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GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Pearl City coach Onosai Tanuvasa, whose Chargers have been promoted to the OIA Red, says coaching goes beyond teaching fundamentals on the field.
Pearl City hopes
a promotion doesn't mean
an end to success
ONE of Onosai Tanuvasa's missions is to keep his Pearl City football players clean -- figuratively and literally.
Tanuvasa washes the Chargers' jerseys after every game, and he tries to teach the players to be upstanding citizens.
"To be the best football player you can be, you need to be the best person you can be first," he said.
Pearl City's after-practice discussions are centered around real-life situations -- discipline and sacrifice, being kind to others, and working and playing together as a team.
But the trick for the Chargers on the football field this year is to translate the mature attitude into another winning season.
Last year's 5-2 record in the Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference (5-3 overall) won't be easily duplicated because Pearl City has moved up into the stronger OIA Red.
"Going into the Red, you can't be thinking about what can go wrong. You've got to be thinking about the good things you can do," Tanuvasa said.
"I'm not going to predict that we're going to blow this thing out and go undefeated. Our main goal is to just survive, keep pace and don't get blown out. I think we can give everybody a run for their money."
According to the coach, the team's strength is in its unity.
On the field, there are plenty of returnees on offense, including the hard-running Michael Yamauchi-Yamate, the speedy Michael Tanuvasa, acrobatic receivers Nathan Nasca and Keone Peiper, and efficient quarterback Jensen Cabanero.
Chazton Bertola is a wild-card type of player. He can play quarterback, tight end and defensive back. Russ Dolfo, Rick Morganstein and Thomas Mattos anchor the offensive line.
Coach Tanuvasa is counting on defensive leadership from linebackers Preston Chesnutt, Kealii Au Yong and Ricky Mendiola, and linemen Gabby Cuba, Alex Apilando and Robert Tanuvasa.
George F. Lee / glee@starbulletin.com
It won't be as easy this year for Pearl City to repeat last year's 5-2 season.
Pearl City beat Kalaheo of the OIA White 41-0 in a non-league game last weekend, and the Chargers take on Kaimuki at Kaiser Stadium in their league opener on Saturday. It will be the Chargers' only regular-season game against a Red East opponent.
"Everybody in the Red West is going to be strong, to be honest," said Tanuvasa, who stopped short of picking out specific teams he thought might be stronger than others.
But other Red West coaches have some thoughts on the matter.
"You've always got to think about Waianae as a contender," Leilehua coach Jake Kawamata said. "And I've heard Pearl City has a good team."
Kawamata's Mules have some big linemen and, as usual, a lot of athletic, skill-position players. They'll be trying to improve on their finish from a year ago --a first-round playoff loss to Farrington.
Waianae coach Daniel Matsumoto thinks the Red West is full of tough teams, and he's especially wary of Campbell. The Sabers lost a close one to eventual OIA champion and state runner-up Castle in the first round of the playoffs a year ago.
But the Seariders are coming off a stinging 21-0 loss to OIA White contender Kapolei.
"We've still got a lot of work to do," Matsumoto said.
Campbell coach Tumoana Kenessey sees Waianae, Mililani and Leilehua as the teams to watch out for.
Trojans coach James Millwood thinks Nanakuli (the other former White Conference team to move up to the Red this year) is primed for a run at the title.
"They (the Golden Hawks) have good size and speed and they're very aggressive," Millwood said. "And Waianae is always claiming to have a weak team, but somehow they always end up winning the Red West."
Nanakuli coach Al Beaver doesn't think the balance of power will be disrupted.
"Campbell and Mililani are always in the playoffs and I don't see a change there," Beaver said. "And tradition goes to Waianae. Whatever problems they have, they'll fix it."
Waipahu coach Sean Saturnio said the Red West is full of teams that can't be underestimated.
"You better show up every night to play," he said.
