Triumphant Kailua and Kahuku Teams Face Off Saturday
By Jack Danilewicz
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Special teams get help from special players, as Lopaka Morris reminded the football community in the team’s public unveiling against Kealakehe recently, a 49-14 runaway in preseason action.
Kahuku’s special teams’ dominance over the Waveriders, which included a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns by Morris, was a good sign for the team and entirely by design, according to head coach Reggie Torres.
“(Assistant coaches) Keala Santiago and David Teo are the backbone of our special teams - they’ve revamped things, and we’ve done a better job coaching there. Now we’re seeing the results. Of course, we also have some great players.”
This week, Torres is looking again for an edge on special teams as they prepare for Saturday night’s trip to Kailua. The Surfriders got the attention of the entire state in their season opener recently, posting a 20-9 win over Baldwin at Maui’s War Memorial Stadium. Torres wasn’t surprised, but he took note.
“We knew Kailua was going to be good. Going to Maui and winning is impressive, and it was the way they won it. They dominated. It’s always been a battle for us with them, and coach (Gary) Rosolowich is doing a great job. We’re physical, they’re physical, and this year I think they’re bigger than us.”
Like Kahuku in its win over Kealakehe, Kailua also displayed some of its own play-makers against Baldwin in Week One.
Clinton Aina scored on a 2-yard run and added an interception return for a touchdown that covered 49 yards. UH-bound receiver Corey Lau also hauled in a 67-yard scoring toss from Surfrider quarterback Kahaku Iaea. Kailua was to play Kamehameha in a televised game last Friday night.
From Kahuku’s vantage point, this Saturday’s outcome will likely be impacted by two areas the team has emphasized the most since spring practice began in May: improved special teams play and creating a balanced offense.
Kahuku quarterbacks Evan Moe and Sage Kaka combined for 21 passing attempts against Kealakehe, and their play will certainly be key against a Kailua defense capable of shutting down a run game. While Kaka started against Kealakehe, Moe was named starter for last weekend’s Punahou game.
“Right now it’s Evan,” Torres said, noting that both quarterbacks will play against Kailua. “We want to get that part of our game going - we want to be more diverse - so we were going to throw it a lot. We also were fortunate that the defense put us in position to try different things.”
Torres sees the battle up front as the key to Saturday’s matchup. “We have to play well overall, but (especially) in the trenches. The defense has to be able to hold the line of scrimmage. On offense, too. We have to be able to protect.
Both teams will try to stop the run. That’s our first priority, and that will be theirs (too). It could come down to passing and special teams. Field position and turnovers will also be big.”
Kahuku’s defense looked like one poised to be a force once again in its opener. In addition to stout play from veterans Kona Schwenke and Hauoli Jamora up front, Torres was pleased with his secondary, the area of the team hardest hit by graduation last spring.
Johnny Tupola, Tigy Hill, Trayson Medeiros, Kawe Johnson and George Kaka all received better-than-passing grades for their play.
Morris also has been part of the secondary, but will likely shift more exclusively to offense, Torres said, in order to get him a few plays off and more opportunities with the ball in his hands.
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