There were aching hearts in the land of purple last weekend.

The Pearl City Chargers were in position to remain unbeaten in the OIA Division II standings, setting up a showdown with undefeated Kaimuki. Instead, Pearl City’s homecoming and senior night were spoiled by Roosevelt, which ran away with a 49-14 rout at Bino Neves Stadium.

Now 5-1 in league play (6-3 overall), coach Robin Kami’s squad is still in the hunt for the league title. The Chargers can finish no worse than third, with the four-team playoff bracket to begin next week.

They can also be a spoiler. A win over Kaimuki (6-0) would leave the Bulldogs, Rough Riders and Chargers in a three-way tie for first place. A coin flip would determine seeding for the playoffs, Kami said. Pearl City and Kaimuki meet on Saturday at Skippa Diaz Stadium.

“We feel good. We’re going there trying to be competitive,” Kami said. “Our kids took the loss kind of hard. We told them, in 24 hours, we need to wash it down and move on to the next game. Now the kids are upbeat and back to where they were. Losing is a lesson and the bottom line is we’re in the playoffs.”

Roosevelt’s finely tuned option attack ruled the night in last week’s game.

“We came back and watched the film. Bottom line is Roosevelt came to play. They wanted it more and they executed,” Kami said. “Roosevelt runs the option, so you have to play assignment ball. They run that option to perfection from all different kinds of formations.”

The Bulldogs will offer challenges of another kind. Kaimuki has a massive line by any standard, led by 6-foot-4, 330-pound senior Sama Paama. He committed to Washington last spring. The Bulldogs also have an evolving pass attack with first-year starter Jonah Fa‘asoa.

“At the beginning of the season, they were running a lot; now they pass a lot. Their quarterback is a good player and now he leads the division in passing,” Kami said of Fa‘asoa, who has passed for 1,567 yards and 13 touchdowns. “They’re running a more complex offense. They run either side. Their O-line and D-line are big, physical and fast. They run well for their size.”

The Chargers defense will also face an effective ground attack. Jonah Stevens has rushed for 617 yards (5.9 per attempt) and Naomus Ausega-Fualaau has 437 yards (6.2 per carry).

Despite being “undersized” — Kami’s description — for many years, Pearl City has always found a way to battle into the playoffs. They’ve made the postseason in each of his six years as head coach. The layers of football IQ Kami and his staff teach within the program are not measurable, but the results are real.

While this season’s offensive unit continues to develop, special teams and defense have held down the fort. Kami gives the special teams an overall grade of “B.” Defense? A straight “A.”

“Oh yeah, we’re undersized. Real bad. It’s the philosophy and the kids believing in what we do. Since we don’t have size, we try to depend on the speed, the technique, the keys and we try to disguise the defense so the offense has a hard time,” Kami said.

The Chargers line up with seven in the box, a traditional set with defensive ends and two defensive tackles, but the linebacking crew is highly versatile. Tyler Fernandez (5-9, 160) lines up in the middle with Aidan Fernandes (5-9, 180) outside. The other outside ’backer is Cody Kikuyama (5-9, 160), who often has the freedom to roam like a rover.

“He hits more like he’s 200 (pounds),” Kami said. “He’s like the older brothers that we had.”

His ability to cover gives Pearl City a nickel scheme without having to change personnel. Then again, just about all their ’backers are quick enough to be DBs.

Particularly in a year of restocking the offense with several first-year varsity players, Pearl City’s methodology has been a blend of low-risk calls and patience. It has also been about spreading the responsibilities with a true running back-by-committee approach. Tex Kang has rushed for a team-high 311 yards, but four Chargers, including Kang, have carried the ball at least 21 times.

“We try to be balanced. We try to be 50-50, run and pass,” said Kami.

The Chargers have passed the ball 223 times and run it 226.

“We’re a simple offense. We’re just trying to be the best defense as an offense, hold on to the ball the best we can,” Kami said.

PEARL CITY CHARGERS (6-3, 5-1 OIA D-II) VS. KAIMUKI BULLDOGS (6-2, 6-0)

Where: Skippa Diaz Stadium

When: Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

TV: Spectrum XCast2 (Channel 1018)

Radio: None

All-time series record: Tied 9-9-2

First meeting: Pearl City 29, Kaimuki 18, Sept. 15, 1978

Last meeting: Pearl City 7, Kaimuki 0, Oct. 13, 2017

Memorable meeting: The two schools have been familiar foes in the OIA playoffs, whether it’s Division II or White. In 2010, with a spot in the OIA White title game and a state tournament berth on the line, the Bulldogs held on to win 14-13 after beating Pearl City by 22 in the regular-season finale a week earlier. The Chargers scored the apparent game-tying TD on a 30-yard pass from Isaac Shim to Diacorri Briscoe with 6:42 remaining, but missed the extra point. Pearl City got the ball back on the Kaimuki 18 after recovering a fumble, but missed a 33-yard field goal. Kaimuki then ran out the clock with nine straight rushing plays.

