[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
Reputations at stake Take an astonishing winning streak, add a splash of top-shelf talent, and spice it with a dash of state pride and you have the recipe for a remarkable night of high school football.
in twinbill
The waiting’s over as big
Doubleheader will be shown live
doubleheader kicks off tonight
By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comToday's First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Football Classic doubleheader has all the ingredients to become one of the most meaningful events in Hawaii prep sports history.
Long Beach Poly, one of California's dominant programs for the last decade, meets two-time defending Hawaii state champion Kahuku at 5 p.m.
De La Salle (Concord) then puts its record 126-game winning streak on the line against perennial local power St. Louis. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
"We're not going to schedule teams to protect a streak," De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur said. "We're going to present challenges to our players. That's our job as coaches and educators, to present them with difficult challenges."
No championships will be won or lost tonight, but national reputations remain at stake.
De La Salle is ranked first in all of the major national polls, with Poly checking in at No. 3. St. Louis is as high as 10th, while Kahuku is searching for respect that comes with a victory over one of California's storied programs.
"In reality it's just another game," Poly head coach Raul Lara said. "But for (the media), the kids and the community it's something bigger."
The crowd is expected to challenge the state's attendance record for a high school game, and the magnitude of the event has the coaches hoping their players can handle the hoopla.
"We're trying to think of every possible scenario that could hurt us, but until you're actually in there and facing it you don't know," St. Louis coach Delbert Tengan said.
The following is a look at both of the matchups:
Kahuku (3-0) vs. Long Beach Poly (1-0), 5 p.m.: The schedule makers did Kahuku few favors this season. The Red Raiders faced Waianae in their opening game, and squeezed by McKinley 14-13 last week. But the trial by fire may have accelerated the young squad's development.
"I think it helped us," Kahuku coach Siuaki Livai said. "If we played three teams and everything we did worked, I probably wouldn't have learned as much. Because we struggled we could see what we needed to improve on."
Still, the Long Beach Poly players aren't going to be lulled into complacency. Jackrabbit fullback Jeremiah Toloumu said the setup for tonight's game is similar to last year's showdown with De La Salle, which turned out to be Poly's only loss of 2001.
"Last year before we played De La Salle we had a good victory over Fontana," Toloumu recalled. "But that week in practice we weren't really pushing ourselves and we lost. So we learned a big lesson."
Kahuku's struggle to replace nine starters on offense, including six all-state picks, is no secret. The Red Raiders have averaged 195 yards in their three contests this season, well below their 2001 pace.
So the search for an identity on offense has taken precedence over preparing specifically for Poly's defense.
"Last week we had more yards in penalties than we did on offense," Livai said. "We need to take care of ourselves first instead of worrying what's against us."
Sophomore Spencer Hafoka started all three games at quarterback, but he has shared duties with junior Waika Carvalho. Hafoka is also the team's leading receiver with five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Starting defensive backs Kyle Juliano and George Perry bolstered the rushing attack last week. Juliano ran for 55 yards on six carries and scored both of Kahuku's touchdowns.
The Red Raiders will face a loaded Poly defense that held Westchester to minus-30 yards last week.
Senior Freddie Parish (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) is rated as the top safety on the West Coast by some recruiting services and recently committed to Notre Dame.
The Kahuku line must also contain Junior Lemau'u (6-5, 250) and Joshua Tauanuu (6-4, 275), the leaders of a ferocious Poly defensive front. Lemau'u recorded 60 tackles and 10 sacks last year. Linebacker Mark Washington (6-3, 240) is another big-time talent.
The Poly offense lost star running back Herschel Dennis to graduation, but the Jackrabbits can still put up points in a hurry.
Quarterback Leon Jackson completed 12 of 15 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns last week, and running back Dwayne Washington averaged more than 12 yards per carry. Lorenzo Bursey, a transfer from Beverly Hills, is another threat at running back.
They will face a stubborn Kahuku defense that was tested against McKinley, but came through with big plays when the Red Raiders needed them most.
Perry and Juliano lead an experienced secondary along with Sam Spurrier and Afa Garrigan. Ola Kubota is the heart of the defense and David Alisa has emerged as a fierce pass rusher.
"They had a close game last week, which is a coach's dream, because I know (Livai) has the kids' attention," Lara said. "There's an urgency that they need to be quick to get better."
St. Louis (2-0) vs. De La Salle (1-0), 8 p.m.: De La Salle's winning streak is the stuff of legend.
Over the course of 126 consecutive victories, the Spartans have won by an average score of 48-9. All but four of their wins have been by double-digit margins and they've scored at least 21 points in every game.
But like facing Atlanta Braves ace Greg Maddux, the most frustrating aspect about playing the Spartans is their apparent vulnerability.
The Spartans aren't as physically impressive as many of their opponents, nor are they tremendously deep, as most of their players go two ways. Their veer offense is nothing exotic and they don't do anything fancy on defense.
But few teams ever play with the precision the Spartans display on a weekly basis.
"We know what they run, but the biggest obstacle we have is simulating the crisp execution they have and their quick tempo," Tengan said.
The Spartans' blocking schemes keep defensive fronts off balance, opening the way for speedy backs like Maurice Drew and Jackie Bates.
Drew is recovering from an ankle sprain, but De La Salle coaches expect him to be ready for tonight's game.
