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In a battle of math teachers, Matt Murakawa and Sterling Carvalho can almost calculate what the other is thinking.
When Murakawa, Waianae’s football coach, says “A equals B, B equals C, so A equals C,” Carvalho identifies it instantly.
“He just stated the transitive property,” the Kahuku coach said.
The thing is, Murakawa is preaching something different to the Seariders, who are big underdogs against the state’s No. 1 team in the OIA Open Division semifinal round on Saturday.
“We use the opposite of the theory in wrestling, but I use it in all sports. A equals C, we always say that doesn’t pertain in sports. What that says is, no matter who beat you, you just play the game,” he said.
Kahuku walloped Waianae during the regular season, 50-7, at Raymond Torii Field. Every team in the OIA Open took a smackdown from the league’s dominant program. Kahuku has outscored the league’s best teams 325-63.
For 48 minutes at Skippa Diaz Stadium this Saturday, Murakawa believes Waianae (3-3) can do enough to break the momentum of Kahuku (6-0).
“It’s just one game. It takes a lot, there’s no doubt. For us, the biggest thing is mental. Kahuku is the ultimate frontrunner. Once they get that snowball going downhill, they know how to use it,” Murakawa said. “They’ll take more risks. That’s their style. You don’t want to get into a horse race with a thoroughbred, so to speak. You want to make it tortoise and the hare, control the tempo of the game. You kind of have to play perfectly. That’s the cool thing about football. No matter how badly we played last game, we can execute this game and that’s where you stand.”
Waianae isn’t doing so badly, not at all. The Seariders are coming off a 12-3 win over Kapolei that sealed their playoff berth as the division’s fourth-place team.
Carvalho warns his team that anything could happen on any given day.
“On Monday, I came home from our (girls) volleyball match. Our girls almost lost to Waianae. It went to five sets. I’m telling our boys, just because we’re the highest seed, nothing is going to be handed to us,” he said. “To be honest, Waianae is peaking. They’ve been getting better every week.”
Kahuku could say likewise. Even with starting quarterback Jason Mariteragi sidelined by injury, the new-look offense has prospered with a full commitment to the passing game, as well as some of the state’s best skill-position talent. Carvalho has not dialed back the high-potency offense for backup QB Waika Crawford, who has 10 touchdown passes and just two picks in 52 pass attempts. He is averaging nearly 9 yards per attempt.
Kainoa Carvalho and Kealoha Kaio had huge production in a 49-23 win over Campbell last week. Carvalho leads OIA Open in receptions (33), yardage (520 yards) and has five TDs. Kaio has 25 catches for 380 yards and leads the division with nine TD hauls.
Carvalho has been a special teams force, returning a punt for a TD last week, and is a PAT kicking machine.
Defensively, Liona Lefau leads a defense that is versatile and fast. Very fast.
“Their back seven or eight can probably play anywhere from free safety to middle linebacker. I’m not even joking. They almost look the same. I swear there’s no true free safety, no true middle linebacker,” Murakawa said. “And they play aggressive, play downhill. If you miss a block, they’ll give up a 10-yard play for the chance to get a negative play. Once you’re behind the sticks, they’re hard to beat.”
The offense, though, has already shown a willingness to go to empty sets and let Carvalho dash to first-down markers. It has also shown a comfort zone with the old elephant formation, taking air out of the football and minutes off the clock at will.
“Now we have people guessing. Are we going to take away their run or pass now? Before, it was always the run,” Carvalho said. “That’s what we built this year, not only to be explosive, but keeping defenses guessing.”
Kahuku will be ready for anything Waianae tries. That’s the hope up north. The Seariders have an elite power back in Kolu Quisquirin-Sabagala (435 yards, five TDs), who leads OIA Open in rushing.
Nimble-footed QB in Tarent Moniz-Babb is second in the division with 905 passing yards plus eight TDs.
“We’re anticipating them to slow the game down. We can’t score if we don’t have the ball, so we expect them to play old-school Waianae football,” Carvalho said. “But the x-factor is you have (offensive coordinator) Bobby George over there. No Saint Louis person just wants to run the ball, and they’re confident.”
Carvalho has a mathematical concept of his own for the team in red and white.
“We just need to be in a linear function with a positive slope. Keep climbing every week. We cannot drop or get worse,” he said. “Every team in the playoffs deserves to be there and is capable of winning at any time. We haven’t been playing perfect football, but we’re able to overcome and take advantage of opportunities.”
No. 5 Campbell vs. No. 3 Mililani
Skippa Diaz Stadium (Farrington) Friday, 7:30 p.m.
The good news for first-year starting QB Chayne Kuboyama-Hayashi is that he leads OIA Open with 1,232 passing yards and 13 TD passes. But the talented sophomore has thrown 14 interceptions in the rugged division. When Kuboyama-Hayashi suffered an injury in a loss to Mililani last week, Jonah Tofagau-Tavui moved from wide receiver to QB and provided a big spark.
The 6-1, 185-pound freshman passed for two TDs and proved to be a dynamic runner. He finished 5-for-9 with 75 passing yards and 72 rushing yards.
With a state-tournament berth at stake, that might provide enough variety to keep Mililani’s defense on its heels.
Campbell (4-2) won its first four games before losing in back-to-back weeks.
Mililani (4-1) had a good news/bad news scenario last weekend when the lights went out at John Kauinana Stadium and its game with Farrington was canceled. The chance to rest before the playoffs is a plus.
Coach Rod York’s team has balance, enough that there’s no dependency on one playmaker. The closest the Trojans have to a statistical standout is hard-nosed running back Nehemiah Timoteo (345 yards, two TDs, 8.4 yards per carry), who ranks second in rushing yardage.
