It’s survive and advance time for Leilehua, Radford and the rest of the playoff teams in the OIA.

Historically, Leilehua and Radford have a unique connection as schools with strong ties to military communities.

They have produced elite talent — Leilehua’s Adrian Murrell played for the New York Jets and Radford’s Ashley Lelie played for the Denver Broncos — and are part of the OIA’s title town lore.

They have not met on the gridiron since ’19. Leilehua has won the last 16 matchups. Radford last beat the Mules in 1987, even though Murrell was in his heyday as a Leilehua game changer. The Rams limited Murrell to 29 rushing yards in a 13-7 win. Just two weeks earlier, Murrell had rushed for 246 yards in a win over Mililani.

When the teams meet on Friday at Hugh Yoshida Stadium in the opening round of the OIA Division I playoffs, the Mules (4-5, 3-3) will be a decisive favorite against Radford (1-6, 1-5), which won its first game last week.

“Everyone goes into their next game 0-0, the same clean record. Bottom line is we need to win on the scoreboard our we’ll be turning in our pads,” longtime Radford coach Fred Salanoa said. “It’s just like every week. We don’t try to get more hyped for any game, to try and amaze the team and the crowd. We lift, we condition, we watch film. We meet as coaches for two to three hours each night practice. Just a normal grind that all the other schools are possibly doing.”

The Mules are stoked about being in the postseason. The Open Division schedule of 2022, and the blended Open/Division I slate this fall was a mighty task.

“The challenge of being placed in the Open the past two years has given our players a sense of joy and accomplishment making the playoffs,” Leilehua coach Mark Kurisu said. “It’s about hard work, sacrifice and selflessness. They’ve learned how to commit and invest into the process of building a winning program. Each player has accepted his role. It’s reflected on the field and in the classroom.”

The Mules have a team grade-point average of 3.34, Kurisu noted.

The journey has been dry and dusty, but the Radford Rams also have resilience and grit. There is no other way under the guidance of Salanoa and his staff. The Rams have endured through a second tough season in Division I. After going 1-5 in OIA D-I play last year, Radford closed the ’23 regular season with its first win, 33-24.

It’s the second year in a row that the Rams have beaten Castle in the regular-season finale to prevent an oh-fer league mark. Friday’s playoff battle against Leilehua gives the Rams a chance to wreak havoc on any of the probabilities, including the Mules’ win streak against Radford.

“To see the victory, see the kids come out on top (against Castle), it was great to see. I’ve played on a team where we had wins and had to forfeit them all because of an ineligible player. I’ve coached teams that were winless. I’ve had teams where we won every single game and a state championship. But this feeling was special because they showed up,” Salanoa said.

“Every day, they clean up the lockerroom. We have so much going on here with construction. What makes this team special isn’t the outcome, but that they kids continue to arrive and practice on a consistent, daily basis. A majority of kids these days, seeing our scores, would not show up. You deal with social media says, your classmates, what auntie and uncle and brother and sister say, your peers from other schools. It’s tough to go through a season like this knowing that you are probably outnumbered, outmanned, outweighed against the teams we’re going against in the Open Division. I think that’s the biggest accomplishment and payback to us as coaches, seeing what kind of character these kids have.”

Leilehua will put a balanced offense on the turf with running back Cole Northington as a focal point. Tim Arnold has been one of the breakout playmakers in the OIA, a reliable possession receiver with go-route speed. The Rams know plenty about the Mules.

“This team is big and fast, but the thing about Leilehua that is consistent in my mind, they have a coach in Mark Kurisu who I hold as one of the top defensive minds in the state. He always has his team prepared,” Salanoa said. “A very cerebral guy, a teacher on campus and close with his kids. They have a lot of looks on the defensive side. They’re going to bring exotic blitzes, the standup look.”

Linebacker Matteus Ioane, a a 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior, has popped off the video.

“He impresses me the most,” Salanoa said. “They have a run stopper in No. 66 (Sonny Tagaloa) who just stands in the middle and gobbles up the center and two guards.”