The Crusaders counter with a solid defensive front, led by ends Tolifili Liufau and Wilson Afoa. St. Louis' defensive design funnels ball carriers to their tackling machines, junior linebackers Tualau Fale and Dylan Moss.
At "SAM backer," Timo Paepule is part linebacker, part safety, and he will need to have a big game to contain the Spartans' ground attack.
"This is the best offense we're going to face," Paepule said. "They're fast and they execute well and we just have to be prepared for them. ... We have to play like we've never played before."
The Crusader offense can strike through the air with quarterback Bobby George and receiver Jason Rivers, or grind out yards with running backs B.J. Batts and Justin Cabansag.
Batts averaged 142.5 yards in the Crusaders' first two games, while Cabansag ran for 122 per outing.
"We always want to throw, but if the run works we have to stick with it," George said. "Even if it doesn't work, the run always opens up the passing game."
With Rivers drawing double and sometimes triple coverage, slotback Jon Amano has been free to roam opposing secondaries and leads the team in receiving with eight catches for 156 yards and a touchdown.
"It's almost like a chess game," Ladouceur said. "It's almost just a gamble when you play a team like that."
Football Classic
When: Today -- 5 p.m.: Kahuku vs. Long Beach Poly; 8 p.m.: St. Louis vs. De La Salle.Where: Aloha Stadium, turnstiles open at 3 p.m.
Parking: $2 per vehicle. Stadium lots open at 2 p.m. Parking also available at Leeward Community College (free), Kam Drive-In ($2) and Radford High School ($1). Shuttles available from Kam Drive-In (free) and Leeward CC ($2).
Tickets: Aloha Stadium box office open from 9 a.m. through halftime of the second game. Prices range from $5 to $24.
TV: Live on KGMB-TV (Channel 7)
Radio: Live on KUMU 1500-AM
Internet: hawaiisportsnetwork.com
Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits
Coach: Raul Lara (14-1, second year)2001 record: 13-1 (1-0 in 2002)
2001 finish: CIF Southern Section champion
Starters returning: Nine (five offense, four defense)
Players to watch: DB Freddie Parish, DE/TE Junior Lemau'u, QB Leon Jackson, OL/DL Kevin Brown, OL/DL Joshua Tauanuu, OL Hercules Satele, LB Mark Washington.
Claims to fame: Three-time defending CIF Southern Section Division I champion ... finished last season ranked third in the country ... has gone 66-2-1 over the last five years .... has sent more players to the NFL than any other high school ... only loss last year was to De La Salle, 29-15.
Kahuku Red Raiders
Coach: Siuaki Livai (60-10, seventh year)2001 record: 14-0 (3-0 in 2002)
2001 finish: State champion, OIA co-champion
Starters returning: Six (two offense, four defense)
Players to watch: OL Jeremy Perry, OL Joseph Napeahi, DB/KR Kyle Juliano, DB George Perry, DB Sam Spurrier, LB Ola Kubota, LB David Alisa.
Claims to fame: Owns a 26-game winning streak ... two-time defending state champion and four-time OIA champion ... finished last season ranked ninth in the country ... defeated St. Louis in the last two state championship games ... six players signed with Division I universities last year.
De La Salle Spartans
Coach: Bob Ladouceur (263-14-1, 24th year)2001 record: 13-0 (1-0 in 2002)
2001 finish: CIF North Coast Section Class 4A champion, consensus national champion
Starters returning: 11 (six offense, five defense)
Players to watch: RB Maurice Drew, DB Damon Jenkins, OL/DL Erik Sandie, WR/DB De'Montae Fitzgerald, OL/DL John Chan, RB Jackie Bates, TE/LB Parker Hanks.
Claims to fame: Owns a national-record 126-game winning streak, going undefeated in 10 consecutive seasons ... won four national championships in the past eight years ... has more CIF North Coast championships than losses under coach Bob Ladouceur, who was inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
St. Louis Crusaders
Coach: Delbert Tengan (first year)2001 record: 10-1-1 (2-0 in 2002)
2001 finish: ILH champion, state runner-up
Starters returning: Nine (five offense, four defense)
Players to watch: WR Jason Rivers, QB Bobby George, OL Frank Fernandez, DL Tolifili Liufau, DL Wilson Afoa, LB Tualau Fale, DB Timo Paepule.
Claims to fame: Sixteen-time defending ILH champion, two-time state runner-up ... won 15 Prep Bowl or state titles under Cal Lee ... recorded at least one shutout in each of the last 20 seasons ... has 22 former players on NCAA Division I rosters, including Heisman Trophy candidate Jason Gesser (Washington State).
Hawaii School Web Sites
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Doubleheader will be shown live
KGMB (Channel 7) will televise today's HHSAA/ First Hawaiian Bank Football Classic live throughout the state, the station announced yesterday afternoon.KGMB General Manager Rick Blangiardi said the decision to air the doubleheader locally was made at 3:30 p.m yesterday, even though the minimum of 40,000 tickets sold had not been met. Aloha Stadium officials said about 23,000 tickets had been sold as of yesterday morning.
The games will also air live on radio on KUMU 1500-AM and on the Internet at www.hawaiisports network.com.
"The opportunity to maximize exposure for an event of this nature warrants statewide television," HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya said. "Hopefully the fans will still come out and support the Hawaii teams."
The games will be shown live in California on Fox Sports West and Fox Sports Bay Area. Blangiardi said cable companies beyond the West Coast may also pick up the doubleheader.
Star-Bulletin staff
