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Knights’ Maeda Looking Forward To Kapolei Scrimmage

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Should the Kapolei football program ever need a lobbyist,long-time Castle head coach Nelson Maeda might qualify.

Maeda’s Knights will be in town on Saturday to play the Hurricanes in a scrimmage - the public unveiling of both teams as they continue preparations for the 2006 season.

Maeda might have tried to schedule an opponent at home, since renovation of Castle’s own stadium in Kaneohe was completed this spring, but he sees a road game with Darren Hernandez’ Hurricanes as more worthwhile.

“I can’t think of a better opponent for our scrimmage than Kapolei,” said Maeda. “We always look for a quality opponent when we go about scheduling our scrimmage. They’re blessed with size, and they have a lot of athleticism. What we want to get out of this is for our kids to know what they’re going to face down the road, when we have to play teams like Kahuku, Farrington and McKinley. Anyone can play at home. I want our kids, especially the junior varsity players, to have the experience of going on the road. I’m more than willing to travel.”

Saturday’s varsity scrimmage will begin at 6 p.m. at Kapolei’s stadium. (Admission will be charged as the event will serve as a Kapolei football fund-raiser).

Although often undersized in comparison to their Red East opponents, the Knights’ own ability to play physical should never be underestimated. Maeda sees a team in Kapolei that is cut from similar cloth in the toughness department.

“I hope they beat us up a little - we’re looking for a physical game,” Maeda said.“Last year,if we had kept score, they probably would have beaten us 63-6,so they got more out of it than we did.Hopefully,this year we’ll give them a better game.”

One of Castle’s greater challenges on Saturday night figures to be in trying to defend against Kapolei quarterback Aaron Santiago, who figures to be among the best in the state this fall.

In Kapolei’s spring game,he operated the spread-option offense with precision, throwing for 220 yards and three touchdowns, while running for another.

“He’s a student of the game - he’ll be the focal point of our offense,“Hernandez said of Santiago at the conclusion of spring practice. “He played a tremendous game.He’s very accurate and he doesn’t make mistakes.He has the ability to escape pressure in the pocket, and he can make adjustments on the fly.”

Junior quarterback Mason Koa was also impressive in the spring game for Kapolei, running for 125 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s going to be a good one,” Hernandez said of Koa.“He’s very fast and very confident. Last year, we moved him up to the varsity halfway through the season, and he scored a touchdown on his first play against Pearl City. He can run and throw.”

Said Maeda: “They’ve had a lot of success (on offense), especially at the quarterback position with two kids having gone on to service academies (Air Force and Navy). They’re very versatile and, anytime you have a quarterback who can pass and run, it stretches your defense.”

As a unit, the Hurricane offense has been among the most productive in Hawaii high school football. A year ago, en route to a 4-2 season in the OIA Red West, Kapolei averaged 44 points per home game.

“(Offensively) we were able to put together some pretty exciting stuff last year,“Hernandez said.“I’m hoping we can be just as explosive if not more so this year.”

A pair of stellar receivers in seniors Josh Hose and Caleb Spencer figure to be among their favorite targets. Hose caught five passes for 105 yards and a touchdown and logged two carries for 65 yards and a score in the spring game. Spencer had seven receptions for 120 yards and a score. The Hurricanes also boast a pair of speedy running backs in senior Kamuela Foki and sophomore Cyril Ontai as well.

Up front, 6-4, 290-pound Mike Matamua leads the way at guard. A tackle in the Kapolei program previously, he’s being recruited by Tennessee, Oklahoma and UCLA, among other Division I colleges.

For their part, defense has always remained the Knights’ forte under the direction of long-time line-backers coach Harry Paaga, currently Castle’s defensive coordinator.Corey Paredes leads a linebacker group for the Knights in 2006 that will also feature Lolegi Ma’ae, Dylan Masuda, Kawehi Zablan and Moku Bruhn.

Additionally, three-year returning starter Scott Kieter-Charles heads a strong nucleus of two-way players for Castle that also includes Andrew Fakatoka, Soloman Kohler and Thomas Ilae.