The road to postseason dreams and titles, at least in Joe Wong’s journey, has been paved through Waianae.

The Kailua football coach was a standout lineman at Kailua, then BYU. He can recall the earliest memories of Waianae being an obstacle to Kailua’s title hopes.

“I was in ninth grade. We played Waianae in the stadium,” he said of Kailua’s junior varsity team. “Every year for two or three years, we lost in JV and won in the (varsity) championship before the Prep Bowl.”

When Kailua (3-4 overall, 3-4 OIA Red) visits Waianae (6-2, 5-2 OIA Blue) on Friday, this is what’s at stake: The winner qualifies for the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I quarterfinals. That means a spot in the HHSAA State Championships D-I tournament, and possibly a place in the Open Division tourney. For the Waianae-Kailua loser, the season ends.

Last year, Kailua went to Raymond Torii Field and gave the home team a battle before losing 37-22.

“I’ve been there before to play them with a lot at stake,” said Wong, now in his third season as head coach.

Kailua has scraped by without its starting QB, and in the process of filling that key position, lost its starting RB. Mark Lagazo, one of the OIA’s top rushers, has been at QB since Keoni Serikawa suffered a collarbone injury against Farrington in August. Serikawa will not be back, Wong said.

“It’s a gray area. Everybody saw what happened to McKenzie,” he said, referring to former Mililani QB McKenzie Milton, who returned from a similar injury only to re-injure it during the playoffs last year. “I don’t think Keoni will be back, even if he could, not with today’s protocols.”

With Lagazo mustering all he can, Kailua was in position to claim second place and a crucial first-round bye in the playoffs. Castle ruined those plans with a stunning 24-21 win over the Surfriders last week.

“Not having a home-field playoff game, I couldn’t stress to them how important that was. We didn’t take care of business,” Wong said.

Business is good when the Surfriders take care of the ball. In an upset win over Mililani a few weeks ago, Kailua came up with five turnovers. It was a reverse scenario against Castle. Wong is expecting a smart approach by his squad, basic, old-school tenacity on defense and special teams.

“Hopefully, we win the kicking game and we take care of the ball, play well defensively. Waianae is a really good team, and then Campbell beat them, and they’re beatable,” Wong said. “Everybody has their swings.”

Waianae’s stellar defense will key on Lagazo, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound senior who has passed for 645 yards and eight TDs. He has also rushed for a team-high 444 yards with nine rushing TDs. Despite his relative inexperience at the position, Lagazo has thrown just five picks.

“In the last couple of games, he gets out of bounds or slides. Get the yardage and the first down,” Wong said. “We have a better chance with him in the game at the end than without him. He’s understanding that and playing really smart.”

Kealoha Hanawahine-Wong and Chauncy Gonsalves-Bell offer relief in the running game, but for the most part, it’s Lagazo as a wildcat QB. The passing game is a work in progress as Lagazo has gained more confidence. Christian Mejia, the All-State defensive end, has five TD catches out of his six total receptions. It’s almost impossible to expect anyone to play every snap on defense, and then become a force offensively.

“He can play anywhere. His vertical is 36 to 38 (inches),” Wong said of Mejia, a 6-4, 210-pound senior who has a scholarship offer from Hawaii. “He’s always up to the challenge. We let him rest and he comes and tells us when he’s ready (for offense).”

Waianae has been brilliant at times, but the loss at Campbell cost the Seariders that coveted first-round bye. Still, they get to play at home. Coach Walter Young and his staff undoubtedly have had the full attention of their team since the loss.

“Last year, I commend Walter, his strategy. It was a tight game and in the third quarter, they took off eight minutes on a drive,” Wong recalled. “That was smart.”

The Seariders have subscribed to their ancient philosophy in 2016: run the ball left, run the ball right, pound the ball up the middle and hit the deep pass, if necessary. The methodology fits their depth at running back: Rico Rosario (657 yards, eight TDs), Javen Towne (328, three), Kade Ambrocio (246, five) and Jorell Pontes-Borje (169, two) have been fresh and relatively injury-free as the postseason begins. That group of four has rushed for 1,600 yards at 7.1 yards per carry.

In other words, they average more yards per handoff than most teams do per pass attempt.

Jaren Ulu has thrown the ball less than 15 times per game, but his efficiency (11 TDs and just four picks, more than 8 yards per attempt) allows the ground game and defense to take the forefront.

But what happens when a defense has success and can slow Waianae’s ground-and-pound game? Against Campbell, the Seariders had some untimely mistakes offensively, and on defense, faced a dual-threat QB (Kawika Ulufale). Campbell’s offense was balanced enough — 28 rushes, 19 pass attempts — to do just enough in a 14-12 win.

Can Kailua emulate that?

