Leilehua. Mililani.

The historical rivals meet at John Kauinana Stadium tonight as the best of frenemies, for sure. Leilehua, the landmark of California Avenue, a plantation community rooted in the pineapple industry. Mililani, the suburb named one of America’s finest towns during the 1980s, according to the signage on Meheula Parkway.

During the Hugh Yoshida years, the mighty Mules were 10-2 against their cousins in brown and gold. The Trojans eventually caught up with James Millwood as head coach, transforming into a powerhouse in the OIA West. And now, since Rod York became Trojans chief, Mililani has won six of its past eight meetings with Leilehua.

No. 4 Mililani, with the larger enrollment, bigger community, influx of young families, has the edge over the smaller Wahiawa and Whitmore Village neighborhoods that feed Leilehua’s campus. Another factor: Mililani is fortified by a pipeline of ready-to-play talent, the byproduct of the year-round Mill Vill Trojans youth program. The terminology, the playbook, all the same, from preps through the 6-under flag division.

The Mules edged St. Francis 13-9 in preseason before losing to Kahuku 24-0 in a game that was close for a half. York expects a battle from the Mules.

“I coached with (Leilehua coach Mark Kurisu) a while back. Look at film, the transition from last year to this year, you can see the discipline. They play hard. They all play like they’re 6-5, 240. They rally to the ball and hustle,” York said. “Mark and his staff have done a tremendous job, so we know we have our work cut out for us.”

Mobile Kona Andres and the rest of the offensive unit is absorbing a new system under new coordinator Andrew Manley. The defense is in swarm mode.

Mililani (1-0) has not played a game yet — last week’s win over Kaiser was a forfeit. The scrimmages of early August helped, but there’s been a gap of roughly two weeks.

“Our special teams got more work. We’ve had four tough scrimmages. We went to Waipahu, Waianae, Kamehameha and Kahuku, so we’re battle-tested even though we haven’t had a real game. This is a veteran team, so it’s not like a lot of our starters haven’t played,” York said.

Third-year quarterback Dillon Gabriel is ready for what could be a spectacular junior season. Gabriel passed for 2,656 yards and 28 touchdowns as a sophomore.

“Dillon is bigger, faster, stronger, arm is a lot stronger. Most importantly, he’s smarter with the reads,” said York, who was en route to the Gabriel household on Wednesday night. “I’m headed to his house to do a film session with him and his dad. It’s the second session this week. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team, which is good. It tells you about him as a leader, what he does when only God is looking.”

Jalen Olomua and Darius Muasau return after superb seasons in 2016. Olomua rushed for 649 yards and 12 TDs in 11 games, while Muasau had 520 yards and three TDs in 10 games. Both also played linebacker.

Ryan Chang, who had 31 receptions for 465 yards and six TDs as a sophomore, is back. So is Cy Kuboyama-Hayashi (30-330, four).

Kurisu has been a defensive guru for years, and it was defense that kept the Mules competitive in the loss to Kahuku. In his interim head coaching stints, Kurisu has held down the fort; he is 1-0 against Mililani. The chess match will be on.

“Whatever the defense gives us, we’re going to those matchups,” York said. “They’ll counter and we’ll counter. It’ll depend on how we block.”

Up front, all five starting linemen return from last year’s team: left tackle Rio Clayton, left guard Sergio Muasau, center Noah Williams, right guard Scottie Agasiva and right tackle Jacob Tuatagaloa.

“Sometimes we play together, sometimes we don’t look like returning starters,” York said. “It all depends. We have to understand each other’s roles and execute. That’s why we play the game. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

—

FRIDAY GAMES

No. 2 Kahuku (1-0, 1-0 OIA) at No. 8 Waianae (0-2, 0-1), 7:30 p.m.

The schedule could have been kinder for a young Seariders squad, but here they are, hosting the defending OIA champions, a team with college prospects like no other.

