Key football game on tap
for Governors, Knights

Farrington and Castle, two
teams in similar positions,
square off tomorrow night

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By Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.com

It's a tale of two similar football teams as Farrington visits Castle tomorrow night in a key Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East Conference game.

High school football All varsity times 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted Today Nonleague Horizon (San Diego, Calif.) vs. Maui, at War Memorial Stadium, 7:30 p.m. Tomorrow OIA Red Pearl City at Campbell Farrington at Castle Kaimuki at Kailua Waipahu at Mililani OIA White Kaiser at Aiea Kalaheo at Moanalua BIIF Honokaa at Waiakea Konawaena at Kealakehe KIF Kapaa vs. Kauai, at Vidinha Stadium, 7:30 p.m. MIL Lahainaluna vs. Pac-Three, at War Memorial Stadium, 7:30 p.m. Saturday OIA Red Roosevelt at Kahuku Nanakuli at Waianae OIA White Kapolei at Waialua Radford vs. Kalani, at Kaiser Stadium BIIF Hawaii Prep at Hilo Ka'u at Kohala MIL Baldwin at King Kekaulike Nonleague Keaau at Iolani, 2 p.m. Woodbridge (Calif.) vs. Waimea, at Hanapepe Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

The Governors (0-1 OIA, 1-1 overall) and the defending league champion Knights (1-1, 0-1) made great strides a year ago and are trying hard to continue a steady climb up the statewide ladder.

That's not the only similarity. Both teams were depleted by academic and other disciplinary casualties earlier this season.

"We should have a full squad back, because this is the grade-check period," Farrington coach Randall Okimoto said. "It'll be nice to have them back because we're going to need everybody."

The Governors bounced back from their 3-0 nonleague loss to Baldwin with a 37-23 victory over Waipahu last week.

Okimoto credited the return of quarterback Eti Atonio from a knee injury as the big difference.

"We were one-dimensional on offense against Baldwin," he said.

Despite the team's offensive woes, the Governors players who suited up against Baldwin and Waipahu are playing like they're in midseason shape.

"We had a very intense summer, with about 75- to 80-percent participation," Okimoto said. "Some guys, about 12 of them who go both ways, have been working hard since January."

This kind of commitment to staying in shape was something undersized Castle did a year ago, when it upset Kailua in the OIA title game and finished second in the state tournament. The Knights proved that extra work can turn into extra stamina at the end of the season.

Okimoto expects anywhere from 20 to 25 players back on the squad this week to add to the 27 players who've been playing.

Farrington's Matt Bell, one of the state's top running backs, should prove to be a good test for Castle, which had just 27 players in uniform in a 28-14 loss to Mililani last week. Head coach Nelson Maeda expects all 30 players who missed the game to be back this week.

"I expect a great game," Maeda said. "We'll try to slow them down. They're the typical Farrington team with good skill position people and big linemen. And they've got Mr. Versatility in Matt Bell, who can run and pass. We gave him a sliver of a hole last year and he broke a 70-yard TD run."

Maeda wants to avoid an 0-2 start, which he said would put the Knights "in a tight spot," especially since only the top four Red East teams make the playoffs this year instead of five.

He's glad to have many key players back, including slotback/kick returner Jared Suzui and wide receiver Ikaika Ho.

Okimoto knows what's at stake. An early season victory over the defending league champs would provide a huge momentum boost.

"Castle has talented and tough athletes. We always call them scrappy," Okimoto said. "Their quarterback (Louis Mansanas Jr.) is improved from last year, and the team as a whole is really impressive."

Sabers, Chargers in Red West test: Pearl City is off to a fast (1-0, 2-0) start, but this is the week OIA fans find out if the Chargers are for real or not.

Campbell (0-2, 0-1), a hard-nosed conference contender a year ago, has started slow and coach Tumoana Kenessey is putting lots of importance on tomorrow's encounter in Ewa.

Pearl City is unscored upon while putting 89 points on the board in victories over Kalaheo and Kaimuki, but this is the team's first West game.

"They (the Chargers) are very good offensively and very disciplined defensively," Kenessey said. "We want to keep it as close as possible, because we're a young team and we've lost a lot of senior leadership. We need the younger kids to step it up and contribute by coming up with a tremendous effort.

"This is a critical game because there's not too much room for error for any team. The team that wins these early games has the inside track to the championship, especially since it's a seven-game season."

Campbell relies on big-play defenders David Vaikune, Isaac Laupola and Kealii Basham and is still looking for some offensive punch.

The Chargers have a hard-to-stop passing combo in quarterback Jensen Cabanero and wide receiver Brandon Green, who hooked up for three scores in last week's win over the Bulldogs.

"We can't take anyone lightly," Pearl City coach Onosai Tanuvasa said. "We watched Campbell (in last week's 41-7 loss to Kailua). They have good athletes and they're going to be all right. But we can't be too concerned about other teams -- they're all big monsters out there. We need to concentrate on what we're doing. We prepare for every single game like we're preparing to play (perennial powerhouse) Kahuku."

Other noteworthy games: A year ago, Roosevelt (1-1, 0-1 OIA Red East) knocked off two-time defending state champion Kahuku (2-0, 1-0) early in the season. The Red Raiders never fully recovered and are looking to avoid another upset by the Rough Riders in the conference rematch Saturday night at Kahuku.

Two legitimate OIA White contenders -- Aiea (1-1, 0-1) and Kaiser (1-1, 1-0) -- go at it tomorrow night at Na Alii's home field.

On the Garden Isle, the Kauai Interscholastic Federation opens its season at Vidinha Stadium as Kauai and Kapaa duel tomorrow night.

With four games this weekend, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation also starts its league season. Two contenders, Hawaii Prep and Hilo, battle Saturday night at the Vikings' home field.