Football Mules Preparing For Green-and-Gold Game

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Part of a series of spring football reports.

Leilehua head coach Nolan Tokuda will begin the 2008 football season much the same way he ended the last one - with praise for his defensive coaching staff.

“Our offense has always been in the spotlight because we’ve had a guy like Bryant Moniz, but the defense has carried us since ‘04,” said Tokuda, whose defensive staff includes Mark Kurisu (secondary/defensive coordinator), Tui Alailima (linemen), Darrin Matsumiya (linebackers) and Len Nakasone (corner backs). “They came into their own in 2007, and they’ll do the same this year.”

The Mules enter the start of spring practice on Wednesday, still feeling the afterglow of last November’s riveting 20-16 win over Saint Louis, which gave Leilehua its first-ever state football title. Its mastery on the field the past few seasons aside, one of the reasons defense remains the hot topic at Leilehua this spring is the graduation of linebackers Robert Siavii, Art Laurel and Josh Cruz.

“They are the three best line-backers to play at Leilehua as a unit,“said Tokuda, whose team finished 10-4 last fall. “We’ll need a solid linebacker corps to play our attacking 4-3, so we’ll be trying to find a mix in the spring.”

Under OIA guidelines, the Mules are allotted a two-week period in which to hold 10 spring practices. The spring season is also the first opportunity since the end of last season for the players to prove themselves to the coaching staff in live contact drills. The first three days will see them only in helmets, and the next two equipped only above the waist, and the last five days of workouts will be in full equipment. The Green-and-Gold spring game is tentatively set for June 4, at a site to be named later.

Leilehua finished second in the OIA Red West in total defense last fall after finishing first in both 2005 and 2006. A number of the Mules’ top defensive players will likely be among the many who will go both ways, highlighted by seniors Nathan Hall and Sione Sami. Both are currently being recruited by Division I schools.

“Nathan has good size, and he hasn’t tapped into all of his athletic ability yet,” Tokuda said of Hall, a 6-4, 230-pound defensive end/linebacker who will also see time at fullback and tight end, defensively. “Hopefully, he’ll put it all together and have a great year. Sione was a defensive player (in ‘07), but he’s shown a willingness to play on both sides of the ball for us. We’ll also bring him in at tight end.”

One key shift from last year could see senior Brad Iaulualo, whom Tokuda calls “our best defensive lineman,” move to line-backer in certain sets. In the secondary, the Mules are heavy in play-makers with the return of corner backs Marcus Breakfield and Kaipo Kea and safeties Garrison Garma and Hoku Kama, whose fumble recovery and interception figured big in last year’s state championship game.

Offensively, juniors Jiniki Timoteo and Bronson Smithe will anchor the line, while quarterback Andrew Manley, running back Rico Newman and wide receiver Edison Dumlao also return.

Manley, a junior-to-be, burst on the scene like a meteor during the 2007 post-season when he was moved up following his season with the JV.

“He’s grown and blossomed,” Tokuda said of Manley, who threw for 188 yards and the winning score in the state title game. “He was 6-2, 185 pounds, and now he’s 6-3, 210. He’s been running and lifting weights, taking care of himself.”

In addition to the returning lettermen, Tokuda also has seen an increase in players. He hopes spring practice will enable him and his staff to evaluate the newcomers.

“We have loads of new guys who are still getting used to the Leilehua way of doing things. Some of them aren’t used to that kind of structure yet. That’s where we’re at.”