Aiea Must Stop Tahje Canyon For Shot At OIA White Title

Wednesday - November 04, 2009
By Jack Danilewicz
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Jonavon Dias at practice for Aiea High School. Photo by Byron Lee, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Some things you guess at, some things you assume, and some things you’re sure of. A breakdown of Aiea’s matchup with Moanalua in Friday’s OIA White Conference Title Game (4:30 p.m. at Aloha Stadium) is below.

What to watch: History has a way of repeating itself, and that’s fine with Aiea, which won in its last OIA Division II title game appearance in 2003 en route to capturing that year’s DII state title. For its part, Moanalua is perhaps the state’s biggest feel-good story of DII, having rolled to wins in all eight league games to go with a scintillating semifinal win over Kalaheo two weeks ago. (A loss to Division I Mililani in preseason was the only defeat suffered by Moanalua to date.) This is the second meeting between the teams in 21 days, with Moanalua having recorded a 31-14 win at home Oct. 16 in its season finale. Aiea was missing four defensive starters to injuries in that game, including two-way lineman Lawrence Lagafuaina, one of the state’s most sought-after college recruits, so last week’s extra bye can only help the unit regain its form of midseason.

Both teams have already guaranteed themselves berths in the upcoming Division II State Football Championships. Friday’s game will mark Aiea’s fourth OIA title game appearance since 2001.


 

Key Matchup: Aiea’s defensive front versus Moanalua’s offensive line. Containing Tahje Canyon and the Moanalua running game is the key to success for Na Ali’i, a task that should be made considerably easier with the return of Lagafuaina. In his absence - and the absence of three other defensive starters - Moanalua averaged 8.4 yards per rush on 41 attempts for a whopping 348 yards on the ground in the first meeting between the teams. Canyon did even better than that, going for 11.3 yards per rush (16 attempts, 182 yards) in addition to covering 65 yards for the game’s first score. First down is a key down for the Aiea defense, which needs to be able to get off the field following third-down stops. Moanalua is one of the best teams in the state at controlling the clock with its combination of I-formation and double-wing spread sets. Aiea’s rotation in the defensive line includes Chad Patolo, George Noga, Max Maafala-Maiava and Leo Sio in addition to Lagafuaina and Foumai. Moanalua counters with an offensive line that features Frank Lloyd, Pono Kalua, Jovenn Pacheco, Roger Soriano and Ryan Cortez.

Why Moanalua might win: Because Na Menehune are great at limiting opposing teams in possession time by controlling the clock and the line of scrimmage by way of their own offense. In Moanalua’s win over Aiea three weeks ago, it put together three scoring drives that went for more than 70 yards. It used nine plays to go 80 yards on one drive, seven plays to move 76 yards for a score on another drive, and 10 plays for 70 yards and a score on yet another. That kind of offensive execution made it hard for the Aiea offense to get into a rhythm of its own, although Na Ali’i quarterback Freddy Taliulu managed to put up good numbers, going 22-for-32 for 227 yards. Aiea scored only one offensive touch-down in that game.

Why Aiea might win: Because controlling the ball isn’t everything when you have the quick-score capability that Na Ali’i has. There’s no doubt one of Moanalua’s strengths is playing from ahead. Aiea can help its cause immeasurably by putting up a couple of quick scores early and forcing Na Menehune to go to the air more than they would like. While Aiea coach Wendell Say liked the play of the reserves, the truth is that Na Ali’i are a much better team with their regular defensive front of Lagafuaina and Co. If Lagafuaina and the defensive line can play to the level that they played at before injuries disrupted their momentum, Aiea should be able to keep Na Menehune under 20 points, which figures to be enough to win if Aiea’s offense does its part. Say attributed Aiea’s struggles against Moanalua to missed tackles. Expect Aiea to adjust to the speed of Moanalua’s option plays much faster this time around.


Key question: Can Na Ali’i's defense slow Canyon? If Aiea can hold the Moanalua rushing attack to under 3.5 yards per carry, they should win.

Key question II: Can Aiea finish in the Red Zone? Much of its 271 yards of offense in the first meeting came between the 20s. Aiea will need to maximize every possession to win.

Saturday’s Headline: Taliulu, Aiea, Outlast Moanalua Na Ali’i defense will hold Canyon to under 80 yards rushing, and Freddy Taliulu will throw for two scores in a 27-14 Aiea victory.

 

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