Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
Some football teams travel to the islands with visions of fun and adventure.
Those teams sometimes arrive with a lot of holes in the roster. This won’t be the case for the Clackamas Cavaliers, who arrived in the islands with a business plan. When they kick off with ‘Iolani today at 3:15 p.m. at Eddie Hamada Field, the Cavaliers will seek further perfection.
Clackamas, led by head coach Joe Bushman, went 14-0 last season and rallied from a 10-point deficit to edge South Medford 31-30 for the 6-A Oregon state championship. MaxPreps ranks the Cavaliers No. 2 in the state.
Jeffrey Nelson, who kicked a game-winning 37-yard field goal to beat South Medford, is one of their returnees. James Millspaugh, who rushed for three TDs in the title game, is among the many who graduated. Now, the Cavaliers open a new season nearly 3,000 miles from home.
“They reached out to us. They were looking for a team to play, for a chance to travel,” longtime ‘Iolani coach Wendell Look said. “Their coach’s son is a senior and they wanted to do something special.”
‘Iolani reached the Division II state tourney in 2017, losing to eventual champion Lahainaluna in the semifinal round. The Raiders lost several key seniors to graduation but are off to a 3-0 start behind first-year starter Jonah Chong (615 yards, 10 TDs) at QB and Kaua Nishigaya (190 yards, five TDs) at RB.
Chong has been precise, with a 76 percent completion rate (47-for-62). He has also been effective, with just one interception thrown. The Raiders’ receiver corps has been textbook. Carter Kamana (17 receptions, 228 yards, four TDs), Jonah Miyazawa (12, 181, three) and Rayden Kaneshiro (11, 147, three) lead a deep group that is highly interchangeable.
With lopsided wins over Kalani (63-0), Waipahu (55-14) and Kailua (33-12), reserves have gotten valuable playing time. That might come in handy on another sweltering-hot afternoon near Waikiki.
Many an opponent has wilted during ‘Iolani’s rare home dates. Visiting teams are assigned to the north sideline, facing the sun. Tradewinds from the Manoa and Palolo valleys were diminished years ago when the new combined bleachers and science building were constructed, leaving scant breeze at ground level on ‘Iolani’s natural-grass field.
The Raiders’ defensive unit, led by linebacker Kyler Mento, will see a Clackamas offense that may have a Boise State-type of approach.
“They’re big. They’re physical. They’re athletic,” Look said. “Obviously, they’re going to be physically bigger than us, but again, that’s what we’re used to. From what we’ve seen, they’re a multiple formation kind of team and will try to use their size on us like anybody else. That’s going to be a challenge for our kids up front.”
There’s no 2018 game tape for the Raiders’ staff to study. Though Clackamas has the benefit of three ‘Iolani games to scout, the Raiders also had a bye last week.
“Having that break with (Hurricane Lane) was good for us,” Look said. “We’re not going to change drastically and they are who they are. They weren’t state champions for nothing. Defensively, their inside seven in the box is probably their strength. They’ve got some decent-sized returnees there.”
It might come down to Clackamas’ ability to match up with ‘Iolani’s slots. If their linebackers can cover, the edge goes to the visitors. That’s where ‘Iolani’s experience as a receiving corps is key, but again, this might be the most severe test so far for Chong, the rookie starter.
“It’s intriguing because of the unknown,” Look said. “It’s good for our kids to learn how to adjust and adapt, to see where they’re at in their football IQ.”
CLACKAMAS (ORE.) (0-0) vs. ‘IOLANI (3-0)
Where: Kozuki Stadum
When: Today, 3:15 p.m.
TV: None
Radio: 1500-AM
Series history: First meeting.
Notes: ‘Iolani has won its last four games against mainland squads dating back to a 35-0 loss to Buchanan (Calif.) in 2000, which was the Raiders’ only loss to a mainland foe on campus. ‘Iolani is averaging 36.8 points per game in wins over La Jolla Country Day (Calif.), Capital (Wash.), Edison (Calif.) and Kearney (Calif.).
—
BEST OF THE REST
Mililani vs. St. John Bosco
4 p.m., today at Bellflower, Calif.
This is the first part of a home-and-away series for the two schools. St. John Bosco (2-0, 0-0 Trinity League) is scheduled to play Mililani (3-0, 1-0 OIA Open) in Hawaii next year.
Coach Jason Negro’s Braves are ranked No. 1 in MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and No. 2 in the USA Today Super 25. (Saint Louis, the two-time defending state champion of Hawaii, is No. 11 in the Xcellent 25).
“I think Bosco is the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason. We really have nothing to lose,” said Mililani quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who leads the state of Hawaii in passing yardage and touchdown strikes. “We’re just going to go out there and have some fun.”
So far, Bosco blanked Timpview 49-0 and Garces Memorial 56-0.
“We have a ton of respect for Mililani,” Negro said on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of teams that told us they don’t want to play us. Coach (Rod) York did not do that at all. He has a lot of faith in his players. I have a lot of respect for their coaches and players for wanting to play us.”
