Wednesday, September 5, 2001
[ PREP FOOTBALL ]
Shedding a Tier THE IOLANI RAIDERS are out to prove that second tier doesn't mean second rate.
Iolani was relegated to the second
level of a revamped ILH, but that
doesn't mean the Raiders
don't have a shotILH PREVIEW
By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comWhen the dust settled from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's tumultuous summer, Iolani wound up in the second level of the league's new football alignment this season.
But the Raiders aren't putting much stock in the new classifications, as they prepare for Friday's regular-season opener against Damien.
"Coach always tells us the only people we need to worry about is us," said senior running back Teo Bennett. "We all know we can play with any team we want. And being put in the second division really doesn't matter if we take care of our business."
Iolani and Damien meet at 4:45 p.m. Friday in the first game of a doubleheader at Aloha Stadium. St. Louis takes on Punahou in the second game at 7:30.
After Damien announced in June that it would forfeit its games with St. Louis this season, the league decided to split into two divisions. Kamehameha, Punahou and St. Louis will make up the upper division, while Damien, Iolani and Pac-Five comprise the second tier.
The teams open the season by playing their division partners, then go into a round-robin. Initially, only the round-robin games were to count toward the ILH championship, but the league later decided to include all seven games in the standings.
"The tiered system really didn't affect (the players)," said Iolani coach Wendell Look. "It didn't bother them where they got put. As long as all the games count, that's what matters."
And in the end, Iolani may have gained the most out of the controversy. The Raiders feature a talented and experienced group of returnees and now have only single meetings against St. Louis and Kamehameha. Iolani and Punahou scheduled a nonconference game to maintain their traditional home-and-home series, but only the second meeting will count in the league standings.
Perhaps the most significant change for this season is the championship format. If the division champions finish the season with identical records, they will play a winner-take-all title game for the ILH's state tournament berth.
"People say we got the better end of the deal," Look said. "But we have to go out and play every week. Our league is competitive, so we have to get ready to play."
The Raiders have the weapons to contend for the title. Bennett and quarterback Kila Kaaihue provide experience in the offensive backfield, and receivers Ikaika Goo and Jay Marcouiller were ILH all-stars last season. But the key will be the development of a young offensive line.
"It's all about chemistry," Bennett said. "We have to have all 11 people on the same page, and we have to keep our tempo up. The way our offense is played, if we keep an up-tempo game, we should be able to tire defenses out."On defense, Donny Mateaki, Kawika Nakoa, Kala Kaaihue and Ryan Kilborn form the nucleus of a formidable front seven, but a depleted secondary is Look's biggest concern. Senior defensive backs Tana Uyema and Eric Nakamura are out with knee injuries, and Bronson Melemai recently transferred to Castle. Travis Agustin now enters the season as the unit's lone returnee.
"When we started off, that was probably our strongest area," Look said. "And as practice has gone along, we've had some injuries and it's decimated the secondary. But the young kids have stepped up. ... They're going to have to step up their play for us to be contenders."
The Raiders' 19 seniors and 19 sophomores have already tasted a championship, as they won ILH titles at the intermediate level. And this year's seniors are hoping to end their careers with a varsity title.
"We've been working four years trying to get this one, and we're hoping it'll happen this year," Mateaki said. "Intermediate, that was just intermediate. Now this is big time."
But to claim the league's ultimate prize, the Raiders and the rest of the league must still conquer St. Louis.
The Crusaders are seeking their 16th consecutive ILH title in Cal Lee's final season as head coach. The state's most successful football coach announced in July that this will be his final season. And as always, St. Louis' talent, depth and preparation keep the Crusaders a step ahead of most programs.
This week's openers also mark the introduction of the league's new roster limits. Teams will be restricted to suiting up 65 players for league games. The rule will impact the Division I schools, as St. Louis and Kamehameha have more than 90 players on their rosters, while Punahou has 76.
The following is a team-by-team look at the ILH:
Division I
Punahou Buffanblu
Coach: Kale Ane2000 record: 5-6
Players to watch: OL Dane Uperesa, QB Todd LaFountaine, LB Kynan Pang, DB/WR Jason Ching.
