Kahuku primed, ready for start of prep football season

A perfect 10-0 season and an Open Division state championship are a tough achievement to follow, but Kahuku enters the 2022 season with something new.

After winning its first state crown since 2015, coach Sterling Carvalho’s squad is a prohibitive favorite. With Star-Advertiser All-State players of the year Liona Lefau (defense) and Kainoa Carvalho (offense) leading a deep corps of returnees, perfection is the expectation in and around Big Red country.

“When people say it’s ‘championship or bust,’ it’s really meant that this year. To be able to repeat is something that our players are really focused on,” coach Carvalho said. “Last year, we caught, maybe, a lot of teams by surprise. Now people know who we have, what we’re capable of doing.”

The ’21 season was a tsunami of success. Kahuku won each game by at least 21 points with one exception, a 21-14 win over Mililani on a soggy night in Central Oahu. After trouncing Campbell, 21-0, and Saint Louis, 49-14, in the state championships, Kahuku reigned supreme.

In the offseason, the team gathered again for Pylon and won its second national championship in as many years.

With a healthy lineup, Kahuku begins the season on Saturday night at renovated Carleton Weimer Field against the Kamehameha Warriors.

The visitors have the blueprint to derail the offensive aerial fireworks of Kahuku, but without prolific running back Noah Bartley, there are question marks at this early stage. If there are answers, Warriors coach Abu Ma‘afala isn’t keen on talking about them — yet.

Kahuku’s defensive unit was stingy as ever, allowing just 9.8 points per game last season. Lefau was a versatile defender, stout against the run, able to cover receivers. Kahuku’s run defense was often superior, creating opportunities for explosive edge rusher Leonard Ah You, the playmaker with black electrical tape on both forearms.

The athleticism and IQ of Kahuku’s returning defenders is tough to match. Brock Fonoimoana has breakaway speed on his occasional snaps as a wide receiver, and utilizes his range as a safety. Cornerbacks Shaun Niu and Aiden Manutai provide lockdown coverage. Viliamu Toilolo and Kaimana Carvalho will have key roles in Kahuku’s always versatile, interchangeable secondary.

Manutai, whose family is rooted on the North Shore, is a transfer from Mililani.

Up front, Stan Raass, Nitus Auelua and Howie Iongi set the tone. Iongi transferred from Utah to play for his father’s alma mater.

Wide receiver Kache Kaio grew up playing with Kahuku’s elite players, played at Saint Louis on the JV/Division II squad, and opted to transfer in the offseason. With Manulele Ah You and Carvalho, Kaio provides a bigger target who often overpowers cornerbacks in one-on-one scenarios.

Kahuku’s offensive line made a major step in the evolutionary track last year, transforming from a smashmouth machine into a versatile unit. Roebek Rupp, Teacum Moeai, Braydon Lealaitafea and Mailo Raass lead the trench men. Moeai is another transfer, returning from Punahou.

Coach Carvalho showed a full commitment to the passing game last year, but when defenses gave his team open gaps, Kahuku was more than willing to inflict a smashmouth battering on foes. Clyde Taulapapa and Lamana Tapusoa top the running back depth chart going into week one.

The graduation of Jason Mariteragi is huge, but Waika Crawford is ready. Crawford stepped in effectively as a junior when Mariteragi missed several games with an injury. Crawford’s ability to dart out of the pocket, stop on a dime at the line of scrimmage and deliver spirals anywhere across the field was unique — and broke the hearts of many defensive units.

Speaking of the field, the new synthetic surface gives Kahuku a true home field to practice on after spending all of ’21 on the road.

“We are still mesmerized by having our own field. Turf, lines, all these things which we didn’t have,” coach Carvalho said. “I hope we continue not to take it for granted. Now that we have such a beautiful field and track, we want to remain focused to accomplish our goals.”

After Kamehameha, Kahuku will face Waianae, Leilehua, Punahou and Campbell before flying to California to meet national powerhouse St. John Bosco.