In the win over Timpview, 6-foot-5, 238-pound junior DJ Uiagalei passed for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Senior linebacker/running back George Holani rushed for 117 yards on just nine carries for two TDs. Jake Bailey, a 5-9, 185-pound senior cornerback/wide receiver, hauled in two scoring passes and finished with four catches for 126 yards.
Mililani arrived with a roster that benefited from last weekend’s washout in the islands. A scheduled game with Saint Louis was canceled due to the threat of Hurricane Lane, but several starters were able to heal from injuries during the break.
Among them are wide receiver Cy Kuboyama-Hayashi (nine receptions, 150 yards, three TDs), slotback Reichel Vegas (10, 188, three), 6-foot, 250-pound running back Kilifi Malepeai and defensive tackle/running back Mykah Tuiolemotu.
The Timpview game was also St. John Bosco’s debut in its own stadium after playing away games for the previous three years. Panish Family Stadium seats nearly 6,000 for standing-room-only crowds. It has a video scoreboard and a press box with suites. The Trojans worked out at Bosco’s sparkling new facility on Wednesday morning.
“Practice was great. All the guys are ready to go. (We) can’t wait for the game,” Gabriel said. “The field and stadium are super nice. Top notch.”
Kapolei vs. Downey
4 p.m., today at Downey, Calif.
The Hurricanes (1-2, 0-0 OIA Open) got a bit of a reprieve with a weekend off due to Hurricane Lane. Otherwise, they would’ve played Kahuku. Getting rest and healing time never hurts, especially before a mainland road trip.
Coach Darren Hernandez’s team would’ve been without a break until the end of September if not for the hurricane.
Coach Jack Williams’ Downey squad (1-1, 0-0 San Gabriel League) lost to Santa Margarita (Calif.) 59-21 and defeated Hart 33-21. The Hurricanes have battled despite the loss of QB Christian Rapis to injury, losing to Kamehameha 21-7 and Punahou 34-21.
Sophomore QB Noa Bailey stepped in and is learning on the job. In the wake of a major influx and exodus of talent at Kapolei in recent seasons, they still have explosive material to work with. De’Zhaun Stribling (14 catches, 218 yards, two TDs) and Ikari Stokes (nine, 130, two) lead the receiving corps.
Damien vs. Mt. Spokane
1 p.m., today at Mead, Wash.
Somehow, someway, through the thick fog of adversity, the Damien Monarchs (2-0, 2-0 ILH D-I) keep plodding on. It wasn’t so long ago that the school considered dropping football due to an immense chasm between the ILH’s top teams and its small-school cousins. Now, years later, Damien is in the Northwest, playing one of Washington’s top 3A teams. Coach Terry Cloer’s Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 Greater Spokane) went 8-3 last year with a team that was loaded with talented underclassmen.
“They have a senior-heavy team now,” Damien coach Eddie Klaneski said Tuesday. “They’ve won their league the last four years. Kind of a smaller league with four teams, but they’ve dominated. As an intermediate team as freshmen, they were undefeated.”
Damien is thriving even after the graduation of seniors such as QB Marcus Faufata-Pedrina. Jake Holtz has been efficient (260 passing yards, two TDs, no interceptions) and RB Aperamo Sulu (271 yards, four TDs) has been a delight in his return from injury.
The Damien attack will face a versatile Mt. Spokane defense.
“They run 3-4, but they mix it up with a cover-2 and cover-3,” Klaneski said. “Our advantage is we’ve played two games and they haven’t played yet.”
The Wildcats use a spread formation with jet-sweep tendencies, Klaneski added.
“We’re used to the offensive game play they do. We have some film on them. The bad thing is we’ve only had one practice since last week, mostly did special teams. We’ll have only two practices by the time we play them, so that’s the only downfall,” Klaneski said.
Campbell vs. O’Connor
4 p.m. today at Phoenix, Ariz.
Like the Sabers (2-0, 1-0 OIA Open), O’Connor has already gotten plenty of game action before Labor Day. The Eagles beat Mesa (Ariz.) 52-6 and lost to Basha (Ariz.) 17-13. They play at the 6A level in the Desert Valley League.
O’Connor (1-1, 0-0 Desert Valley League) is led by senior QB Ethan Moller, who has passed for 409 yards, four TDs and just two picks.
This is the first mainland trip as Campbell coach for Darren Johnson, though he has often been to the continent as coach of the summer-time 7v7 Hukilau Cafe squad. They spent Wednesday afternoon practicing in Arizona’s 102-degree heat.
The Sabers are rolling and rested. They routed Hilo 54-14 and Farrington 34-7, then had last week off to rest. The battle at QB is ongoing between two talented field generals: newcomer Kaniala Kalaola and returnee Krenston Kaipo.
While Sky Lactaoen (158 yards, two TDs) is the lead RB, Titus Mokiao-Atimalala and Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala lead the pass-catching corps. Each already has a scholarship offer from Hawaii.
Campbell’s defense, led by LB Tyrese Tafai (offer from Nevada) and safety Poki‘i Adkins-Kupukaa (Hawaii offer), should get its toughest challenge yet.
—
Paul Honda, Star-Advertiser
80