The Cougars, demoted from the White Conference last year, are in the process of an amazing turnaround. Last season was disastrous as head coach Tony Gayer was hired too late to even get familiar with his roster. As a result, the Cougars were clawless throughout the season.
The differences between this season and last are glaring. Instead of averaging 199.7 yards a game on offense, Kaiser is averaging 363. Instead of giving up 287.2 yards a game, the Cougars are spotting the opposition only 91.
Quarterback Grant Sato last season had 491 yards and three touchdown passes after a full six-game regular season. This season, after only three games, he has 597 yards and seven touchdown passes. Senior slotback Brett Kakuda was not a factor in the stats last year but this year he's the leading scorer on Oahu with 60 points (10 touchdowns).
He has seven touchdown receptions and 426 yards of total offense.
"Every time I think about this game, tears come to my eyes because of what these kids went through last year," said Gayer. "I really want them to do well."
On the other side of the field, Kelly Sur, another second-year coach, has his Radford Rams where they were last year at this time - 3-0.
"I respect Radford's athleticism," said Gayer, "and they're well-coached."
He said he's concerned about stopping the Radford ground game, which is led by speedy Jeff Terry (311 yards, three touchdowns) and rugged Richard Kealoha (162 yards).
"We have to control the ball," said Sur. "Kaiser has an explosive offense, so we have to keep the Cougars off the field as much as possible. On defense, we have to make sure we're solid."
Radford, which forfeited four games in 1995 due to an ineligible player, is second to Kaiser in both offense and defense this season.
The difference on offense is more distinct: the Cougars have 1,089 yards to Radford's 853.
But on defense, it's a lot closer. Kaiser has yielded 511 yards and Radford's given up 19 more.
In a big OIA Red Conference game, Waipahu (2-1) will take on Farrington (2-1) at Moanalua High's field on Saturday night. After looking bad through preseason and the OIA opener, the Governors are beginning to look like they've adjusted enough to become a contender in the Red.
The Marauders, on the other hand, were an early favorite. But they'll have their work cut out against Farrington to rebound from a surprise shellacking at Kailua last weekend.
In a major White Conference matchup between unbeaten teams, Leilehua (3-0) will host Castle (2-0).
In a key Interscholastic League of Honolulu game tomorrow at Aloha Stadium, St. Louis (3-0) will take on Kamehameha (2-1) at 7:30 p.m.
A victory by St. Louis, ranked No. 18 in the nation by two polls (USA Today and the National Prep Football Poll), would put the Warriors out of contention for the first-round title. Kamehameha hadn't lost a game until last weekend when Punahou ended the Warriors' four-game win streak that began in preseason.
"We'll know what kind of team we have in the next few games," said St. Louis head coach Cal Lee.
The only other unbeaten ILH team, Punahou (3-0), visits Iolani (0-3) on Saturday afternoon.