One title contender is back from a working vacation in Southern California.

Another knocked off a No. 1 team, but couldn’t ascend to that top spot. Punahou has returned from a successful road trip, toppling a storied California program. Kamehameha is coming off a decisive win over then-top-ranked Saint Louis.

As much as fans are looking forward to the showdown between the state’s top two teams, that will have to wait until next week. For now, both teams have business at hand.

Here’s a look at this weekend’s matchups:

TODAY’S GAMES

No. 2 Kamehameha (4-0, 1-0 ILH) vs. No. 9 ‘Iolani (3-1, 1-0), Aloha Stadium — Since losing two in a row to the Raiders in the 2009 and ’10 seasons, the Warriors have claimed victory in the past two meetings. Last year’s game was a thriller, a 42-34 win by Kamehameha, which got 85 yards and two touchdowns on the ground from Kaulana Apelu.

The talented running back is out this season (knee) and the Warriors have a new head coach (Doug Cosbie) and quarterback (Noah Sua-Godinet), but they haven’t missed a beat. Brandon Kahookele has rushed for 455 yards and four touchdowns, and Kainoa Simao (234 yards) provides a change of pace off the bench.

At this point, it is Kamehameha’s relentless defense that looks most championship worthy. In the program’s previous state-championship runs (’04 and ’09), it was defense plus a sledgehammer ground attack that fueled the path. Last weekend, the unit pummeled Saint Louis quarterback Ryder Kuhns en route to a 38-17 win over the Crusaders.

The Raiders, a team with a plethora of first-time starters, have a huge task ahead. They’ve dismantled D-II competition, but in their one matchup against a Top 10 D-I team, they lost to Leilehua by three touchdowns.

Sophomore Jordan Ross continues to be a touchdown maker. He has rushed for 513 yards and nine scores on just 45 carries, including last weekend’s 206-yard, three-touchdown effort against St. Francis.

No. 3 Saint Louis (2-1, 0-1 ILH) vs. Pac-Five (0-3, 0-1), Aloha Stadium — The Crusaders’ normally lethal offense was silenced in the final quarter of the loss to Kamehameha, but like all great offenses, it should come back better than ever. That’s not good news for the D-II Wolfpack, who have the challenge of facing elite offensive players at all skill positions.

Drew Kobayashi stepped up for a strong performance against Kamehameha, buoying a receiver corps that includes Devan Stubblefield (18 receptions, 305 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Allan Cui (15, 146, 2). Adam Noga, dinged up in the Kamehameha game, can be an unstoppable dual threat out of the backfield.

For Pac-Five, which was hit hard when St. Francis opted to open a varsity program — five starters departed — it’s been a long time since the last victory over the Crusaders. Saint Louis has won 42 straight going back to 1985, when quarterback Garrett Gabriel led the ’Pack to two wins over the Crusaders. Pac-Five won the Prep Bowl that season.

No. 7 Waianae (3-1, 1-1 OIA Red West) at No. 4 Leilehua (3-0, 1-0) — In wins over ‘Iolani and Campbell, the Mules used balance and precision to exploit foes. In the ‘Iolani game, their defense took control midway through against a potent passing attack. Against Campbell, it was special teams, with kickoff returns for touchdowns by Tristin Kamaka and Ikaika Piceno.

Waianae is coming off a stunning home loss to Mililani, and for some teams, trying to rebound on the road is a difficult task. But the Seariders were road warriors last year, playing every game away because of renovations to their home field. The Mules have won the past five meetings with the Seariders, including last year’s wild 36-34 game at Hugh Yoshida Stadium.

No. 6 Mililani (3-1, 2-0 OIA Red West) at Waipahu (1-2, 0-1) — The Marauders have lost their past six matchups with the Trojans going back to the 1990s. The last time Waipahu won in this series was Oct. 24, 1998, when Nefu Mageo passed for 379 yards in a 54-26 rout.

The Trojans have scored 79 points in two Red West victories thanks in part to sophomore running back Vavae Malepeai (486 yards, nine touchdowns) and wide receiver Bronsen Ader (24 grabs, 262 yards).

King Kekaulike (0-2, 0-2 MIL) vs. No. 10 Lahainaluna (3-0, 1-0), War Memorial Stadium — The Lunas, led by college prospect Hercules Mata‘afa, have surrendered just 20 points in three games. In two meetings with Na Alii last year, they won by a combined score of 71-0.

McKinley (3-1, 2-0 OIA Red East) at Castle (1-3, 0-2) — Coach Joseph Cho’s team is the little train that could in the East this season. Despite a key injury, the Tigers have posted wins over Moanalua and Kaimuki. Gerime Bradley and Mathias Tuitele-Iafeta continue to excel playing both ways.
Castle is coming off another overtime loss at home. After this game, the Knights are on the road until the regular-season finale against Kaimuki on Oct. 4.

Aiea (2-2, 0-2 OIA Red West) at Kapolei (3-1, 1-1) — It’s been a decade — eight losses in a row — since Na Alii beat the Hurricanes, when Kali Kuia was the quarterback. Now, Aiea is finding ways to compete despite injuries at quarterback (Jordan Liilii) and wide receiver (Shaenan Hernandez-Fonoti).

The ’Canes got a strong performance from quarterback Aizon Kahana (221 passing yards, two touchdowns) in a comeback win over Waipahu last week.