Junior defensive end Gabriel Liua (6-1, 185) has also been solid, Salanoa said.

Radford running back Wendell Harrison had a breakout performance against Castle with 152 yards and three TDs on 14 carries.

“We need a great game from him. After last week, they may key on him or take him out of the equation. He’s done a good job,” Salanoa said.

Kellen Fortson has been a steady contributor at linebacker.

“He’s a little bit of an undersized guy, a young guy, but he’s so cerebral in his football IQ. Always around the ball. He makes a lot of the calls and adjustments to get players in the correct position and alignment. He leads our team and maybe the state in tackles,” Salanoa said. “I’m not a big stats guy, but he’s doing a great job for us on defense.”

Slotback/wide receiver Jacob Sullivan might get action on defense, Salanoa noted.

“Put him at safety, at corner, in the box to help out,” he said.

With a smaller enrollment, Radford’s success in more recent years has been in Division II, when it won the state championship. Since bumping up to D-I, the struggle has been real for the Rams: 0-8 in 2016, 1-8 in ’17, 2-8 in ’18, 0-8 in ’19, 6-3 in ’21 and 2-6 in ’22.

The blended Open/D-I schedule this fall included four Top 10 teams on Radford’s schedule in the first four games. Farrington, Kapolei, Mililani and Waipahu were followed by Waianae and Kailua. In other words. Waipahu, already a D-I powerhouse, was injected with a big dose of transfers in the offseason.

A mainstay in D-I, Kailua is another sizable program on the cusp between Open and D-I when it comes to talent.

There are no breathers. Leilehua is a hungry team that took its lumps in ’22 as an Open Division team. The Mules were 3-3 in OIA Open/D-I play, beating Kailua, Moanalua, Aiea and Nanakuli while losing to Campbell and Farrington, then forfeiting to Kahuku last week.

Coach Kurisu voiced his concerns about the format in ’22. The decision to forego last week’s game against Kahuku was no surprise with injuries playing a factor and this week’s playoff game on deck.

As a whole, D-I teams in the OIA have not been competitive with Open programs, even with gentlemen agreements that have Open teams playing second- and third-stringers for most of the games. In 22 matchups between OIA Open and D-I teams,Open teams were 18-4. Two games were forfeited (against No. 1 Kahuku) and one game was cancelled.

In the 19 games played, Open teams outscored D-I opponents 48.2 to 14.2.

In prior years to COVID when the OIA and ILH agreed to crossover games during the regular season, Punahou, Saint Louis and Kamehameha provided much more competition. OIA D-I teams were not forced to play against Open teams. Instead, they scheduled ‘Iolani, Damien and Pac-Five and had more competitive games, as well.

For Leilehua and Radford, none of this matters when kickoff arrives at roughly 7:37 p.m. on Friday. The proud Mules have not won a playoff game since ’19. That team opened nonconference play with a win over then Open Division member Farrington, and later posted wins over Damien and ‘Iolani during the regular season, closed the campaign with a victory over Radford.

They beat Waipahu to reach the OIA D-I final, then lost to Moanalua in double overtime. The Mules routed Baldwin, 34-7, in a play-in game before losing to Hilo, 19-9, in the semifinals.

Then came a rough ’22 season. Still required to have Open Division status, the Mules went 0-6 in league play (0-7-1 overall).

Other top games

>> Waianae (1-7, 1-4 OIA Open/D-I) at No. 3 Campbell (7-2, 5-1 OIA Open/D-I), Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

The aura of Campbell’s dynamic defense took a bit of a hit with a 38-7 loss at No. 1 Kahuku two weeks ago. The Sabers recharged and walloped Moanalua, 68-3, last week to set up this matchup with Waianae in round one of the OIA Open Division playoffs.

When healthy, Campbell’s offense can play at pinball-machine tilt level. If Tana Togafau-Tavui and Rowen-Ray Bucao are 100 percent or close to it, quarterback Jaren-Keawe Sagapolutele will have a full arsenal of weapons.

