COMMUNITY > East > Sports

Double-wing Offense Is A Plus For Small Anuenue Team

Del.icio.us

Freshman quarterback Mahuka Cullen and his Anuenue teammates practice on the Palolo District Park field. Photo by Byron Lee, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Whether or not the Anuenue football team can make the school’s first trip to the post-season this fall remains to be seen, but Rainbow Warriors head football coach Kealoha Wengler is certain of one thing - the newly installed double-wing offense is here to stay.

The Rainbow Warriors, who were to travel to Waialua over the weekend, are one of only two teams in the state running the double-wing, having installed the offense in the spring. With all seven of Anuenue’s OIA White conference opponents running variations of the spread offense, Wengler sees his team enjoying an advantage by being the only school in the league running a different scheme.

“It’s difficult for them to get a good look at our offense with only a week to prepare,” said Wengler, whose team opened the season with a pair of hard-fought losses to Kohala (20-15) and Kaiser (38-21).“They’re going to have to prepare differently for us. We do lots of pulling (guards on the line), mis-direction plays and fakes. Our linemen love it. We’re seeing it catch on (among the players).”

The double-wing, which employs two tight ends, a pair of wing backs and a fullback, is ideally suited to Anuenue’s personnel, according to Wengler. They are limited in numbers some years and are without a junior varsity this season, having moved up its players to the varsity level to help project a larger roster.

“We’re not able to run the spread like everyone else because we don’t have those sized linemen. It’s basically a running offense, but if they don’t play us honestly, we can also throw from it. We’ve been researching it for years.”

Despite the 0-2 start, the results have been good for the offense, which is averaging 18 points a game. They rushed for 352 yards in their loss to Kaiser Aug. 15.

And yet, while much of the talk has been centered around the new-look offense, as the team prepares for Friday’s game at Moanalua, defense is much on Wengler’s mind. Moanalua shut out World or Life for three quarters in a 25-6 win Aug. 22 in their preseason game. The Menehune had a bye during Week One.

“We have to put pressure on the quarterback,” he said of his team’s need for a pass rush. “We have to bring some blitzes and do some stunting. Hopefully, we can help them to make some bad choices. Our plan for the game is to control the ball and the clock and keep their offense off of the field. We know they’re going to take their chances (throwing) down the field. We have to tighten up our defense, which we’ve been working toward.”

In defending the passing game, the Rainbow Warriors figure to have a leg up with junior safety Aina Keli’i-Supnet in the fold.“He’s our speed guy - he’s one of the fastest players on the team - and he leads us in interceptions right now with four, counting our scrimmages (and first two games),” Wengler said. Keli’i-Supnet also plays wide receiver on offense.

Anuenue also boasts two-way standouts in Chase Aki (running back/safety), Kainoa Keana’aina (wing back/defensive back), Kaipo Cullen (quarterback/defensive back), Kalani Puaoi (fullback/line-backer) and tight end/linebacker Kumuhonua Wong, who is one of the team’s top leaders.“He’s a leader on and off of the field - the kids follow him, and he’s our leader in assisted and unassisted tackles.”

In addition to prepping for the double-wing offense, Anuenue’s opponents could also benefit from mastering Hawaiian. In keeping with the school’s mission and its commitment to educate by way of the Hawaiian language, the Rainbow Warriors’ plays are all called out in Hawaiian, including calls made by the offensive line right at the line of scrimmage.

“They would be served well (to learn Hawaiian),“Wengler laughed.

The Rainbow Warriors are ready-made to go without a huddle, an approach they’ll likely take in the second halves of some games, he added.

Oceanic-16 announced recently that it will broadcast Anuenue’s game against Aiea on Sept. 12. Kickoff for that game, which will be played at Mililani High School, is set for 7 p.m.