HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
Waipahu forfeits game vs. Moanalua
Their roster reduced by suspensions, the Marauders give up homecoming
For some, there is almost literally a downpour of numbers and talent.
For others, the path through a desert has been laden with fraught and dire straits.
And yet, those who continue to trod on, like the Waipahu Marauders, will find strength through duress. In each other, the Marauders will be emboldened, as iron sharpens iron.
Sean Saturnio would have it no other way. His squad, pruned in half to just 19 players this week following suspension for team rule violations, is forfeiting its game against Moanalua. Instead of homecoming festivities tomorrow night during the varsity game, only the junior-varsity game will be played. The JV game will kick off at 6:30 p.m.
Another team, Kalani's junior varsity, has also forfeited its next game. The JV Falcons were to have played at Campbell on Saturday. The varsity game will kick off at 6:30 p.m.
"It's too bad we had to do that," Oahu Interscholastic Association football coordinator Harold Tanaka said yesterday. The Farrington athletic director knows from experience as a coach the difficulty of securing commitment and numbers, especially in this era.
"When I coached JV at Kaimuki, we were down to 18 one year," he recalled.
Yesterday was a dark day for Saturnio, who is also a teacher at Waipahu. Saturnio and his staff have invested plenty of offseason time and expense to improve themselves as coaches. He has always lived the team's philosophy of being a family.
Rules, however, are rules. The players violated a team rule two weeks ago and recently came forward.
"The kids apologized, and according to the team rule, they have to sit the next scheduled game," Waipahu athletic director Hartwell Lee Loy said. "The good thing is that there's still one more game."
The Marauders meet Kalaheo in their final game of the season next week.
The rule in violation is not a league rule. Lee Loy and the coaches met with parents to announce the bad news. "Everybody is on the same page," he said.
"It came down to the health and safety of our kids. We only have six linemen (this week), and they play both ways. And the majority of the kids suspended are first- and second-teamers. We didn't want to penalize the kids who have followed the rules, but it came down to numbers," Lee Loy said.
Lee Loy expressed his full support for the team and coaches. He couldn't help but feel for Saturnio, normally an upbeat spirit.
"He's kind of depressed right now, but we win as a team and lose as a team. We're trying to teach them right from wrong," Lee Loy said. "Hopefully, they learn a life lesson from this."
Winding down in OIA, rising up in ILH: While the OIA enters its final two weeks of regular-season play, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu is entering a key stretch run.
Third-ranked Kamehameha (6-2, 2-1 league) got a boost by outlasting Division II leader Iolani last weekend. The Warriors enter tomorrow's battle with another smashmouth team, Damien, with plenty of caution. Kamehameha, though, is a prohibitive favorite thanks to a powerful offensive line that paved the way for Bryson Vivas' highlight performance.
Vivas ran 36 times for 255 yards against Iolani. That helped Kahaku Ka'ai find his rhythm (12-for-16, three touchdowns) and receiver Aaron Nichols (five catches, 101 yards).
Tomorrow's feature game in the ILH doubleheader at Aloha Stadium pits No. 2 Punahou and No. 4 Saint Louis. Punahou (5-1, 2-1) is coming off a 30-point win over Damien, while Saint Louis (3-2, 1-1) has regained form since dropping out of the Top 10.
The Crusaders may be the most well-balanced team in the league. Cody Wells leads a talented running back corps, while Cameron Bayne is one of several targets used by quarterback Cameron Higgins.
The defensive unit has improved. Linebackers Jacob Barit and Jared Silva have anchored a unit that is gaining valuable experience since Punahou's 31-20 win over the Crusaders on Sept. 17.
That win by the Buffanblu ended a 10-year stretch of Saint Louis domination in the series. Punahou's main offensive weapon was Miah Ostrowski, who caught nine passes for 126 yards. The junior receiver scored his team's go-ahead touchdown, a 40-yard pass play, in the second half.
Front-runner Kamehameha will be a whisker away from tomorrow's winner. For the loser, a daunting task of chasing for the title while carrying the extra baggage of two league losses.
In the OIA Red East first-place Castle (4-2, 4-0) plays McKinley on Saturday at Kaiser. The Knights are ranked fifth in the state, well behind No. 1 Kahuku (5-1, 4-1), a team the Knights beat last month in convincing fashion.
The Red Raiders play Kaimuki tomorrow night.
The OIA Red West, for all its strength and parity this season, continues to be led by old faithful: Mililani. The eighth-ranked Trojans outmudded Leilehua last week to remain unbeaten at 5-0 in league play (6-1 overall). Sophomore Rustin Funakoshi has been a pleasant surprise at quarterback despite his youth. Mililani visits dangerous Aiea tomorrow.
Another key Red West matchup has No. 9 Waianae (5-1, 3-1) at Leilehua. The Seariders' ground attack is made for the mud bog at Hugh Yoshida Stadium, but the heavily injured Mules are feisty and kicking hard in search of a playoff berth.
Quarterback Henry Keomalu scored four touchdowns last week in Waianae's resounding win over Kapolei. Keomalu's statistics aren't eye-popping, but his crisp execution and smart decisions are a key reason why the Seariders remain a dark-horse contender in the OIA, and perhaps, the state.
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High school football schedule
TOMORROW
BIIF
» Hawaii Prep at Kamehameha-Hawaii, 7 p.m.
» Kohala at Konawaena, 7 p.m.
ILH
» Pac-Five vs. Iolani at Aloha Stadium, 4:45 p.m.
» Damien at Kamehameha, 7 p.m.
» Punahou vs. Saint Louis at Aloha Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
KIF
» Kauai vs. Waimea at Vidinha Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
MIL
» Maui vs. Pac-Three at War Memorial Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
» Lahainaluna at Kamehameha-Maui, 7:30 p.m.
OIA Red East
Games begin 25 minutes after end of 5 p.m. JV game unless otherwise stated.
» Kahuku vs. Kaimuki at Kaiser
» Kailua at Roosevelt
OIA Red West
Games begin 25 minutes after end of 5 p.m. JV game unless otherwise stated.
» Mililani at Aiea
» Waianae at Leilehua
SATURDAY
BIIF
» Ka'u at Keaau, 2 p.m.
» Kealakehe at Honokaa, 7 p.m.
» Waiakea at Hilo, 7 p.m.
MIL
» King Kekaulike vs. Baldwin at War Memorial Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
OIA Red East
» Castle vs. McKinley at Kaiser, game begins 25 minutes after end of 4 p.m. JV game.
OIA Red West
» Nanakuli at Pearl City, game begins 25 minutes after end of 4 p.m. JV game.
OIA White
Games begin 25 minutes after end of 4 p.m. JV game unless otherwise stated.
» Kalani at Campbell
» Kalaheo vs. Waialua at Kailua, games begin 25 minutes after end of 4 p.m. JV game.