The Seariders are 0-3 against Open foes this season, losing to Kahuku, 49-0, Mililani, 62-0, and Kapolei, 41-7. They also lost to Kamehameha, 27-15, and Lincoln (Calif.), 41-0.

With a few takeaways and consistent ball control, Waianae is physical and athletic enough to stay close. The Seariders are going for their first playoff win since 2017, when they beat Campbell, 28-21, in overtime.

>> Moanalua (1-6-1, 1-4-1 OIA Open/D-I) at No. 6 Kapolei (7-2, 5-1 OIA Open/D-I), Friday, 7:30 p.m.

The differences in size, physicality and athleticism have been undeniable for OIA Open and D-I teams. Moanalua has shown signs of turning the corner in Year One under Coach Andrew Manley, posting a win over Aiea and playing Nanakuli to a tie. The only losses to D-I teams for Na Menehune was against Leilehua, 21-7, and Farrington, 37-27, early in the season.

Facing some of the best in Open, Moanalua lost to Kamehameha, 51-7; Punahou, 45-0; Kahuku, 59-0; and Campbell, 68-3. Kapolei won’t be any easier.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 41-7 rout of Waianae, which followed a 56-0 loss to No. 2 Mililani. The lopsided loss to Mililani is fuel for the ‘Canes, whose only other loss was to Saint Louis, 42-28, in August.

Liatama Amisone’s spectacular season took a pause in the loss to Mililani, which is showing signs of possibly its best defensive unit in school history. Amisone has 1,795 passing yards and 721 rushing yards with a combined 37 TDs with only six interceptions in 198 throws.

Contain Amisone and there is hope.

>> Kalaheo (2-4, 2-4 OIA D-II) vs. Kalani (3-4, 2-4 OIA D-II), Kaiser Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.

When this game was postponed two weeks ago, playoff hopes were still alive for both teams. Since then, Kalaheo lost a 21-14 heartbreaker to Kaiser, and Kalani lost a nail-biter to first-place Pearl City, 26-21.

Meanwhile, Kaimuki (4-5, 4-3) secured fourth place and the final playoff berth with a 28-0 win over McKinley. That means Friday’s game will the swan song for Kalaheo and Kalani, and a senior class that has provided plenty of memories for Mustang and Falcon fans.

Kalani’s seasoned group of seniors, which came up playing under Coach Radford Dudoit and staff as part of the Dirty Birds, has been stellar under interim coach Quinn Griffiths.

Kalaheo’s intriguing group of seniors and young talent has been competitive under first-year head coach Jaymason Lee. The Mustangs have outscored their opponents 147-144.

>> Aiea (2-6, 1-5 OIA Open/D-I) at Kailua (4-4, 3-3 OIA Open D-I), Saturday, 1 p.m.

It didn’t take long to go from a dream season in 2022 to a potentially nightmarish one in ’23, but Na Alii of Aiea refuse to give way despite the preponderance of exiting transfers in the offseason. With a 29-8 win over Nanakuli last week, Aiea enters the D-I playoffs with renewed energy.

Versatile Hiki Kim Choy-Keb-Ah Lo was clutch against Nanakuli with a combined 233 yards and three TDs from scrimmage. Most of his production was as a passer and runner, but he also had one reception for nine yards.

The Surfriders have a poised playmaker at QB in Romeo Ortiz, who has sparked his team to wins over Castle, Kaimuki (nonconference), Waianae and Radford. Kailua’s depth is a key factor. Coach Joe Wong has spread the ball to three primary running backs. WR Aizek Kaanoi leads the receiving crew with 34 receptions for 392 yards and four TDs.

If the boys in blue can get past last week’s loss to Waipahu and get past Aiea, they will reach the semifinals. Last year, Kailua lost to Waipahu in the regular-season finale, then edged Roosevelt, 30-29, in the opening round of the playoffs before falling to Aiea, 41-0.