Thursday, September 27, 2001

High school fans
have tough choice

There are 2 hot tickets for
tomorrow night -- Kahuku-Kailua
and St. Louis-Kamehameha

---

By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com

Anybody got a quarter?

High school football fans may need one tomorrow night to decide what game to attend.

Heads means heading out to Aloha Stadium for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu showdown between St. Louis and Kamehameha. Tails and it's a trip to the Windward side for a key Oahu Interscholastic Association game between Kailua and Kahuku.

Both games are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

Windward Oahu supremacy and first place in the OIA Red Conference will be on the line when Kahuku and Kailua meet at the Surfriders' field.

Kahuku sports a 4-0 mark in the conference and is ranked in several national polls. Kailua enters the game at 3-0 in the OIA Red.

"Home-field advantage is always a nice thing, but I don't think home-field advantage ever affects Kahuku," Kailua coach Darren Johnson said. "They're the defending state champions and they're playing like state champions."

The rivalry is spiced by the connections between the teams. Johnson and Kahuku coach Siuaki Livai once worked together as assistant coaches at Kahuku under then-head coach Doug Semones. Semones is now one of Livai's assistants.

Also, Kailua quarterback Taleki Mailau grew up in Kahuku and attends church with several Red Raider players. As a preteen, he quarterbacked the Koolauloa Pop Warner team that beat Kailua for the Pee Wee division championship. He now plays with many of the players on that Kailua Pop Warner team.

Mailau leads a Kailua offense averaging 425 yards per game and is a threat throwing the ball and running with it. But after facing Castle's Joel Botelho last week, Livai said the Red Raider defense should be prepared for the Surfriders' multi-dimensional quarterback.

"If you can contain Botelho, nobody comes above that," Livai said. "Botelho is going to be the most difficult quarterback to handle."

The Kahuku offense generated 566 yards last week against Castle, led by running back Mulivai Pula's 216 rushing yards. Quarterback Inoke Funaki has thrown eight touchdown passes with no interceptions this season. Five of his scoring throws have landed in the hands of Loga Fonoimoana, the conference's leading scorer.

Johnson said the key for the Kailua defense will be the ability of the offense to move the ball and keep the Red Raiders' weapons on the sidelines.

"I'm glad you only can play with one football," Johnson said. "The key is not to give them so many opportunities with the football."

On the other side of the Koolaus, Kamehameha and St. Louis complete ILH divisional play with the first of two meetings. The Warriors and Crusaders are both 1-0 after beating Punahou in their league openers.

The battle along the line of scrimmage should dictate the outcome of the contest.

The Warriors' offensive line blew open holes in the Punahou defense last week to lead the way for running back Kelena Ho'okano, who rushed for 119 yards. They face a Crusader defensive front that limited Punahou to 56 rushing yards on Sept. 8. Linebacker Taualai Fonoti made 13 tackles in that contest.

On the other side of the ball, the St. Louis offense generated 480 yards in its last outing, but committed seven turnovers. Crusader ball carriers fumbled five times, losing three, while quarterbacks Bobby George and Chris Sokugawa threw four interceptions.

"We talked about it the (following) week and after that you don't want to talk too much about it because then they start thinking about fumbling," St. Louis coach Cal Lee said. "You just have to naturally catch the ball first and go on from there."

But for the Crusaders to move the ball against Kamehameha, the offensive line must first slow a Warrior defensive front that came up with 14 sacks last week.

"They just disrupted (Punahou's) whole offense," Lee said. "They really ran to the ball well."

St. Louis has had three weeks to prepare for tomorrow's contest and Kamehameha coach Kanani Souza expects to face a rested and motivated Crusader team.

"I'm sure they're biting at the bit to play someone," Souza said. "So you have to expect they're going to come out high as kites and excited to play a game."

High school football Friday OIA Red Junior Varsity game starts at 5 p.m. Varsity game to follow. Farrington at Campbell (Homecoming) Kahuku at Kailua McKinley at Mililani OIA White Kaiser at Radford (Homecoming) Nanakuli at Roosevelt Kalaheo at Waipahu ILH At Aloha Stadium Pac-Five vs. Iolani, 4:45 p.m. St. Louis vs. Kamehameha, 7:30 p.m. BIIF Junior Varsity game starts at 5 p.m. Varsity game to follow. Kealakehe at Honokaa Konawaena at Waiakea KIF Waimea vs. Kapaa, at Hanapepe Ball Park MIL Baldwin vs. King Kekaulike, at War Memorial Stadium Saturday OIA Red Junior Varsity game starts at 5 p.m. Varsity game to follow. Waianae vs. Kaimuki, at Kaiser OIA White Pearl City at Waialua (Homecoming) BIIF Hilo at Pahoa, 3 p.m. Hawaii Prep at Kohala, 3 p.m. MIL Maui vs. Lahainaluna, at War Memorial Stadium

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