“With us, the mentality over the last three years that I’ve been coach is we don’t care who we play,” Wong said. “Regardless of the score, they’re going to give 100 percent effort, just like when we played Mililani or Farrington. If we do our assignments, we match up pretty good against anybody. If we don’t, we’ll look like we did against Castle.”

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Castle (4-4, 3-4 OIA Red) at Moanalua (4-4, 3-4 OIA Blue), 6 p.m. — One key accomplishment for Na Menehune is as basic and crucial as any: QB Alaka‘i Yuen made it to the playoffs intact. The senior has passed for 1,752 yards and 23 TDs with 13 picks, and his ability to read defenses and make quick decisions is essential for a team that has a limited ground game.

Ryan Ramones (61 receptions, 958 yards, 15 TDs) will draw plenty of attention from defensive backs, which should open the field for Brandon Bender and Rylan Miguel. Bender (33, 366, three) is playing through nagging injuries.

The Knights are 2-0 since moving two-way standout Jeremy McGoldrick to QB. His passing numbers weren’t impressive last week: 7-for-23, 82 yards, one pick. But his playmaking ability with his legs — 85 rushing yards, one TD on 18 carries — changes everything for defenders and game planners.

Kaiser (2-6, 1-6 OIA Blue) vs. Farrington (5-2, 5-2 OIA Red), Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium, 7:30 p.m. — Like Waianae, Farrington had its shot at earning an opening-round bye. Instead, the Governors have the task of facing a potentially dangerous underdog. Kaiser has athletes, but not a lot of depth. The Cougars have a master motivator of long-shot teams in first-year head coach Arnold Martinez.

Their playmakers, from two-way athlete Andrew Kaufusi to standout WR/CB Keoni Pangan (15 receptions, 346 yards, four TDs), will test Farrington’s defense. The Govs can stick to the game plan that works against teams like Kaiser: ground and pound, wear them down.

Challen Faamatau and the Govs have been idle since losing at Kapolei on Sept. 24. Faamatau (763 rushing yards, 212 receiving yards, 14 total TDs) should be well rested.

Farrington has a six-game win streak against Kaiser. The Cougars last beat the Govs in 1989.

‘Iolani (3-5, 0-5 ILH) at Punahou (5-1, 4-1), 3:15 p.m. — Raiders running back K.J. Pascua has put together a stellar season (562 rushing yards, 15 receptions, 147 yards, 12 TDs). ‘Iolani nearly pulled off a win over Kamehameha last week after losing to the Warriors by 30 early in the season.

The Buffanblu are coming off a superb defensive performance against Saint Louis. Linebacker Ryan Dominick was one of the spark plugs with two takeaways.

Punahou’s defense got a helping hand from its offense, which slowed the pace at times and chewed chunks of time off the clock. Nick Kapule (1,873 yards, 23 TDs, two picks) has been highly efficient, and RBs Enoch Nawahine (256 yards, six TDs) and Sitiveni Kaufusi (200 yards, one TD) are finding their comfort zone.

St. Francis (3-2, 2-1 ILH D-II) vs. Pac-Five (2-3, 0-3), Aloha Stadium, 5 p.m. — The Saints’ miraculous 15-12 win over Damien two weeks ago changed everything in the division. A win over Pac-Five would leave St. Francis tied with Damien in first place at the end of the ILH regular season.

That won’t come easy. Pac-Five nearly knocked off Damien last week, losing 50-49 in triple overtime. The last time the Saints and Wolfpack played, St. Francis escaped with a 30-27 win. The Saints will count on their offensive line and the exploits of RB Tyson Shimabukuro (416 yards, one TD) to move the chains and keep Pac-Five QB Ryan Johnson (1,233 yards, 20 TDs) on the sideline.

Saint Louis (5-1, 4-1 ILH) vs. Kamehameha (3-4, 2-3), Aloha Stadium, 7:45 p.m. — The Crusaders lost their grip of outright first place in the ILH in last week’s loss to Punahou. It was in their 35-3 win over Kamehameha (Sept. 17) when they slowed the pace for a change and grinded out a win. Saint Louis’ defense was in charge that night.

The Warriors are coming along in year 1 of Abu Ma‘afala’s return. The ground game is there with Kanoa Shannon and Breden Akima, and their tall receivers, Chris Ah Mook Sang and Sundance Solatorio, have the perfect complement in all-purpose playmaker Jaykob Cabunoc (26 catches, 418 yards, four TDs).

Kamehameha has already sealed third place in the ILH playoffs, but a win here would jeopardize Saint Louis’ seeding — and possibly hand first place and a spot in the league championship game to Punahou.

