Na Ali’i Rebounds After A Season Marked By Injuries
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usFrom adversity comes the opportunity to bounce back in impressive fashion.
A year ago, the Aiea High School football team had 24 players miss games with injuries, including 17 members of its starting lineup.With that in mind, several of Na Ali’i used their predicament as fuel for a little added motivation during the so-called offseason.
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“I wouldn’t say there’s a chip on their shoulder,” said head coach Wendell Say, “I just think these kids, having missed games due to injuries, are really anxious to stay healthy and play. It’s tough to sit on the sideline and know you could contribute. That’s what they had to deal with. They’re excited and totally focused on the season right now.”
As Aiea prepares for its Oahu Interscholastic Association opener at home versus Campbell at 6:30 p.m. Friday, perhaps no player is more eager than senior quarterback Keenan Naeole. He suffered a broken collarbone in only his second appearance last year, ending what had been a promising junior season.
“He’s worked hard in the off-season, and the kids respect that,” Say said.“He played very well in the two scrimmages we had.”
How well the Aiea offense performs could go a long way in determining the fate of the season. Since offensive coordinator Amosa Amosa joined Say’s staff eight years ago and installed the shotgun-spread offense, Na Ali’i have been among the state’s best offenses, parlaying their success on that side of the ball into three OIA title game appearances in the last six years.
In addition to Naeole, Aiea also welcomes back eight of its 10 receivers, including Daniel Liilii, James Buchanan,Aldodius Colquitt, Bryan Echalas and Ezra Knight. “They’re a veteran group that’s been providing some leadership,” the coach said.
Third-year varsity player Lika Avie will anchor the offensive line.
“Offensively, we just need to be consistent with what we do,” Say said.
Defensively, the team will be led by free safety David Sevaaetasi, corner back Josh Chung, strong safety (and three-year starter) Alex Mauga and linemen Kaneoka Asing, Miah Faatoafe, Brennan Sato and Lawrence Lagafuina.
“The defense is always a step ahead of the offense (at this early date), and we’ve really been pleased with the way they played in our scrimmages. We’re looking for them to give us some field position for our offense.”
The unit figures to receive its first big test Friday against Campbell, whose mastery of the Wing-T offense has made the Sabers one of the league’s more difficult teams to defend.
“Our defense has to play a solid game against them,“Say said.“You have to play disciplined against them because of all of the fakes and the misdirection plays.”
While running the ball has been Campbell’s forte, they’re far from one-dimensional, in Say’s view.
“We watched them in (7-on-7) pass league, and they threw the ball extremely well. They (the run game and pass game) go hand-in-hand. They’re always a threat. They’re a team that’s ready to explode this year.They came so close in every game last year, and they have a lot of returnees.”
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