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Here's a detailed look at the OIA Red West:
PEARL CITY CHARGERS
Coach: Onosai Tanuvasa
2002 record: 5-2 OIA White, 5-3 overall
2002 postseason: None
Players to watch: RB Michael Yamauchi-Yamate, QB Jensen Cabanero, WR Nate Nasca, LB Preston Chesnutt, DL Robert Tanuvasa, DL Gabby Cuba
Outlook: Offensively, the success of the Chargers' running game -- led by Yamauchi-Yamate and Michael Tanuvasa -- should open up the passing game. Wide receivers Nasca and Keone Peiper "go all out and do acrobatics in the air, and even if they know they're going to land on their head, they never take their eyes off the ball," coach Tanuvasa said. Run-stopper Robert Tanuvasa is a surprise addition, having transferred from San Diego. A lot of newcomers dot the starting lineup on both sides of the ball, but coach Tanuvasa thinks they're "going to make a name for themselves."CAMPBELL SABERS
Coach: Tumoana Kenessey
2002 record: 5-2 OIA Red, 6-3 overall
2002 postseason: Lost to Castle in first round of OIA playoffs
Players to watch: LB David Vaikune, LB Kealii Basham, DB Isaac Laupola, QB Kenneth Amaral, G Miles White, G Valasi Tagaloa
Outlook: The hard-hitting duo of Vaikune and Basham along with the interception-minded Laupola give the Sabers a strong base on defense. The biggest question mark is at running back, now that first-team all-stater Mapa Malupo has graduated. "I don't think we'll come up with another Mapa, but we've got some young kids at running back who have speed and are exciting to watch," Kenessey said. The coach has big expectations and said the team's goal is to go all the way in the playoffs. Another plus: The Sabers' home field is ready to go after being renovated through all of last season.LEILEHUA MULES
Coach: Jake Kawamata
2002 record: 3-4 OIA Red, 4-5 overall
2002 postseason: Lost to Farrington in first round of OIA playoffs
Players to watch: DE Bernard Hay, DB Blake Furtado, TE Jonathan Scruggs, RB Cedric Thomas, WR Tyrell Couch, OL Kavan Bannigan
Outlook: Kawamata thinks the Mules have a fairly good chance to return to the playoffs and said the size on the offensive line could be a big help. Bannigan is 6-foot-5, 320 pounds and one of two 300-plus-pound linemen. The guards and center are all more than 250 pounds and will work to open holes for Thomas and wear down opposing defenses. Improvement on defense is a priority. "We gave up too many yards last year, and we're trying to tighten up," Kawamata said. "The defense has done really well in scrimmages."MILILANI TROJANS
Coach: James Millwood
2002 record: 4-3 OIA Red, 6-4 overall
2002 postseason: Lost to Kailua in OIA quarterfinals
Players to watch: LB Mikhail Mabry, S Aaron Pooloa, DE Jake Ingram, OL Rob Mason, FB Peter Raneses, WR Darren Smith
Outlook: Millwood and the Trojans desperately want to take the next step in their evolution: a state tournament berth. "At this point, we're doing pretty well, the defense is a little ahead of the offense. We've got a lot of returners (on defense) and a lot of team speed," Millwood said. Finding a quarterback to replace the departed Sean Fujimoto is one of the keys to the offense, and Jared Tavares and Maka Kahoano are battling for the spot. At wide receiver, Smith is a potential breakaway player. "We plan to again make the playoffs, and should be able to if we can put some points on the board," the coach said.NANAKULI GOLDEN HAWKS
Coach: Al Beaver
2002 record: 6-1 OIA White, 6-3 overall
2002 postseason: OIA White champion, lost to Mililani in first round of OIA playoffs
Players to watch: OL Keala Watson, QB Albert Distajo, RB Kyle Beck, CB Dominic Gomes, SS Jimmy Afamasaga, C Richard Naeole
Outlook: The Golden Hawks have a convincing win over Damien of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu under their belts, but Beaver knows it's going to be a big challenge now that they're in the Red Conference. "We need to change the mindset of our players; the caliber of our opponents is better, so we've got to perform better and set higher standards," he said. It won't be easy to replace multi-talented running back Ikaika Asinsin. Beaver said the play of Naeole at center is a key in opening up room for Beck when the Golden Hawks run their bread-and-butter play -- the mid-line option. "But we're the new guy on the (Red) block and all of the opponents are going to be tough."WAIANAE SEARIDERS
Coach: Daniel Matsumoto
2002 record: 5-2 OIA Red, 6-3 overall
2002 postseason: OIA Red West champions, lost to McKinley in OIA quarterfinals
Players to watch: WR Dillon Guzman, WR James Robinson, RB Chris Lave, QB Uilau Faliuga, OL Gafatisi Muafono, DL Aaron Birn
Outlook: Matsumoto is disappointed in the team's performances in preseason scrimmages and insists the Seariders are behind in their preparation for the season. "This could be a rough year for us on both sides of the ball," he said. The normally potent Waianae running load shifts from the graduated Joe Lave to his brother, Chris. The coach is also looking for production through the air from Faliuga to targets Guzman and Robinson. "The Waianae spirit is definitely still there, but it might be even tougher to make the playoffs this year than last year," Matsumoto said.WAIPAHU MARAUDERS
Coach: Sean Saturnio
2002 record: 3-4 OIA Red, 4-5 overall
2002 postseason: Lost to McKinley in first round of OIA playoffs
Players to watch: QB Austen Benito, OL Maifala Laa, OL Curtis Masaniai, DL Daniel Sei, WR Braddon Varde, DB/SB Josh Hicks
Outlook: Waipahu was beaten badly by Castle in the preseason, but 13 of the Marauders players were academically ineligible. "We have a lot of players out of position, but they're some of the best 'team' players you would want to have," Saturnio said. "If we're successful this year, it will be because we'll be playing as one and not because we have star players at the various positions." The success of the option offense (which moved the ball against Castle, but had six turnovers) depends on precision execution. Saturnio said the defense is trying to adjust to a new 3-3 stack setup.