Kaimuki (4-3, 4-2 OIA D-II) at Pearl City (5-1, 5-0), 7:30 p.m. — With a win over Waipahu in hand, all the Chargers need is a victory over Kaimuki to clinch first place in the regular season. Coach Robin Kami’s team executes at a high level, and while they don’t accumulate eye-popping statistics, they simply collect wins via sound football in all three phases. Charles Freitas (349 yards, five TDs) is their leading rusher and Patrick Nunez (13 receptions, 211 yards, four TDs) is their top receiver. QB Kekainalu Simon (496 passing yards, eight TDs) is averaging less than 100 yards per game through the air.

Kaimuki is coming off a tough 36-28 loss against Waipahu. Sophomore Jordan Solomon continues to progress as a decision maker and playmaker. He passed for 311 yards in the loss and now has 1,554 yards and 20 TDs with 11 picks. There are weapons around him in bulldozing RB Ieke Seei-Cleveland and targets Andries Toussaint, Daniel Nguyen and Saia Maiava.

Hilo (5-1, 5-0 BIIF) at Keaau (2-3, 2-3), 7:30 p.m. — The Vikings have dominated the league since close wins over Konawaena and Kealakehe, outscoring three foes 112-13.

Hawaii Prep (0-6, 0-5 BIIF) at Honokaa (2-4, 1-4) — Ka Makani, once a title perennial title contender, has been much more competitive in the last two games, losing to Waiakea 21-19 and Kamehameha-Hawaii 27-13.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Aiea (3-5, 3-4 OIA Blue) at Leilehua (3-5, 3-4 OIA Red), 7:30 p.m. — With the playoffs kicking off, Aiea’s three-man QB battle has tilted back toward last year’s starter, Kobe Kato. He threw every Na Alii pass in a 25-6 loss at Moanalua last week. Kato has passed for 522 yards and five TDs (with six picks) and is also Aiea’s leading rusher with 77 yards and one TD for the entire season.

Like Aiea, Leilehua had a two-game win streak before losing its final regular-season game last weekend. The Mules, coached by Aiea alum Nolan Tokuda, were erratic and explosive at times in a 52-35 loss to Mililani. Kaleo Aloha Piceno has his share of nagging injuries, but continues to produce as a rusher, pass catcher and occasional QB. Piceno might be the only player in the state with more than 300 yards passing (500, six TDs), rushing (371, three TDs) and receiving (28 catches, 346 yards, five TDs).

In similar fashion to Kailua’s two-way standout, Christian Mejia, Leilehua’s Charles Moku Watson anchors the defense as one of the top safeties in the state. His breakaway ability as a wide receiver, though, changes the landscape for the Mules’ offense.

Aiea last beat Leilehua in 2012.

Waialua (3-2, 3-2 OIA D-II) vs. McKinley (0-6, 0-5), Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium, 4 p.m. — The Bulldogs are in a battle for one of the division’s four playoff berths. Their early-season OT loss to Kaimuki is proving to be pivotal. They do have a narrow win over another two-loss team, Kalani. That means Waialua can seal fourth place (or better) by winning against McKinley and Pearl City. Kalani faces Waipahu on Saturday before facing McKinley next week.

Kalani (3-2, 3-2 OIA D-II) vs. Waipahu (6-1, 5-1) at Aiea, 6:30 p.m. — The Falcons’ playoff hopes hinge on one major scenario: beat Waipahu and McKinley, finish 5-2 in division play, while Waialua loses to McKinley and Pearl City. Closing the regular season tied with Waialua won’t do.

The Marauders, with their multiple offensive schemes and “Pirate” gadget formation, won’t be in a mood to be hospitable. The Marauders are hoping to seal first or second place, which would bring home-field advantage. Aiea may be their temporary home, but that is still preferable to playing on another team’s field.

Kauai (0-6, 0-4) at Kapaa (6-0, 4-0 KIF), Vidinha Stadium, 2:30 p.m. — The mighty Warriors seemed less than infallible in a 3-0 win over Waimea two weeks ago. The last time they played Kauai, the Warriors won 50-0. Kauai pushed Waimea close last week in a 20-16 loss.

Kamehameha-Maui (2-5, 2-4 MIL) at Lahainaluna (4-3, 3-2), 7 p.m. — The Lunas are on a two-game win streak since a 29-27 loss to Baldwin. The Warriors lost to Baldwin 13-0 last week.

Kamehameha-Hawaii (6-1, 4-1 BIIF) at Konawaena (5-1, 4-1), 8 p.m. — The Warriors can gain the inside track to first place and home-field advantage in the BIIF playoffs by knocking off front-running Konawaena. Since losing to Hilo 23-21, the Wildcats are averaging 50.8 points per game during a four-game win streak.

Kealakehe (2-4, 2-3 BIIF) at Waiakea (2-6, 2-3), 1:30 p.m. — A slow start didn’t derail the Warriors, who have won two of their last four games. Kealakehe’s biggest road feat was a 3-0 win at Kamehameha-Hawaii on Sept. 16.