Waianae-Kealakehe III coming up

There were the familiar, the young, the sage and the green.

They all came together for the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships coaches press conference yesterday morning at Aloha Stadium to mark what may turn out to be the most wide-open fields for the Division I and II titles.

Saint Louis, the top seed in the Division I tourney, has a first-round bye. So does second-seeded Leilehua.

Lahainaluna and Iolani, the top seeds in the D-II bracket, also have this week off.

Perhaps the most intriguing opening-round matchup pits Waianae and Kealakehe, who will meet in the state tourney for a third year in a row. Despite that familiarity, Waianae coach Daniel Matsumoto isn't comfortable with preparation just yet.

"We don't know anything about them. That's scary," Matsumoto said, noting Kealakehe's first-year coach and new system. While Waianae has been on OC 16 a few times this season, Kealakehe is a mystery. The Waveriders did not exchange videos with Waianae and maintained their edge in scouting.

Waianae won the previous two matchups, but Kealakehe has prolific passer Kawai Kanuha, who transferred from Konawaena in the offseason. He played less than three quarters and threw for 300 yards in Friday's 50-13 win over Waiakea.

The young include A.J. Roloos of Baldwin, who turned 35 yesterday. His first season at the helm followed six as an assistant, and though Baldwin was a clear dominator in Division I on Maui, the Bears are unseeded and will host Farrington on Saturday.

Baldwin has not been as healthy this season as the Bears will be for the Farrington game. A number of players are healing, including running back Chansi Bolosan and All-State wide receiver Chase Nakamura. Can Baldwin surpass last year's finish?

"We set our standard before the season. The players got one done, winning the MIL. Now we want to make a run to a state championship," Roloos said. Last year's Bears team, under Jimmy Morimoto, lost in the state semifinals to Kahuku on a flea-flicker touchdown as time expired.

The sage would certainly include Lahainaluna's Bobby Watson, the definition of old-school principles. Watson's sound leadership and unrelenting demands have forged another outstanding Lunas squad that is worthy of its No. 1 seeding from the HHSAA committee. Though they rested through the weekend after completing MIL play on Nov. 2, the Lunas moved up two notches to No. 6 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, their highest ranking of the year.

"I really don't know what's gonna happen," Watson said, measuring his words when it came to a comparison between the '04 Lunas' MIL title team and this season's squad. "The team speed's about the same. The difference is that this senior class is a lot closer as far as leadership. We had a lot more talent in '04, but this one is more balanced and the talent is well distributed."

The green, of course, refers to Kaimuki and Leilehua. Kaimuki (10-1) boasts some of the biggest linemen to ever play in Division II, but their unbeaten mark in Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference play couldn't change its unseeded status. The Bulldogs will host Big Island D-II champ Kamehameha-Hawaii on Saturday.

Kolten Wong, one of the top baseball prospects in the state, is the Warriors' workhorse on the ground. Kaimuki's physical defense showed some signs of struggle against Roosevelt running back Ranson Tuitama in the OIA White title game on Friday, but ultimately succeeded in slowing him down.

"Kaimuki's big and physical. Knowing DJ's background, they won't be spreading it out and throwing," Ulima Afoa said of first-year Bulldogs coach Darren Johnson.

Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda dyed his hair green after the Mules won their OIA Red semifinal game on Nov. 3. With a state berth wrapped up, the Mules conquered the league by outlasting Waianae.