Emana Tarape distributes passes evenly to seven or eight receivers every week. There is just one Trojan who ranks among the top 10 in receiving yardage: Lando Werner-Celes (13 receptions, 201 yards, four TDs).
When the teams met two weeks ago, Mililani won 48-14.
No. 6 ‘Iolani at Radford
Friday, 6 p.m.
With a spot in the OIA D-II championship game secure, Radford coach Fred Salanoa could empty his bench from the start against the Raiders. Instead, it is likely that the Rams will test the waters against the ILH D-I champions.
Radford is the highest-scoring team in its division at 35.6 points per game. The Rams also rank second in points allowed (20 per game). The RB combo of Christian Payton (589 yards, 10 TDs) and Michael Hayslett (486, six) will face a quick, swarming unit of “hybrids”.
First-year starting QB Kalob Victorino-Avilla has benefited from the ground attack. Radford has run the ball 187 times while Victorino-Avilla has thrown 182 passes. His 15 TD passes ranks first in the division along with Nanakuli’s Keahi Ah Sui and Kaiser’s Easton Yoshino.
‘Iolani (9-0, 6-0 ILH D-I/II) will play its fourth nonconference game since the regular season ended on Oct. 1. Brody Bantolina leads the state with 1,022 rushing yards and 22 TDs.
Aiea at Kailua
Friday, 7 p.m.
Na Alii (3-1) clinched a spot in the title game by routing Waipahu 38-7 last week. Coach Wendell Say could use this game as a chance to play his younger Na Alii.
Kailua, however, scored a season high in last week’s 30-13 win over Castle. That effectively ended Castle’s hopes for a playoff berth. Nothing would be better on Kailua’s ledger than to have a ‘W’ next to Aiea, a team with a chance to win the division and play in the state tournament.
Kailua (1-4, 1-3) has statistical anomalies like no other in OIA D-I. Romeo Ortiz is the only starting QB in the division without a TD pass, but wide receiver Japheth Lilio ranks fifth in receiving yardage (15 receptions, 232 yards). Nainoa Smith-Akana (19, 167, TD) is tied for fifth in catches.
Kaiser vs. Kaimuki
Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium (Roosevelt) Friday, 7 p.m..
The unbeaten Cougars (6-0) have a championship-game berth locked up. They also had their first bye of the season last week. QB Easton Yoshino has been highly efficient with 15 passing TDs and just four interceptions in 159 attempts.
Kamakana Mahiko leads OIA D-II in receptions (41) and receiving yardage (670) plus six TDs. Ryder Rodrigues ranks sixth in rushing yardage (388 yards, two TDs).
Kaimuki (2-4) is coming off a wild 55-34 win over McKinley. LB/WR/QB Sione Taufa and his fellow iron men face a Kaiser defense that has permitted a division-low 74 points.
Waialua at Nanakuli
Friday, 7 p.m.
Waialua (2-4) ended a four-game losing streak against Nanakuli in 2019 with a 31-7 win at Toshi Nakasone Field. This time, the Golden Hawks (3-3) are one of the highest-scoring teams in OIA D-II at 37.6 points per game. Only twice has Nanakuli been limited to fewer than 32 points.
Keahi Ah Sui is surrounded by a truckload of talent, including RB Christian Asinsin (411 yards, four TDs), David Kalili (30 receptions, 443 yards, four TDs) and Joseph Lewis IV (25 catches, 394 receiving yards, 115 rushing yards, nine combined TDs).
Waialua’s Tyson Apau passed for 143 yards and caught eight passes for 66 yards in a 22-14 loss to Pearl City last week.
McKinley at Pearl City
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
The Chargers (4-2) have the fourth-leading rusher in OIA D-II, Caleb Kaai (419 yards, 5.7 per carry). Joshua Gleason had eight catches for 129 yards and a TD in a win over Waialua last week. Gleason (26 catches, 456 yards, five TDs) ranks fifth in receiving yardage.
The Tigers (0-6) haven’t lacked for offensive action. Dustin Chow leads OIA D-II in passing yardage (1,654 yards) and is near the top with 14 TDs. His 36.5 attempts per game is, by far, the most in the division. Wide receiver Michael Papa is second in receiving yardage and tied for first in touchdown catches (27 catches, 620 yards, seven TDs).
Roosevelt at Waipahu
Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
In a normal season, the Rough Riders and Marauders would still be battling for a playoff berth, but in 2021, only two teams play beyond the regular season in OIA D-I.
Roosevelt (1-4, 1-3) is coming off a heartbreaking 27-21 loss to first-place Moanalua. The defensive unit led by speedy Kaeo Akana, who had 12 tackles, seven for loss against Moanalua, has given up just 16.5 points per game in league play.
Waipahu (2-2) has lost two in a row since opening the season with two wins. The Marauders are the only team to beat Moanalua so far.
Kalani vs. Kalaheo
Alex Kane Stadium (Kailua) Saturday, 6 p.m.
At 4-2, the Falcons are on the outside looking in with the reduced playoff field in OIA D-II. Coach Scott Melemai’s team is scored big, at least 25 points, in every game but two: Kaiser and Radford.
QB Logan Lim is a dual threat with 1,133 yards and 12 TDs through the air, and 245 yards and three more TDs on the ground. Josh Oh leads OIA D-II with 592 rushing yards (and four TDs). Noa Uchida ranks fourth in the division with 31 receptions (419 yards, three TDs).
QB Riis Weber is the epitome of grit for the Mustangs (1-6) with 10 combined TDs. With 167 passing attempts and 100 rushes in Kalaheo’s 328 offensive snaps, he has been the busiest of all OIA D-II QBs when it comes to usage. Wide receiver Isaiah Akiu ranks 10th in the division in receiving yardage (31 catches, 384 yards, five TDs).
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