The first time Sterling Carvalho visited fellow coach Messay Hailemariam, it was 2018 in Baltimore.

Hailemariam had taken the Saint Frances Academy football program from the depths to the pinnacle. At one point, the team was 1-39, including a 33-game losing streak. The win was by forfeit.

Then, the new wave washed ashore. Hailemariam became head coach in 2011.

“Our first two games, we lost by 80 points. We didn’t know how to play. We were very athletic, but not really football boys. It was more of a basketball school,” he said.

After those two early blowouts, they won their next 30 games and never stopped growing. Now, Saint Frances is one of the top programs in the nation. There is still no home field, no locker room.

“We have to drive to three, four different places to practice,” Hailemariam said. “But we built this powerhouse.”

When the lights turn on at Carleton Weimer Field on Friday night, two powerhouses representing the East Coast and the Pacific will clash. Kahuku (6-1, 4-0 OIA Open Division) will have a treat for fans, a top-tier, national-level matchup on its renovated field.

Life after Kainoa Carvalho, last year’s All-State offensive player of the year, hasn’t been the same since the speedy receiver and returner suffered an ankle fracture at practice seven weeks ago. A balanced offense helped soften the blow, with running backs Clyde Taulapapa (309 rushing yards, six touchdowns) and Va‘aimalae Fonoti (280, seven) sharing the load.

Kaimana Carvalho (34 receptions, 417 yards, one TD) has stepped up in his older brother’s stead despite a lingering injury. Manulele Ah You (17, 170, TD) is another threat as a receiver and returner. The pass-catching corps is talented, if young, and faces a heralded secondary in the Panthers.

QB Waika Crawford (1,333 passing yards, eight TDs, one interception) remains resourceful.

Saint Frances is off to a 4-0 start and is ranked No. 3 nationally by MaxPreps behind St. John Bosco (Calif.) and Mater Dei (Calif.). Kahuku lost at St. John Bosco two weeks ago, 34-7. The Panthers opened the season with a 20-13 win over East St. Louis (Ill.), then routed DeSoto (Texas), 47-7, Venice (Fla.), 34-17, and Dutch Fork (S.C.), 26-7. All were road games.

The Panthers represent a large segment of the top football talent in the Old Line State. 24/7 Sports rates 17 of the Panthers on its Top 50 players list. That includes No. 2 Derrick Moore, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive lineman who has committed to Michigan. No. 3 Jaishan Barham is a 6-3, 230-pound linebacker committed to Maryland. No. 6 Aaron Wilson, a 6-2, 235-pound defensive lineman, is undecided.

Andre Roye, a 6-4, 320-pound offensive lineman, is rated No. 11 and committed to Maryland. Their other Top-50 O-linemen include Jude Bowry (6-5, 285, Boston College commit), Jacob Sacra (6-5, 315, East Carolina commit), Cornell Evans (6-1, 280, Buffalo commit), Marcus Johnson (6-6, 310, undecided) and Rene Miller (6-6, 280, undecided).

Quarterback John Griffith (6-1, 215), rated 41st, is committed to Bowling Green. Wide receiver Ike White (5-11, 185), rated No. 25, is committed to Minnesota.

Saint Frances plays a national schedule, an anomaly in the vast panorama of big-time prep football. Building a juggernaut within the inner city, Hailemariam was head coach until 2015, then was an assistant over the next four seasons before returning to the head coaching position in ’20. When he met Carvalho, it was in some ways two kindred souls crossing paths.

“Coach (Carvalho) is a really pleasant person. He’s good for the game. A great guy. We talked about what we do at Saint Frances and the process it takes,” Hailemariam said.

Over the years, Carvalho sent Kahuku T-shirts to his friend across the country.

“I’m going to give him something from Saint Frances,” Hailemariam said. “I just feel like the experience of coming here to play in Hawaii is more powerful than football. Who would imagine any kids from Baltimore would come all the way to Hawaii.”

On the gridiron, the Panthers are a throwback of sorts.

“Their O-line and D-line are bigger than Bosco’s,” Carvalho said. “They play a physical game. Their running backs, one is committed to Pitt and the other to Boston College. They run the ball really good. We watched the film. Third-and-14, they’re running. They play with the pass, but when they need yards, they run.”

In that sense, the experience at Bosco was useful. Linebackers Liona Lefau and Leonard Ah You, and defensive back Brock Fonoimoana have another behemoth test.

“I’m glad we had the Bosco game. We learned we need to execute every single play. Every facet of the game is down to the exact tee,” Carvalho said. “You can’t make mistakes against these national powers. The windows are smaller, the margin of error is so much smaller. Bosco prepared us for this.”

When he visited Baltimore in ’18, Carvalho saw the next stage of high school football.