Kahuku has five seniors with a combined 14 scholarship offers, three juniors with 15 offers and three sophomores with six offers. Depending on perspective, that makes things simpler for first-year head coach Makoa Freitas, or adds some pressure.

The offense is a work in progress with plenty of explosive material, and several starters on the O-line did not play last week against Leilehua. The Big Red defense? It has continued to be masterful.

Waianae won’t go down easily. The Seariders bounced back from a lopsided preseason loss to Saint Louis and hung tight before falling to Kapolei 7-0 last week. This early-season gauntlet, which includes Campbell next week, will be followed by Moanalua, Radford, Aiea and possibly Kaiser. A win during this tough stretch would be a bonus for the Seariders, who have a host of first-year starters surrounding veterans Toto Mailo, Kana‘i Mauga and Rico Rosario. Waianae last beat Kahuku in 2000, losing 17 in a row since. The last four defeats were shutout wins by the Red Raiders.

Farrington (0-2, 0-1 OIA) at Nanakuli (1-1, 1-0), 7:30 p.m.

The young Governors are finding their way, series by series, play by play. The good news is that the offense is finding a rhythm with Chris Afe and Stephen Eter (15 receptions, 130 yards, one TD) providing the most consistent connection.

For Nanakuli, Nahum Kipi leads the offense (320 passing yards, three TDs) and Po‘okela Pi‘ilani (128 rushing yards) is the go-to ballcarrier. Kipi has aired the pigskin out 57 times in two games, aiming mostly for Sinai Robello (7-101), Joey Vea-Quitog (10-95) and Clyde Enos (7-75, two TDs).

Villa Park (Calif.) (0-0, 0-0 CIF) vs. Damien (2-0, 0-0), at Skippa Diaz Stadium, 5 p.m.

The visiting Spartans hail from the California Interscholastic Federation’s Crestview League. Last year, they were 9-2 and averaged more than 36 points per game, but didn’t begin game action until Sept. 2. The matchup with Damien will be Villa Park’s first game of the ’17 season.

Last year’s gunslinger, Nick Sipe (2,904 yards, 29 TDs), has graduated, as has leading rusher John Stamos. Villa Park, coached by Dusan Ancich, lost to Los Alamitos 19-14 in the Division III playoffs. There are 91 players listed on the current roster (MaxPreps).

This year’s Damien squad has wasted no time in re-establishing its identity despite the graduation of some key players. Quarterback Marcus Faufata-Pedrina has been efficient: 18-for-36, 330 passing yards, four TDs, no picks and 99 rushing yards and a TD in 20 carries.

Faufata-Pedrina has completed at least one pass to seven different Monarchs. Akila Arecchi (6-137) and Logan Lauti (5-70, one TD) are the leading pass catchers.

Buckeye Union (Ariz.) (0-0, 0-0) at No. 8 Kailua (1-0, 1-0 OIA), 6 p.m.

The Hawks play in the 4A Southwest Section, a five-team division in which they went 8-3 last year, including a 4-0 run through their division while averaging nearly 37 points per game. Buckeye lost to Marcos de Niza 41-36 in the state tournament.

Joseph Perez, who passed for 1,270 yards and 15 TDs with just three picks, is back for his senior season. He also led the Hawks in rushing with 1,213 yards and 13 TDs. Buckeye is coached by Kelley Moore.

Aaron Mejia passed for 179 yards and three TDs in a 44-0 victory over Moanalua last week. Samson Rasay rushed for a team-high 143 yards and a TD on 23 carries.

—

SATURDAY GAMES

Castle (1-1, 1-0 OIA) at No. 5 Kapolei (2-0, 1-0), 6:30 p.m.

Administrators let longtime coach Nelson Maeda go, and first-year Knights coach John Hao and staff are in the predicament of installing a new system while two powerhouses, Kapolei and Mililani, await.

Makana Smith gave Castle a major lift in relief of Jaylen Umemura-Lee in last week’s 33-28 win at Radford. With Smith and Dylan Kelling running the ball, Hao is trying to keep the offense balanced. Doing this against a Kapolei defense that is among the best in the league will be a monumental challenge.