Outlook: LaFountaine, a tough runner and an accurate passer, is the key to the Buffanblu's single-wing offense. He can spread the ball around to a deep corps of receivers, but Ching has been the team's big-play threat in the preseason. Uperesa, a 6-foot-5, 315-pounder who also plays for the Punahou basketball team, anchors the offensive line. Pang, an all-star linebacker last year, spearheads the defense. Ching and Stan Fisher lead an athletic secondary.
Kamehameha Warriors
Coach: Kanani Souza2000 record: 9-2
Players to watch: DL Brandon Ala, DB Tyler Perkins, OL Kekoa Vincent, RB Kelena Hookano.
Outlook: The Warriors went undefeated in the preseason and have a bye this week, giving the team an extra week to prepare for their season opener against Punahou on Sept. 18. Ala and Albert Maafala lead a solid defensive front that could be the Warriors' strongest unit. Perkins is one of the league's fastest players and is also a dangerous kick returner. He and Preston Lingaton return to lead an experienced secondary. Hookano rushed for 587 yards and 12 touchdowns last season en route to being named a first-team ILH all-star.
St. Louis Crusaders
Coach: Cal Lee2000 record: 14-1, ILH champion. Lost to Kahuku in the state championship game.
Players to watch: QB Bobby George, RB Prince Brown, LB Taualai Fonoti, DB Timo Paepule.
Outlook: Lee will have no shortage of playmakers in his final season as head coach. George enters the season as the undisputed leader of the offense, after sharing quarterback duties last season. Brown takes his turn in the spotlight, as he replaces all-state back Pesefea Fiaseu. ILH defensive coordinators will lose sleep this fall trying to devise a plan to cover receivers Kainoa Fernandez, Jason Rivers and Ross Dickerson. St. Louis lost a pair of all-state linebackers on defense, but Fonoti and defensive lineman Tolifili Liufau are the latest in the long line of outstanding Crusader defenders. In the secondary, Paepule is one of the hardest hitters around. St. Louis' special teams remain the state's best. The Crusaders are ranked 25th in the country by USA Today and fifth in the west region.
Division II
Damien Monarchs
Coach: Chris Bisho2000 record: 2-9
Players to watch: WR Michael Lau, C Kea Toledo, LB Daniel Chaves, DL/K Gaison Ganiko.
Outlook: Patience is the word at Damien, as Bisho is laying the foundation for the future of the Monarch program. The roster features six seniors, 18 juniors and 25 sophomores. And with 55 freshmen on the Monarchs intermediate team, Bisho and the coaching staff are looking long-term. As far as this season goes, Bisho said the emphasis on offense will be to cut down on its average of 6.3 turnovers per game last season. The Monarchs will gamble frequently on defense to try to overcome their lack of experience and size.
Iolani Raiders
Coach: Wendell Look2000 record: 6-6
Players to watch: QB Kila Kaaihue, RB Teo Bennett, DL Donny Mateaki, DB Travis Agustin.
Outlook: Youth along the offensive line and secondary are the primary concerns for the Raiders. The line must mature quickly for Iolani to utilize the talent and experience of Kaaihue and Bennett. Injuries and transfers have riddled the defensive backfield, leaving a relatively inexperienced group to defend some of the state's top passing attacks. The youth in the backfield will put added emphasis on the pass rush from a defensive front that should be the team's strength. The Raiders are traditionally undersized, but Look is among the best at preparing a game plan to give his team a chance to win every week.
Pac-Five Wolfpack
Coach: Don Botelho2000 record: 0-11
Players to watch: QB McShane Dator, WR Matthew Friedman, LB Alika Durington, DB Ryan Leong.
Outlook: The Wolfpack struggled with injuries in the preseason, but should be relatively healthy for their season opener against Damien next week. Dator, who sat out the preseason with a hand injury, and Friedman form a dangerous pass-catch combination. Friedman led the ILH last season with 39 receptions for 543 yards and scored five touchdowns. Sophomore running back Michael Yamauchi-Yamate could be a pleasant surprise. Durington was a second-team all-star last season and is one of the state's underexposed talents. Leong was an all-star at defensive back last year, but had to fill in at quarterback during the preseason.
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