Leilehua Calls Win Over Kapolei in September ‘Defining Moment’
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.usWhen the Leilehua Nation scans its football resume for this season, there’s invariably a pause and a deep exhale when reviewing the Kapolei game in early September.
Rewind to Week Three, and you find the team - having lost games to Mililani and Saint Louis the previous two weeks - with the ball, trailing Kapolei 10-7 midway through the fourth quarter, and facing a fourth-and-two at midfield. The Mules got out of that predicament by way of an Andrew Manley-to-Kamana Akagi 50-yard touchdown pass and have never looked back. Leilehua entered last Friday’s OIA championship game versus Kahuku at Aloha Stadium sporting a seven-game win streak.
“Every championship team has its defining moment, and that was the defining moment for us early in the season,” said coach Nolan Tokuda, whose team is 7-2 overall.“We were at a point where we had to make a play right now. We could have been 1-3, but we rolled the dice and we didn’t crap out.
“We have confidence in the kids,” he added.“We told them, ‘We trust you guys. You work hard enough that for us it’s not a risky call.’” While Manley has had the kind of senior season that Tokuda envisioned for him, the head coach has been equally pleased with the play of his offensive line up front.“I don’t know that we’re playing our best football yet, but they’re playing well together, and that’s what’s important this time of year,” he said of the
includes center Bronson Smythe, left guard Jiniki Timoteo, right tackle Keane Hosaka and left tackle Kalawaia Jenkins, as big factors in the offense’s success. A trio of players - Koa Ascencio, Josiah Barro and Matt Van Winkle - have manned the other guard spot.
“It all starts with the offensive line. They’re the unsung heroes,” Tokuda said.“The center touches the ball every (offensive) play.”
With that in mind, Smythe has led the way at center. He has started since his sophomore season after playing as a defensive lineman on JV as a freshman.
“Intelligence is his strength,” Tokuda said. “His football IQ is so high that we brought him up as a sophomore to play there, and he won the job outright. He’s had it ever since.”
Smythe’s older brother is former Leilehua standout quarterback Bryant Moniz, currently the starter for University of Hawaii.
The Mules have been diverse, offensively, once again this year, having employed 10 different formations at one time or another. Above all, the Mules have been able to finish drives in the all-important Red Zone.
“We’ve been pretty efficient there the last three years,” he said. “We usually change up our personnel packages there.”
While a run-and-shoot team between the 20s much of the time, Leilehua has gone to two tight end and two-back sets near the goal line.
“With the run-and-shoot, your windows to throw become smaller in the Red Zone,” Tokuda explained.
For their part, the Mules’ defense has been stellar, especially lately, having yielded only 8.7 points per game over its last four games heading into the weekend. Tokuda also credited punter Fred Padrones with helping Leilehua in the game of field position. His 69-yard punt against Farrington, which angled out of bounds inside the Governors’ 10-yard line, was one of the top special-teams plays of the year.
“If he wasn’t injured, he might be the leading receiver in the state,” Tokuda noted. “He’s only cleared to punt right now, but he’s become a major weapon as a punter for us.”
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
