the triangle and Princeton offenses in basketball, it is virtually unstoppable. Defenses have to guess right and be disciplined, or eventually sacrifice an additional body in the box, which makes teams vulnerable to play-action passes deep downfield.

For the Lunas, 2011 has been a less conservative attack. They’ve lined up in the shotgun, four-wide set with some regularity, utilizing speedy receivers and occasional height mismatches. Kaena Felicida, a 6-foot-2 wide receiver, may get his share of deep, alley-oop tosses against smaller defenders. Still, when it comes down to short-yardage situations, they revert to the modified wing-T with success.

Sometimes, the wing loops behind the quarterback, similar to the spread option, and forces linebackers to follow out to the perimeter. That opens up the guts of the defense, where Lahainaluna will send a lead blocking back through the line for the ballcarrier, whether it’s the fullback or the quarterback.

In this play, the wing becomes the "fly" man, running straight motion at nearly full speed rather than looping behind. Because the fly runs at a high speed, timing is everything for both the quarterback and the defense. Most defenders are not used to chasing a motion receiver these days, not with zone coverage and a relative dearth of accurate passers this season.

Here, the wing/fly receiver, B.J. Pagdilao-Bala (21) goes in motion and quarterback Kiko Kohler-Fonohema (11) provides a deft fake handoff. Jared Rocha (42), the fullback, is only 1 yard behind the quarterback, giving the Lunas extremely quick-hit results. Interestingly, before Rocha takes the handoff and rumbles up the middle, King Kekaulike nose guard Tana RIvers (16) gets penetration and nearly tackles Kohler-Fonohema before the exchange. However, it’s too late, and with a huge gap in King Kekaulike’s defense, Rocha barrels ahead behind left guard Samuela Filiai (57) and freshman center Conner Mowat (54) for an easy touchdown.

The young Lunas have myriad wrinkles off play-action, but it all starts with the basic, precise and hard-hitting dive up the middle. How they fare against a strong, quick Waipahu defense on Friday night may depend on what they’ve learned in losses to similar defensive units like Baldwin.