“A coach bought three-story high townhouses. They recruit these players and basically dorm them. The coaches he hired are like dorm parents, make sure they get up for class,” Carvalho said. “Nobody in their conference wants to play them, so they play a national schedule. That’s why we take these games. It’s not about wins and losses as a coach, but the experiences you get as a player or coach. Unless you’re there and physically see how fast they are, it’s a huge difference.”

The same spirit and fury that Kahuku fans brought to St. John Bosco will be in full regalia Friday night.

“We’re grateful to have such a wonderful fan base that brought it for the boys. To me, that’s the biggest thing,” Carvalho said. “Big mahalo to Red Raider nation.”

After the Panthers make the long journey back to Maryland, they have a home game with West Toronto Prep lined up. Down the road, they have a road game at St. Thomas More and an away game at IMG Academy.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

No. 3 Mililani (4-2, 3-0) at Leilehua (0-5-1, 0-4), 7:30 p.m.

It has been a quiet, introspective two weeks for the Trojans since their road trip to Mater Dei (Calif.). Their stretch run includes road battles at Kapolei and Kahuku.

Sophomore QB Kini McMillan never hesitates to give his playmakers a chance down field. Raymond Roller (17.4 yards per reception), Onosa‘i Salanoa (13.1), Isaiah Padello (13.7) and Lehiwa Kahana-Travis (12.8) have all been effective after the catch.

Since going 10-3 in 2019, reaching the semifinals of the D-I state championships, it’s been a struggle in the OIA Open Division for the Mules. Against rival Mililani, it’s a seven-game losing streak dating back to 2013. Leilehua’s last win in this series was on Sept. 1, 2012, a 17-13 home win.

Farrington (4-3, 2-1 OIA D-I) at Kailua (2-2-1, 2-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Governors are on a two-game win streak following a 42-0 rout of Radford and a 24-20 nail-biter over Castle. They have road games at Kailua and Roosevelt, then a home game with defending league champion Aiea. That’s a tough route to a playoff berth.

Kailua has been stellar with the exception of a lopsided loss to powerful Campbell. The Surfriders outscored Castle, 41-34, lost a close one to Aiea, 13-7, and topped Radford, 41-14, in the past three weeks. After Farrington, there are home games with Waipahu and Roosevelt.

The two programs haven’t met since 2017, when Farrington pulled out a 3-0 win at Alex Kane Stadium. The Govs have a seven-game win streak over the Surfriders, who last beat Farrington on Sept. 17, 2010. Khaki Aiea passed for 303 yards in Kailua’s 31-15 victory.

Waipahu (5-1, 4-0 OIA D-I) at Castle (1-5, 1-2), 7:30 p.m.

The Marauders are in the driver’s seat, while the scrappy Knights could prove to be the ultimate trap game. Castle could be 3-0 in league play if not for close losses to Farrington and Kailua. The Marauders exploded in the second half for a 59-24 win over Roosevelt last week. That’s 157 points in four league games.

Waipahu won last year’s matchup, but the previous game was taken by Castle, 49-28, in 2019.

Kalani (2-4, 2-3 OIA D-II) at Pearl City (5-2, 4-1), 7:30 p.m.

Coming off last week’s 21-3 loss to first-place Nanakuli, the Falcons want to finish the regular season strong. The top two finishers will earn a home playoff game. Coach Robin Kami is hoping quarterback Trey Dacoscos (1,490 passing yards, 19 TDs) can return this week. Dacoscos, who has also scored two TDs on the ground, got hurt two weeks ago against Kaiser.

Kalani is still in the playoff picture, but would need wins over Pearl City and Kaiser to have a shot.

Both games are on the road. The Falcons lost at Waialua last week, 36-13.

Aiea (4-2, 2-1 OIA D-I) at Radford (1-5, 0-4), 7:30 p.m.

The win-loss mark doesn’t show it, but the Rams have been resilient and gritty all season. They have missed starting QB Kalob Victorino-Avilla, who threw only two picks (with seven TDs) in 124 pass attempts. Michael Hayslett has been a bell cow back with 462 rushing yards (one TD) and 18 receptions for 168 yards (one TD).

Last week’s close loss to Waipahu knocked Na Alii off track briefly. RB Kaimana Lale-Saole (619 yards, six TDs) is a crucial component in the offensive attack. Sophomore QB Ezekiel Olie has passed for 1,235 yards and nine TDs with just three picks in 150 attempts.

Aiea has won the last five meetings between the schools. Radford last beat Na Ali on Oct. 1, 2011, 24-21, with Isaiah Fonoti at QB (223 yards).

Pac-Five (2-2, 0-2 ILH D-II) at Punahou I-AA (0-3, 0-3), 3:15 p.m.

