The similarities are uncanny.
Successful Division II programs with a heavy accent on the ground game and new wrinkles in the air. Heavy doses of community pride. Undersized at many positions, but certainly not lacking heart.
That’s Lahainaluna football. That’s Waipahu football. When they square off tonight at Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex, it’ll probably be the defense-minded fans who get a rush of adrenaline again and again.
First-year coach Eric Keola installed a run-and-shoot offense at Waipahu, then in mid-stream, brought down the hammer. Trusting a lockdown defensive unit led by middle linebacker/fullback Wesley Nagaseu (5-11, 240), the Marauders became, especially in the final weeks of the regular season and then in the playoffs, a ground-and-pound squad. The result: an Oahu Interscholastic Association White title.
Last week, the Marauders rested with the one-week bye that came with a No. 2 seeding in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II State Championships.
“I feel pretty good. That bye week really helped us heal up some injuries from the Pearl City game,” said Keola, a teacher at Waipahu High School.
It may not have been enough time, however, to really grasp what the Lahainaluna Lunas do best. In the OIA White, the Marauders saw more spread formations than wing-T offenses.
The Lunas? They’ve seen their share of smashmouth football, but perhaps nothing like Waipahu when it lines up with Nagaseu in the backfield. Last week’s 23-6 win by Lahainaluna over Konawaena was all about stout defense, but the Wildcats are a pass-first team.
On paper: Waipahu (8-3) has permitted just 10.4 points per game in its past five, which coincided with the emphasis on the running game. Gregorio Alip, a compact (5-7, 205) senior running back, has excelled out of the four-wide sets, with nearly 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Nagaseu has been vital as a lead blocker and short-yardage ballcarrier. The loss of Tydro Ate-Taito to injury is key to both the offense and defense, where he was a primary element in the blitz package.
“We’re not going to do a lot of blitzing. Lahainaluna has a lot of misdirection plays where blitzes won’t work, so we’ve got to play sound football,” Keola said. “We can’t be chasing their plays.”
Beaver Lagima, a safety who is more of a range rover, has been a big playmaker in recent weeks.
Drake Yoshioka, an ace on the baseball team, has been steady at quarterback, using Dylan Tali (21 yards per catch) and Matapua Tuiafale as his primary targets.
Lahainaluna (7-4) has come a long way with a lineup filled with sophomores and freshmen. The modified wing-T offense is an equal opportunity distribution system operated by sophomore Kiko Kohler-Fonohema. Kaena Felicilda (6-2, 180) is a valuable weapon against solo coverage.
The Lunas had seven picks against Konawaena, but Waipahu may not throw that many times in the entire game.
The skinny: Waipahu’s defense had one week to prepare for the an entirely different offensive scheme.
“We bank on our defense because we have so many returnees. The last three games, they really came up big for us,” Keola said, noting that the play of defensive tackle Numa Viliamu might be a major key.
“We’re counting on him to mess up some plays in the backfield. That’s a key right there to stop the wing-T, any kind of penetration,” he said.
X factor: The loss of Ate-Taito affects special teams, too, where he was one of the return men. Avoiding special teams glitches could be the difference.
¯¯¯¯¯
LAHAINALUNA (7-4)
Aug. 13: Pac-Five |
L, 14-0 |
Aug. 20: Keeau |
W, 26-6 |
Aug. 27: King Kekaulike |
W, 22-0 |
Sept. 2: Baldwin |
L, 40-0 |
Sept. 16: Maui |
W, 29-10 |
Sept. 24: KS-Maui |
W, 21-7 |
Oct. 15: KS-Maui |
W, 25-0 |
Oct. 21: King Kekaulike |
W, 14-13 |
Oct. 29: Maui |
L, 14-13 |
Nov. 4: Baldwin |
L, 41-0 |
State tournament
Nov. 12: Konawaena |
W, 23-6 |
State tournament history
2001: Kahuku |
L, 57-14 |
2003: Hawaii Prep |
W, 21-14 |
2003: Aiea |
L, 24-14 |
2004: Mililani |
W, 41-34 |
2004: Kamehameha |
L, 21-6 |
2007: Kaimuki |
W, 52-20 |
2007: ‘Iolani |
L, 28-21* |
2008: Radford |
L, 33-27 |
2009: Aiea |
L, 20-12 |
2010: Kaimuki |
L, 28-27 |
WAIPAHU (8-3)
Aug. 12: Campbell |
L, 68-0 |
Aug. 19: Nanakuli |
W, 26-6 |
Aug. 26: McKinley |
W, 34-27 |
Sept. 3: Kalani |
W, 28-14 |
Sept. 9: Waialua |
W, 42-0 |
Sept. 23: Kalaheo |
W, 42-26 |
Oct. 1: Pearl City |
L, 13-8 |
Oct. 8: Kaimuki |
L, 35-7 |
Oct. 15: Anuenue |
W, 35-8 |
OIA Playoffs
Oct. 21: Kaimuki |
W, 36-22 |
Nov. 4: Pearl City |
W, 9-7 |
State tournament
First-round bye
State tournament history
2004: Hawaii Prep |
L, 41-16 |
2006: KS-Hawaii |
W, 27-12 |
2006: Kauai |
L, 17-6 |
*—State championship game
STATE DIVISION I PLAYOFFS
Today at Aloha Stadium 4 p.m.—Punahou vs. Baldwin; 7 p.m.—Kahuku vs. Leilehua