No. 1 Saint Louis vs. No. 7 Kamehameha, Today, 7:30 p.m., Aloha Stadium

The No. 1 Crusaders showed signs of youth and growing pains in a 35-28 win over Punahou four weeks ago. Then it took all they had to get past Kapolei in a 30-22 victory as starting quarterback Jayden de Laura sat with an injury. Since then, Saint Louis has outscored Campbell and Farrington by a combined score of 127-13.

Even with their dominance, Saint Louis (7-0, 6-0 ILH Open) hasn’t taken a foe lightly. The Crusaders are still aiming to shut out every foe, but in this new era of the OIA-ILH alliance — a Top 10 opponent every week — Saint Louis has not shut out a single opponent all season.

The defensive unit, led by Faatui Tuitele, might be the best in school history. As a team, the Crusaders have a collective 77 college scholarship offers. Sixty-eight of those offers are to Saint Louis defensive players, including 39 for Tuitele.

No. 7 Kamehameha (4-4, 3-3) is coming off a 27-0 win over Waianae. Though this game has no bearing on the ILH playoffs and seedings, the Warriors could gain momentum with a win, or even a strong performance against the nationally ranked Crusaders.

A productive night by the O-line and RBs Alec Serrao (571 yards, one TD) and Reino Bush (403 yards, one TD) would set the tone for Kamehameha. Saint Louis has won the past nine matchups with the Warriors.

Kamehameha last beat the Crusaders on Oct. 19, 2013, a 34-28 win that featured 233 rushing yards by Kainoa Simao.

BEST OF THE REST

St. Francis at Roosevelt, Today, 7:30 p.m.

The Rough Riders’ lopsided win over Pearl City opened a lot of eyes in D-II, St. Francis’ included. The Saints (8-0, 7-0 ILH D-II) have a berth in the state tournament sealed, but because the HHSAA does not recognize a league champion from ILH Division II — due to only two schools participating — the Saints will be unseeded while other leagues will secure the two seeded slots.

Regardless, St. Francis is in alpha mode, permitting only 12 points in the past four games, including a 13-0 shutout of Kaimuki. With RB Jonan Aina-Chaves (1,090 yards, 13 TDs rushing) healthy, coach Kip Akana’s team will pound the ball on the ground behind LG Siotame Haunga (6-2, 306) and LT Faaope Laloulu (6-7, 340).

Roosevelt’s option attack, with Sky Ogata at the controls, has been the perfect formula for the once-struggling program. Ogata has 1,399 combined yards and 17 TDs from scrimmage. The Rough Riders (8-1, 6-1 OIA D-II) still have a chance to finish in a first-place tie if Pearl City knocks off Kaimuki on Saturday.

No. 4 Campbell at Kapolei, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

The Sabers’ roller-coaster season got a big boost with a 28-27 win over Kahuku last weekend. No. 4 Campbell (5-3, 2-1 OIA Open) is in sole possession of second place and has an inside track to one of four playoff berths, as well as a head-to-head tiebreaker over Kahuku, if it comes to that.

Campbell’s banged-up defense got the job done against Kahuku’s persistent ground attack. The secondary got help from receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, who played defense for the first time. The offense got weaponized with the utilization of safety Poki‘i Adkins-Kupukaa, giving quarterbacks Kaniela Kalaola and Krenston Kaipo a deluxe aerial package.

Mokiao-Atimalala’s 29-yard TD catch with 19 seconds left made the difference against Kahuku, but whether he and his teammates continue their ironman effort, only coach Darren Johnson knows.

Kapolei (3-5, 1-2) is playing for its playoff life. The Hurricanes need a win in one of their last two regular-season games to have a chance. The ’Canes travel to Kahuku next week.

No. 2 Punahou at Waianae, Today, 7:30 p.m.

The nature of the OIA-ILH alliance, or pilot program, means that this game counts for No. 2 Punahou. Yet, the ILH playoff seeding is already set — Punahou (5-2, 4-2 ILH Open) will meet Kamehameha in the first round.

For Waianae (1-6, 1-3 OIA Open), the game doesn’t count in the OIA standings. Next week’s home game against Campbell will count, and it will be the Seariders’ final shot at qualifying for the playoffs.

The Buffanblu aerial attack is matched by few. Hugh Brady has passed for nearly 300 yards per game (2,015 yards, 21 TDs), but the ground game has eased the pressure. RBs Vincent Terrell and Sitiveni Kaufusi have combined for 615 yards and six TDs.

This will be the seventh meeting between the schools on the gridiron. Punahou has won the past two games, while Waianae hasn’t defeated the Buffanblu since 1995.

Punahou and Waianae have played at Raymond Torii Field only once, on Aug. 26, 2006, a 21-12 win by the visiting Buffanblu.

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Paul Honda, Star-Advertiser