Mililani field hosts
pair of East powers
Mililani Town is playing a large part in two Oahu Interscholastic Association football showdowns tomorrow night.
High school football
All times 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted
Tomorrow
OIA Red
McKinley vs. Kahuku, at Mililani
Mililani at Pearl City
Waianae at Leilehua
Farrington at Roosevelt
OIA White
Kalani at Kaiser
Waialua vs. Kalaheo, at Kailua
Kapolei at Moanalua
BIIF
Hilo at Konawaena
Kealakehe at Ka'u
KIF
Kapaa vs. Waimea, at Hanapepe Stadium
MIL
Pac-Three at King Kekaulike
Nonleague
Iolani at Punahou, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday
ILH
Kamehameha vs. Saint Louis, at Aloha Stadium
Damien vs. Pac-Five, at Aloha Stadium, 4:45 p.m.
OIA Red
Castle vs. Kaimuki, at Kaiser, 6:30 p.m.
Waipahu at Nanakuli, 6:30 p.m.
OIA White
Aiea at Radford, 6:30 p.m.
BIIF
Hawaii Prep at Keaau
Honokaa vs. Kohala, at Kamehameha Park
MIL
Maui vs. Lahainaluna, at War Memorial Stadium
Perennial league power Kahuku (3-0, 2-0 OIA Red East Conference) is expecting to be tested against McKinley (2-0, 1-0) in a 7:30 game at the Mililani High School field.
The Tigers, who don't have a field of their own, are the hosts.
Meanwhile, the Mililani townspeople are likely to be more interested in their Trojans (3-0, 2-0 Red West), who travel to Pearl City (3-0, 2-0) to take on the upstart Chargers in another 7:30 p.m. game.
The Red Raiders vs. Tigers East battle on the neutral field is sure to draw large numbers of fans from all over the island who are waiting to see which team will prevail in a rematch of last year's 14-13 thriller won by Kahuku.
Red Raiders coach Siuaki Livai is preparing the Kahuku defense to guard against the explosiveness of the McKinley offense, which is spearheaded by senior quarterback Abel Werner.
"We have a lot of respect for their game," Livai said. "We need to control their quarterback and give him enough pressure so he doesn't have all that time to make decisions."
If anybody can put pressure on Werner, it's the Kahuku defensive line, which is led by the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Shosei Yamauchi.
McKinley coach William Moeava is intent on slowing down the explosive Red Raider offense, too.
"You can't stop the Kahuku offense," he said. "But you can make it harder for them. We've got our hands full."
The Tigers are coming off a bye week, but they still have some nagging injuries. Wide receiver Chris Quiochi has a sprained knee, and the offensive line is banged up.
Surprise team: Pearl City has continued an amazing run in its new Red Conference surroundings, but Mililani represents the biggest obstacle thus far.
"We're preparing for it as just another game," Trojans coach James Millwood said. "There are a lot of games left, so it's not really going to decide first place or anything. We expect a good game. They (the Chargers) have some talented athletes and they get the ball into their hands. And it's their homecoming, so I know they'll be up for the challenge."
The Trojans are attempting to become the first team this year to stop the Chargers' precision passing game.
The key could be how Pearl City quarterback Jensen Cabanero and his host of receivers stand up against middle linebacker Mikhail Mabry and his Mililani defensive mates.
Other notable game: In a key OIA White Conference encounter, Aiea (2-1, 2-0) visits Radford (2-1, 2-0) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
