OIA football playoffs
By Pat Bigold
kick off this weekend
Star-BulletinThe Oahu Interscholastic Association's 16-team football playoffs, which open Friday night at six sites, promise to be much less predictable than the old 12- and eight-team formats. The first round of the playoffs continues Saturday with two games. The quarterfinals, semifinals and final will be at Aloha Stadium.
The White Conference has two legitimate contenders in the playoffs. And in the Red Conference, Campbell -- not defending league champion and traditional OIA powerhouse Waianae -- is the top seed.
The Sabers earned it by rallying from a 21-0 halftime deficit to win at Waianae, 22-21, two weeks ago.
But the road to the championship game on Nov. 14 will be rough for the Sabers, playoff finalists in 1996. They are in the same bracket as McKinley (5-1) and Kahuku (6-0), the White Conference favorites.
If Campbell beats the Blue Conference's Pearl City in a first-round home game Friday, and the Tigers beat Castle at the Knights' field Saturday, the quarterfinal at Aloha Stadium on Oct. 31 could be a tossup.
It would pit Campbell's Darren Hernandez, two-time OIA Red Conference coach of the year (1994-95), against McKinley's David Tanuvasa, the 1996 Star-Bulletin All-State Coach of the Year.
The survivor of a McKinley-Campbell game might then face the Red Raiders in the semifinals Nov. 6.
The Tigers lost a 21-20 thriller at Kahuku last Friday that decided the conference title.
"They stayed on the ground against us with the I-back offense and didn't panic when they were trailing. We stuck with basic football," Tanuvasa said. "Try to get fancy with Kahuku and they will tear you apart."
The Tigers' powerful offensive line is led by 6-foot-5, 315-pound junior Francisco Tipoti and 6-3, 260-pound senior Aukeso Tuiolemotu.
The Sabers prefer the wide-open attack, and are solid on defense.
"We gave up 60 points in six games," Hernandez said. "Our front seven has a combined 24 sacks and our defensive backfield has 21 interceptions."
Free safety Stephen Pasion has seven interceptions and cornerback Kerwin DeMello six.
Inside linebacker Robbie Takara has 85 tackles and 6-2, 235-pound outside linebacker Jack Ioane leads the team in sacks with 11. Mark Muasau, a 6-5, 295-pound tackle, has 12 tackles for losses, including six sacks.
"We scouted both McKinley and Kahuku," Hernandez said. "Kahuku likes to run the ball and McKinley likes to pass more, but they both have good size and speed."
In their bracket, the Seariders (5-1) could be on a collision course with Blue Conference champion Mililani, a less daunting obstacle than the Sabers face. The Trojans are led by Jose Serate, the conference's most effective running back.
Leilehua (4-1-1) appears to be the toughest entry in its bracket. With the exception of a 7-7 tie against Farrington at Aloha Stadium Sept. 19, the Mules have looked sharp. The teams could meet again in the quarterfinals.
Farrington's (2-3-1) dangerous ground game and strong defense could cause problems for the Mules.
Leilehua lost a tight game to Waianae at the Seariders' field. The two could meet again in the semifinals Nov. 7.
Farrington and McKinley earned home-field advantage in the opening round. But both must forfeit it because Roosevelt, home for the Governors and Tigers, has a Halloween function at the field this weekend.
"When the hay's in the barn, you play anywhere you can," said Farrington head coach Skippa Diaz. "When all the hard work is done, it doesn't bother me where we go."
