Sidelines
HUDDLED under my Aloha Stadium edition of the Star-Bulletin (buy 'um!) last week, I sat in the rain as Aiea stuck Waianae, one thought emerging as Lole Laolagi danced in the backfield and lofted another bomb: Kahuku in role of
favorite, but St. Louis
waits quietlyNow it gets interesting.
Now we are finding out who is for real. Now the high school football playoffs are finally just around the corner.
My dad, the public schools guy, the fan of underdogs everywhere, the man who still tells me of the days on the Big Island when Hilo got everything, ran everything, won everything, is hoping for an all-public schools state final.
This would be the year. It looked like it might finally happen. It was a possibility, with all these explosive players exploding and tough teams ascending, and St. Louis finally looking a little down. No, not down. Don't write that. Make that mortal. Maybe beatable. (Don't say that either!)
Maybe. But then ...
He's still there. Quietly. Just below the radar, just under the surface, ducking all the hype, Cal Lee is doing his best to lie in wait for his next opponent without causing any waves. Without making any noise. A tiger waiting in the reeds.
We see him, though. And so do his opponents. They know he's there. Oh, how they know it.
Suddenly, St. Louis doesn't look so down any more.
And with each game, with each week, Cal Lee gets a little bigger. The longer he's in it, the stronger the mystique.
Do you want to be in a playoff game against this man? Would you bet against his team with something on the line?
He's there. He's not going anywhere.
Not yet.
Kahuku. Kahuku is great. How great? I've seen them live four times, going out on nights off, plunking down cash to sit in the stands, to eat stale nachos, to shiver in the night mist.
The Red Raiders are loaded with speed and thunder, spreading the field and sprinting, running to the ball and closing, only occasionally cracking your head simply to remind you that they can.
They are freewheeling, exciting, accelerating, and Siuaki Livai is right when he says that despite all this skill, the state champs can still be undone by penalties and mistakes.
Because they commit penalties and make mistakes.
It will be intriguing, tomorrow night, to see what an impressive Aiea team can do against this highest level of competition. To see how sharp Kahuku is for the stretch run.
To see how everything falls into place.
To see the champions emerge on Maui and the Big Island.
To see who gets St. Louis.
It's the final, frenzied night before we draw up the brackets and drool over first round matchups.
Now is when things get interesting.
Now we see how strong the rest of the field really is. Who wins, where.
Kahuku is the champ, and is a big favorite again.
But outside the fray, the tiger is quiet, watching. Waiting.
Kalani Simpson's column runs Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
He can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com