Defense May Star Friday In Red Raiders’ Spring Game

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Coach Reggie Torres

When the Kahuku football team goes on public display at its spring game Friday night, expect most of its bulging fan base to be zeroing in on the defensive line play.

With two of the proud program’s most visible defensive linemen in Hauoli Jamora and Kona Schwenke moving on, transition in the trenches is anticipated.

“What made us such a good defensive line was that they commanded double and triple teams and sometimes more,” head coach Reggie Torres said. “That helped the rest of us. (Defensive line) is one of our major focuses in spring. We’ve tweaked some things.”

Kahuku is coming off a 12-1 season that saw it win its sixth OIA title in the last seven years, in addition to a runner-up finish to Kamehameha in the Division I state tournament. The loss to the Warriors in the title game was Kahuku’s only loss of 2009.

Kahuku began spring practice last week and will be working out daily in preparation for Friday’s game, which begins at 5:30 p.m. After spring ball, teams will not be able to go with full equipment again until the official beginning of fall camp July 29. As was the case last year, they hope their defense can set the tone.

“(Defensive line) is a work in progress,” Torres said.“We can be tough there - maybe not as tough as last year - but tough enough to be competitive. We have a lot of skill guys. We have some talent, but it’s (positions) up for grabs. All phases are important, but in that area, we are really trying to get them up to par.”

Another traditional strength is the secondary. On that note, Torres has a potential four-year starter in sophomore Kawehewa Johnson, who was perhaps the best freshman in the state a year ago at his safety position.

Johnson is the son of former Kahuku quarterback and assistant coach Darren Johnson, who enjoyed successful stints as a head coach at both Kailua and Kaimuki.

“He has the intangibles you can’t teach,” Torres said of Kawehewa Johnson, who had five stops in the state title game last December. “He’s 5-7, 140 pounds give or take a plate lunch, but he’s been impressive on the field. He just needs to put more time in the weight room, and he’s going to be fine.”

On the offensive side, key players return at key positions in quarterback Evan Moe and wide receiver Punga Vea “Punga has worked hard in all phases. He ran track, worked hard in the weight room and in the classroom. Because Evan is a returnee, expectations for him are high,” Torres added of Moe. “He still has some work to do.”

Up front, Torres is high on left tackle Christopher Thee, who had a monster of a junior season. “He’s worked hard overall - he’s been coming to all of the work-outs,” Torres said of Thee, who packs 240 solid pounds into a 6-foot-1 frame.

If Torres has his way, the Red Raiders will be a dominant running team again. “We went back to the basics (in late 2009) and simplified, and our run game suffered because of injuries,” he said. “Our passing game went up (production-wise), but I still believe running should be our focus - run first, pass second. We’re working to shore that up. One way is to get our linemen stronger.”

The kicking game should be in good hands with the return of Josh Sorenson, who was moved up from the JV team in time for the state tournament. Sorenson has two years of eligibility remaining and could be a Division I college prospect by the time he leaves Kahuku.

“He has a good leg,” Torres said. “He has a shot (to be a DI-level college kicker).” Last year’s kicker, Cameron Mercado, completed his eligibility.