Aiea To Face Leilehua In Critical Home Game Friday Night
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usMany players have passed through the Aiea football program under Wendell Say’s watch. Even if Nolan Tokuda hadn’t gone on to become a highly successful coach at rival Leilehua, he is one who stays fresh in Say’s mind.
“Nolan was already a hard worker and a student of the game,” said Say, who is in his 30th season as the head coach at Aiea . “He was one of those kids who was suited up 20 minutes before practice and ready to go. He was the last one to leave. He always worked to make himself better.”
In the interval before he became a coach himself, Tokuda played 7-on-7 flag football in a Sunday league while finishing up his degree. He would probe his old coach for information.
“His mind was always clicking,” Say said. “He would draw up plays and ask me what I thought: ‘How should I defend this?’ “
This week, both men are hard at work preparing their teams for Friday’s OIA Red West battle at 7 p.m. at Aiea. Na Ali’i already have a conference loss (7-0 to Kapolei Sept. 4), so every game is critical in the title hunt. Leilehua was 2-0 heading into last weekend, having accumulated momentum in a riveting come-from-behind win over Campbell Sept. 4.
For Say, a lot of emotion goes into the game when Leilehua and Aiea play. He grew up and continues to live in Wahiawa, and he played for Leilehua in his own prep days.
“I prepare for it like any other game, but it’s always special to play against them,” he said. “They’re well-coached. They prepare well for every game. That they’ll do well is ingrained in their kids.”
Leilehua had heavy losses to graduation, but the Mules are regaining their footing and showed their explosiveness on offense when they overcame a 20-0 deficit to Campbell in Red West play.
The Mules have been using quarterbacks Jordan Kalaau and Keenan Sadanaga, and Say is preparing to defend both this weekend.
“When you’re preparing for two, you want to make sure you’re fundamentally sound as far as putting pressure (on the quarterback) and having containment,” Say said. “Nolan always tries to mix it up to keep the defense off balance. They had a bye before playing us, so I’m sure they’ll have a few tricks in their bag.”
Aiea’s loss to Kapolei was its first since losing its starting quarterback Freddy Taliulu for the second straight year to a fractured collar bone. He will return in coming weeks, but not in time for this weekend, so Na Ali’i hopes to minimize the effects of the transition to junior Duke Spencer.
“Throughout the whole West, every team is playing solid defense,” Say said. “Leilehua is real solid on defense, too. The game will come down to who makes the least amount of mistakes.”
Aiea also can be counted among the West’s solid defensive teams, having yielded only a touchdown in each of its three games to date under longtime defensive coordinator Mika Liilii. Two of three scores against Na Ali’i defense - versus Damien and Kapolei - came by way of broken plays.
“Overall, our defense has really been solid. They’re quick, they hustle to the ball, and they have great chemistry. We’ve had a lot of talented kids here, but as far as playing well together, this may be one of Mika’s best.”
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