Things have gone a bit downhill for the Hawaiian Islanders after their uplifting season-opening victory over Fresno on March 30. Green Islanders looking
for some seasoningBy Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comBut coach Guy Benjamin and the players aren't about to hit the panic button.
The Islanders (1-2) have dropped two in a row, including last week's 69-39 loss to the defending arenafootball2 champion Quad City Steamwheelers, but there's plenty of time to regain a groove in the 16-game season.
"We lost the game, but we physically beat them, actually," Benjamin said upon his return from Moline, Ill. "They were hurting and one or two of their guys are out for the season. That's a good sign we can physically stay with teams."
The elixir might be available for the Islanders on their trip to Kansas. They play the winless Wichita Stealth today at 2:30 p.m. Hawaii time at the Kansas Coliseum. The game can be heard live on KCCN, 1420-AM.
Benjamin easily identifies Hawaii's problem areas.
Who: Islanders (1-2) at Wichita (0-3) Hawaiian Islanders
When: 2:30 p.m. HST
Radio: Live, 1420-AM
TV: None
"We look like a team that hasn't practiced much," he said. "And that's true, we haven't practiced all that much. We missed one full week earlier in the season because the pads hadn't arrived yet. And then, during our bye week (after the first game), we had no field to practice on. We were out in Ewa Beach and there were some difficulties in terms of putting together practices."
The practice issue has since been ironed out, at least temporarily. The Islanders are practicing three times a week at Aiea High School, and they're working on securing the site for the rest of the season.
Benjamin, a former quarterback and a disciple of passing guru Bill Walsh, has begun overseeing the defense. That duty was previously assigned to Al Noga, who will continue to work with the linemen.
"Defensive coordination is going to improve," he said. "We're not making any major changes, the team chemistry is fine, the players are fine. We just need to practice more."
In the team's first loss, to Bakersfield on April 13, the performance of the defensive backfield was called into question.
Benjamin saw improvement against Quad City.
"We did much better," he said. "We played a lot more man coverage, broke up a lot of passes and intercepted a pass for the first time this season (by William Lackey)."
But the turnover ratio wasn't good. Quad City intercepted three passes and recovered one Hawaii fumble, all of which resulted in touchdowns.
"Their scores came after our turnovers," Benjamin added. "Eliminate the turnovers and we were matching them."
Despite the losses, the players' excitement hasn't waned.
"We need to cut down on penalties and improve on catching the ball, and our coverage could be better," said Chris Paogofie, who is second on the team in tackles and third in all-purpose yardage. "Other than that, we're on the up and up. It's awesome that we played the defending champs because now we know what we're going to face when we're against a top-notch team."
Paogofie was particularly impressed with his team's ability to hang tough in the second half when it matched the Steamwheelers' 22 points after a 47-17 halftime deficit.
"Everybody jelled together and we didn't break apart when we were losing big-time," Paogofie said. "This is no time for panic at all. We have a lot of games left, and we know our true fans will continue to support us like they did for our first few home games."
Notes: The Stealth went 7-9 in their inaugural season last year and are on a six-game losing streak. ... Defensive specialist Desmond Maul was recently added to the Islanders' roster, and quarterback Jared Flint and wide receiver/linebacker Stevie Laulu were placed on injured reserve. ... For the second week in a row, Islanders kicker Jake Huggins kicked long field goals of 43 and 44 yards. He didn't miss a field goal against Quad City, and he was 3-for-4 on extra-point tries.
Hawaiian Islanders