In two games against top-10 foes, Kapolei has allowed a total of seven points. The defense is star-studded, with linebacker Kukea Emmsley, 6-5, 230, nine scholarship offers (committed to Boise State); defensive tackle Aaron Faumui, 6-2, 260, six offers; LB Rocky Savea, 6-1, 200, two offers; defensive lineman Junior Tuia, 6-2, 270, one offer; defensive end Treven Ma‘ae, 6-4, 220, four offers, and LB Bam Amina, 6-1, 200, one offer. Ma‘ae is a junior and Amina is a sophomore.

Meanwhile, offensive lineman Julius Buelow (6-7, 300) has 11 offers.

Aiea (0-1, 0-1 OIA) at No. 7 Campbell (1-1, 1-0), 6:30 p.m.

The good news for Na Alii receivers is that coach Wendell Say and staff are in aerial mode. Ty Matsunami threw 44 passes in the loss to Nanakuli last week. He finished with 211 passing yards (one TD) and four teammates hauled in at least four receptions.

The Sabers found their groove in a 26-20 win over Farrington last week. Poki‘i Adkins-Kupakaa was golden with a school-record 204 receiving yards on eight catches — and a leaping interception while also starting at safety.

Krenston Kaipo was fearless in the pocket, passing for 386 yards and one TD. The Sabers are young and prone to errors, but first-year coach Darren Johnson is showing a lot of trust in his players. That includes two-way standout Tyrese Tafai, who had a solid game at LB, and ran for three TDs.

Kalani (0-1, 0-1 OIA D-II) vs. Kaimuki (1-0, 1-0), Aloha Stadium, 5 p.m.

The Falcons lost a close battle against Pearl City last week 22-16. Senior Seth Tina-Sobarano did what he could against a tenacious Chargers pass rush, passing for 137 yards and two TDs with no picks, and running for 27 yards on 22 carries.

The Bulldogs looked omnipotent against a depleted Waialua squad in a 63-0 victory. Kaimuki suited up just 30 players, but dominated at the line of scrimmage and schemed a well-crafted defensive game plan that limited the defending league champs to 10 yards of total offense.

Ieke Seei-Cleveland, according to Kaimuki coach David Tautofi, is one of the state’s top running backs regardless of classification. The 5-9, 210-pound senior barreled his way to 165 yards and two TDs on just 15 carries, but also showed his dexterity and field vision on a 46-yard screen pass to paydirt.

Roosevelt (1-0, 1-0 OIA D-II) vs. Pearl City (1-0, 1-0), Aloha Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Coach Kui Kahooilihala’s Rough Riders showed signs of turning the corner last season, and after a 33-0 win over McKinley last week, optimism is high. Senior Jared Elwin, a converted cornerback, rushed for 100 yards and a TD on 17 carries in the win. The Rough Riders will face an athletic front seven led by Zion Tupuola-Fetui, a 6-4, 250-pound defensive lineman who has scholarship offers from California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Oregon State, Vanderbilt, Washington and Washington State.

Kalaheo (0-2, 0-1 OIA D-II) vs. McKinley (0-2, 0-1), Skippa Diaz Stadium, 6:30 p.m.

The Mustangs opened the season with a 35-28 loss at Kamehameha-Maui, then forfeited their game against Waipahu last week. The Tigers are in their first season under Pat Silva, and the good news here is that they fielded enough players to play their first two games.

St. Francis (1-1, 0-0 ILH D-II) at Konawaena (0-1, 0-0 BIIF), 7 p.m.

This is a potential precursor to a state-tournament matchup. The Saints have been busy through preseason, scrimmaging at Kaimuki, losing 13-9 at Leilehua, and then trouncing Kauai 42-0 last week. The defense is D-I elite level, led by Takaamoatoa Lautaha (6-3, 245) and versatile Wembley Mailei. The Wildcats lost on the road to defending KIF champion Kapaa 33-13 last week.