Thank you for attending this weekend’s big dance.
You will be expected to dress appropriately and behave accordingly. Unfortunately, some of you will try very hard, but not succeed. You will not be asked to return next week.
Thank you for understanding.
Yes, in the world of high school state championships, almost no teams finish the way they prefer. There will be two happy teams. Doing a happy dance.
Waianae is happy to be in. The Seariders had to edge Farrington by the slimmest of margins Saturday to claim third place in the Oahu Interscholastic Association, securing one of the league’s three berths in the opening round of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Division I Championships.
Hilo’s back. The Vikings were nearly giant slayers a year ago, battling Kahuku close until the final quarter.
The D-II opening round has some long-lost friends back for the dance. Kaimuki is on the road, or jet stream, with its first appearance in several years. Damien, the ILH champion, hasn’t been in the tourney for ages. The Monarchs are also due at the airport for a road trip.
Baldwin (8-3) vs. No. 6 Waianae (8-3)
The Bears toppled Maui with a surge during the second half of the Maui Interscholastic League season. Baldwin, under coach Pohai Lee, lost to the Sabers 3-0 in the first round. Great defense. Offense? Lee, known for his fertile offensive mind, dug in.
"We fell into that trap of being a little too confident, borderline cocky, before we played Maui High (the first time). I took the fall for that," Lee said. "We only rushed for 20 yards in that game."
Lee decided to commit to the ground attack and allow QB Chase Akaka to use his legs much more out of the Bears’ spread formation.
"We don’t have one guy getting highlights. We have a lot of athletes who can make plays," Lee said.
The common denominator on the schedules of both teams: Kamehameha. Waianae hosted Kamehameha on Aug. 7 and lost 33-13. Baldwin traveled to Kamehameha to start preseason and lost 53-0 on Aug. 15.
No. 4 Mililani (9-2) vs. Hilo (7-4)
The Trojans are an army that keeps marching forward even as their quarterbacks go down with injuries. McKenzie Milton had passed for 2,000 yards and 26 TDs when he suffered a shoulder injury early in a week-seven game at Kailua. Sophomore Kaysen Higa stepped in, and then freshman Dillon Gabriel took over.
Gabriel went down with a similar shoulder injury in the OIA championship game against Kahuku. Now coach Rod York has plans to employ another ninth-grade slinger: Cy Kuboyama-Hayashi. Like Gabriel, Kuboyama-Hayashi was a QB on the junior-varsity team.
York also told The Galdeira Show (1500 AM) that Milton, who had a fracture of his right AC joint, may see some playing time. That would be quite a comeback by the senior who was All-State offensive player of the year in 2014. Milton suffered the injury on Sept. 26, six weeks ago.
The efficiency of the offense, even with young slingers in the pocket, has remained high against every foe but one: Kahuku. The Mililani offense was shut out by the Red Raiders, who won last week’s OIA final 20-7. But in their other 10 games, the Trojans scored at least 45 points each time.
Senior running back Vavae Malepeai (1,545 yards and 25 TDs on the ground) has been a workhorse. The Oregon commit has a relatively light carry total (183 attempts) to this point and has looked fresh in recent weeks after opening the season with turf toe.
Wide receiver Kalakaua Timoteo (55 receptions, 1,100 yards, 18 TDs) leads a deep corps of pass catchers. Bryson Ventura (32, 608, eight), Rico Sallas (34, 347, two) and Makana Tauai (28, 371, two) have been productive. Andrew Valesderes (17, 289, two) and Chad Senas (eight, 126, two) provide additional depth.
Kaimuki (7-4) at Lahainaluna (6-5)
The Lunas were in reloading mode this year, but if you listen to co-head coach Garrett Tihada, it may have felt more like a rebuild.
"We got lucky in a lot of games. Our defense played awesome, especially toward the end of the first round and in the second round, but a lot of it had to do with luck. Against Kamehameha-Maui in the second game, if it wasn’t for their muffed punt return that put us in great field position, I don’t think we improved a whole lot this year," Tihada said.
Lahainaluna’s new crop of contributors finished the MIL season with strength and momentum, winning five of its last six games. That included a 14-10 win over Kamehameha-Maui for the league’s D-II crown. That also reversed the momentum of a four-game losing streak — the longest in West Maui in recent years — and put the Lunas back in the state tourney.
Kaimuki’s miracle win at Nanakuli highlighted a turnaround season under David Tautofi, a former Bulldogs and UCLA defensive lineman. His defense has swarmed all over foes during a run of seven wins before last week’s loss to Radford.
"From what I’ve seen in the past, they’re a very disciplined team. Their style is sort of like De La Salle," Tautofi said. "Very disciplined, tough kids who play very hard. For us, it’s correcting things. The key is alignment and assignment."
Damien (6-1) at Konawaena (10-1)
Damien’s offense needed to be seen live, so when Konawaena coach Brad Uemoto had an opportunity to get a look in late October, he took it. He saw Damien clinch the ILH D-II title at Aloha Stadium.
"I got to see that Damien/Pac-Five game. They run that option attack and it’s definitely something we have to prepare for. It’s assignment football. Defensively, it’s a tough task to prepare for in one week," Uemoto said.
Damien’s abbreviated schedule was due to the move of ‘Iolani from D-II to D-I in the ILH, leaving the Monarchs with only two other football members to play: Pac-Five and St. Francis.
Kauai and St. Francis are the common opponents on the schedules of Damien and Konawaena. Damien beat Kauai 34-19.
This year, the Monarchs are in the state tourney for the first time since the beginning of ‘Iolani’s dynasty. Konawaena traveled to Kauai and won 32-7. The Wildcats hosted St. Francis and won 18-6 in the preseason opener. Damien split with the Saints, winning 21-6 and losing 21-6.
"Marcus is a smart kid, a tough runner. Our offense is a big advantage. Konawaena saw option against HPA, but off the ball our line is quicker."
