Maeda: Kapolei Scrimmage An ‘Ideal’ Test For Knights
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.us
Coach Nelson Maeda gives his Castle football
squad some preseason pointers. Photo by
Nathalie Walker, staff photographer.
With a refurbished football stadium primed for public unveiling, it would make sense for Castle head coach Nelson Maeda to schedule his team’s lone scrimmage at home.
Instead, the Knights will travel to Kapolei Saturday night to play the Hurricanes in what Maeda considers the ideal “test” for his team as it nears its pre-season opener Aug. 18 with Campbell.
“Anyone can play at home,” said Maeda, whose team won the OIA’s East Red conference last season.“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.”
The Knights will encounter more than just the normal challenges that go with playing on the road. In Kapolei, Castle will face what many believe to be the program of the future in the OIA. Entering their fifth season of varsity football, the Hurricanes have blossomed under coach Darren Hernandez into a year-to-year contender and have sent their share of players to Division I colleges.
“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) opponent. 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 the Kahukus, the Farringtons and McKinleys.”
Saturday’s varsity scrimmage, which will begin at 6 p.m., is open to the public. (Admission will be charged, as the event will qualify as a Kapolei football fund-raiser.)
Although often undersized in comparison to their Red East opponents, the Knights’ ability to play physical can never be underestimated. Maeda sees a team in Kapolei that is cut from similar cloth in the toughness department.
“We’re looking for a physical game,” he said. “Last year, if we would have kept score, they probably would have beaten us 63-6, so we got more out of it than they did. Hopefully, this year we’ll give them a better game.”
One of Castle’s larger challenges on Friday night figures to be in trying to defend against Hurricanes quarterback Aaron Santiago, who could be among the best in the state this fall.
“They’ve had a lot of success at the position with two kids having gone on to service academies (Navy and Air Force),“Maeda said. “They’re very versatile, and anytime you have a quarterback who can pass and run, it stretches the defense.”
The Hurricanes also boast a pair of speedy running backs - senior Kamuela Foki and sophomore Cyril Ontai - as well as wide receiver Caleb Spencer and slot backs Nate Dixon and Josh Hose.
Up front, 6-foot-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 schools.
For their part, defense has always remained the Knights’ forte under the direction of longtime linebacker coach Harry Paaga, currently Castle’s defensive coordinator.
Corey Paredes leads a line-backer group for the Knights in 2006 that will also feature Lolegi Ma’ae, Dylan Masuda, Kawehi Zablan and Moku Bruhn.
Three-year returning starter Scott Kieter-Charles heads a strong nucleus of two-way players that includes Andrew Fakatoka, Soloman Kohler and Thomas Ilae.
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