The Wolfpack opened the season with nonconference runaway wins over Pahoa (36-0) and Kalaheo (41-0). Then came losses to Kamehameha I-AA (52-7) and Saint Louis I-AA (28-0). The I-AA Buffanblu have actually scored more points, 34, against those other I-AA teams than Pac-Five has.

Saturday’s games

No. 4 Campbell (4-2, 2-2 OIA Open) at No. 6 Kapolei, 6:30 p.m.

On paper, this could be a high-scoring battle, but both defensive units have shown lockdown ability. The Hurricanes took their first loss last week against Kahuku, 35-0, but did not allow more than 24 points in any previous contest.

They’ll have to contend with the passing prowess of Campbell’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (1,605 passing yards, 13 TDs, seven interceptions).

The Sabers are coming off a 51-15 win over Moanalua. Since losing a 35-34 thriller at Mililani five weeks ago, Campbell’s defense has permitted just 12.7 points per game. Elusive Kapolei sophomore QB Tama Amisone gets his chance to bounce back after some struggles against Kahuku. Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa is still in the mix, giving Kapolei depth at QB.

No. 5 Saint Louis (2-3, 1-1 ILH Open) at Kamehameha (0-4-1, 0-2), 7 p.m.

A year ago, Saint Louis was chasing Kamehameha in the standings, and eventually overcame the wounded Warriors in the ILH playoffs. This season, both teams are chasing Punahou.

The Crusaders can stay within range with a win. Since losing to Punahou, 43-19, coach Ron Lee and his squad had two weeks to work on a key fundamental: ball protection.

Kamehameha came back from Nevada with some momentum after a 25-18 loss to Liberty before falling to Punahou last week, 52-7. All three ILH Open teams qualify for the playoffs, and the Warriors have a bye week after meeting Saint Louis.

No. 7 ‘Iolani (6-0, 3-0 ILH D-I) at Kamehameha I-AA (2-2, 0-1, 4 p.m.

This is the front side of a rare doubleheader, with Saint Louis and Kamehameha to follow.

The Raiders are on a 16-game win streak thanks to a tenacious, hybrid-based defense. Since outslugging Radford, 56-41, seven weeks ago, ‘Iolani is allowing only 6.8 points per game.

Taniela Taliuli (28 receptions, 598 yards, nine TDs) remains a scoring machine. Kaeo Kawa‘akoa (530 rushing yards, 11 TDs) has emerged as a force in the backfield.

The I-AA Warriors won two in a row (Punahou I-AA, Pac-Five) before losing to Damien, 32-19, last week.

Kaimuki (3-3, 3-2 OIA D-II) vs. Nanakuli (5-1, 5-0) at Roosevelt, 5:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs’ three-game win streak came to an end against Kaiser last week, but playoff hopes are still alive. With two regular-season games left, a 5-2 mark would almost guarantee a playoff spot. A 4-3 record would put Kaimuki’s desire to extend the season in jeopardy.

Senior RB Ofa Vehikite now has 978 rushing yards and nine TDs

Nanakuli is coming off a super defensive performance against Pearl City. One more win would all but seal first place in OIA D-II thanks to head-to-head advantage over Pearl City.

McKinley (0-6, 0-5 OIA D-II) at Waialua (3-4, 2-3), 6:30 p.m.

Waialua’s remote playoff chances would improve with a win. The Bulldogs don’t lack for offense, racking up 33 points against Kaimuki and 36 on Kalani in the past two weeks. QB Tyson Apau has passed for 1,149 yards and 11 TDs with 458 yards and seven TDs on the ground. He is now averaging 10.6 yards per carry.

McKinley has scored 48 points for the season to date. Preston Note, with 25 catches for 469 yards and two TDs, is one of the Tigers’ bright spots.

Kaiser (3-3, 3-2 OIA D-II) vs. Kalaheo (1-6, 1-4) at Kailua, 6 p.m.

The Cougars posted a key win over Kaimuki last week and now have destiny on their side.

Kalaheo notched its first win of the season last week, 37-0, over McKinley. Elijah Taylor has 396 rushing yards and two TDs, while Kamalu Anova-Jordan leads the Mustang receiving corps with 16 catches for 210 yards and three TDs.

Damien (3-2, 1-1 ILH D-I) vs. Saint Louis I-AA (1-1, 1-1) at Radford, 7 p.m.

The Monarchs have been hungry for one more shot at first-place ‘Iolani since losing a heart-breaker, 13-12, to the Raiders two weeks ago. Damien might not get that opportunity to catch ‘Iolani if they can’t get past the I-AA Crusaders. Saint Louis I-AA lost to ‘Iolani, 41-8, then beat Punahou I-AA 34-20.