Kaiser (2-1, 2-0 OIA White) at Waialua (1-3, 1-2) — The Cougars have outscored two White Conference contenders, Kalani and Radford, 110-27. Fitou Fisiiahi, who gave Oregon State an oral commitment on Wednesday, has led the linebacker corps and the ground attack. The senior has 200 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Radford (3-1, 2-1 OIA White) vs. Kalani (2-2, 2-1), Kaiser Stadium — Rams quarterback Cody Lui-Yuen has thrown the ball 122 times in four games. Falcons slinger Noah Brum has hoisted 164 passes in four contests. This is going to be the longest game, possibly, in the history of either school.
Lui-Yuen has fired 13 touchdown passes, but the Rams were contained by Kaiser in a 48-7 loss last week. Brum and the Falcons have won two in a row, including a decisive 34-17 win against Kalaheo.

Brum has thrown for 994 yards and 11 touchdowns. Three receivers have at least 16 receptions.

Anuenue (0-3, 0-2 OIA White) at Roosevelt (0-4, 0-3) — The Rough Riders are trying to right the ship, hoping to end a five-game losing streak dating back to last year. Anuenue won last year’s matchup 42-25, but has yet to score in three games.

Pearl City (1-2, 1-1 OIA White) vs. Kalaheo (2-2, 2-1), Kailua High School field — Running back Makena Johnston continues to be a force for the Mustangs, though he wasn’t at 100 percent in a loss against Kalani. Johnston, who finished with 132 rushing yards and a touchdown, had just seven carries. He suffered an injury on defense in the loss to Kalani, but stayed in the game. He has 530 yards and seven touchdowns.

Honokaa (0-1, 0-1 BIIF) at Konawaena (2-1, 2-0) — The defending BIIF D-II champs are coming off a 37-3 win at Kamehameha-Hawaii. John Kamoku rushed for 231 yards and two touchdowns in the win. First-year starter Brandon Howes has passed for 1,013 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Dragons were blanked at home by Waiakea 15-0 last week.

Kapaa (2-1, 1-0 KIF) vs. Kauai (2-0, 0-0), Vidinha Stadium — The Warriors shut down Waimea last week in a 23-0 victory. Quarterback Fresno Masaniai threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Kauai has not played since a 32-10 over Kwansei Gakuin of Japan three weeks ago.

Kamehameha-Hawaii (2-1, 2-0 BIIF) vs. Waiakea (1-2, 1-0), Wong Stadium — Devin Preston had two touchdown runs in the road win at Honokaa last week.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Damien (2-1, 1-0 ILH) at No. 1 Punahou (2-0, 0-0) — Monarchs quarterback Syles Choy is the glue that keeps the offense together. Trevor Caspillo is the weapon that keeps it moving forward. The senior slotback/running back/defensive back leads the team in rushing and has a team-high 11 catches for 152 yards.

The Buffanblu are on a high after a 10-6 win over CIF power Helix last weekend in La Mesa, Calif.
Sophomore Wayne Talaupapa rushed for 153 yards on 30 carries, both single-game highs in his young career.

Kanawai Noa had his biggest output of the season against Helix (10 receptions, 210 yards, one touchdown) and the Buffanblu limited Helix to 179 total yards.

“K.J. (Sekona) got hurt on the third or fourth play,” Coach Kale Ane said of Sekona’s ankle. “One of our other runners had a slight strain. We didn’t plan to run (Talaupapa) 30 times, but it worked out that way and he got stronger as the evening went on.

“He got used to the blocking and where the holes are. We knew in practice that he’d be a solid contributor. He’s exceeded what we thought he’d do.”

Adversity, Ane said, was good for his team.

“You never know when you play someone you don’t know about. We had way too many turnovers at critical times. We’ve got some things to tie up on special teams, but overall our defense played outstanding,” he said.

Moanalua (1-3, 1-1 OIA Red East) at No. 5 Kahuku (1-2, 1-0) — Na Menehune ended a three-game losing streak with a resounding win over Kailua. The Red Raiders are back from a road trip to Utah, where they lost to East 38-15.

Kailua (1-3, 1-1 OIA Red East) vs. Farrington (1-2, 1-0), Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium — The Governors cracked into the win column with an overtime win at Castle. With quarterback Montana Liana (knee) out, they relied on a steady defense and a superb special teams play, partially blocking a field-goal try, to avoid an 0-3 start. The young Surfriders — there are 13 seniors on their roster — have time to bounce back from a lopsided loss to Moanalua.

Keaau (0-1, 0-1 BIIF) vs. Hilo (2-1, 1-0), Wong Stadium — The Vikings went to a new quarterback, Sione Atuekaho, for a second-half rally and victory at Hawaii Prep on Saturday. Cougars quarterback George Lucas-Tadeo passed for 233 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s loss to Kealakehe.

Hawaii Prep (2-1, 0-1 BIIF) at Kealakehe (1-1, 1-0) — Hilo limited Hawaii Prep running back Bobby Lum to 62 rushing yards. Kealakehe’s revamped defensive unit, which lost a ton of talent to graduation, still has size and numbers on its side. 

Kamehameha-Maui (1-2, 1-1 MIL) vs. Baldwin (1-2, 1-0), War Memorial Stadium — Former Baldwin standout player and assistant coach Cody Nakamura, now the head coach at KS-Maui, goes up against his alma mater for the first time.

THE STANDINGS