Thursday, September 10, 1998

Campbell and
Farrington hope to get
on winning track

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

Campbell and Farrington will have something painfully in common tomorrow night when they meet at Aloha Stadium.

They faced the Red Conference's strongest teams in their Oahu Interscholastic Association season openers last week.

And they both got hammered.

Campbell lost to preseason favorite Kahuku, 53-0, while Farrington lost to defending league champion Waianae, 30-7.

"I think we obviously need to regroup from that performance last Friday," Sabers head coach Darren Hernandez said.

It was the second straight pounding the Sabers have taken. Torrey Pines (Calif.) routed them, 40-9, in a preseason game at the stadium the previous week.

"We had the juggernaut and then the buzzsaw," said Hernandez.

"Both of those opponents executed tremendously. We didn't help by laying an egg two games in a row. We just made a lot of mental errors."

Hernandez said much of the team's instability is at quarterback, where sophomore Vincent Lemau is the starter.

Lemau made his varsity debut in the Kahuku game. He hadn't even practiced with the varsity until three days before the game.

He was sacked five times by Kahuku's unmerciful defensive front.

"We fed him to the wolves," Hernandez said. "But he has potential and if he gels, we will be OK."

Hernandez indicated that Campbell will try to keep it on the ground a little more tomorrow, relying on Jason Albritton, who gained 33 yards on eight carries against the Red Raiders.

"That No. 40 (Albritton) is a solid runner," Farrington head coach Skippa Diaz said. "He got his yards against some big Kahuku kids."

Nonetheless, Diaz said he is preparing for the Sabers' traditional passing game.

"They might be throwing some screen at us. And we are also concerned about their size.

"Campbell is like a lion who got scratched on the side of the face, and is licking its wounds. It makes them dangerous."

Diaz said he likes what he sees in Campbell linebacker Michael Viloria.

"He played Torrey Pines tough," Diaz said of the 6-foot-1, 240-pound senior. "And he isn't fading. I like him, and I think he's one of the cogs in their defense."

Red Conference newcomer McKinley has the unenviable task of playing Kahuku on its own turf tomorrow. The Red Raiders had 371 total yards against Campbell and allowed the Sabers only four total yards.

On Saturday, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu opens its regular season with Damien taking on 12-time defending league champion St. Louis at the stadium at 2 p.m.

The Monarchs, who don't figure to be contenders in the ILH, were 1-1 in preseason. They lost to Campbell and beat Leilehua.

The Crusaders are 2-0. Ranked No. 23 in the USA Today Super 25, the Crusaders have defeated Kansai, a Japanese prep school team, 46-0, at Aloha Stadium on Aug. 20. Then they traveled to Henderson, Nev., where they routed Green Valley High, 55-6, last weekend.

"I think St. Louis could beat any team on the West Coast," said Green Valley head coach Larry Thomas.

In the late game on Saturday at the stadium, Kamehameha will take on record-breaking running back Joe Igber and Iolani.

Igber, who set a new ILH single-season rushing record last year, comes into the game off two strong preseason showings against Waiakea and Baldwin.

In their first meeting last season, Kamehameha edged past Iolani, 34-29.

Prep schedule Tomorrow OIA Farrington vs. Campbell, 7:35 p.m., Aloha Stadium; McKinley at Kahuku, Roosevelt at Moanalua, Nanakuli at Mililani, Radford at Pearl City, Kalani vs. Aiea at Kaiser, school-site junior varsity games at 5 p.m., varsity games 25 minutes after completion. Saturday ILH St. Louis vs. Damien, 2 p.m.; Pac-Five vs. Punahou, 4:45 p.m.; Iolani vs. Kamehameha, 7:30 p.m., Aloha Stadium. OIA Waianae at Waipahu, Castle at Kailua, school-site junior varsity games at 5 p.m., varsity games 25 minutes after completion. Kaimuki vs. Waialua at Roosevelt, 7:30 p.m.