Upset By Tigers Hands Kahuku A ‘Learning Experience’
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usSome things are worth revisiting in memory - even if they don’t produce the desired outcome.
While his football team was eager to move past its 14-13 upset loss to McKinley last fall, Red Raiders coach Reggie Torres made sure everyone in the program lingered on it long enough to turn the defeat into a positive.
“Any loss is a learning experience, especially for us because we don’t lose that often,” said Torres, whose team regrouped from that game to win its fifth Division I state championship in seven years in November. “Our boys expect to win, and when you win so much, you can get complacent, and that’s what we were starting to do (prior to the McKinley game). That loss was a blessing. It made everyone realize - players and coaches - that we were beatable. Being state champs the year before means nothing (to the present). You still have to keep improving.”
To that end, the 2007 Red Raiders are finding their stride as mid-season approaches.“We’re starting to see the progression we’d hoped to see,” he said.
If anything, Kahuku’s 33-27 win over Kalaheo solidified its long-standing reputation for wearing teams down in the second half. All told, Kahuku piled up 364 rushing yards on the ground in that game to help keep the Mustangs and their ever-efficient field general Cody von Appen off of the field long enough to get the win. Football is not a game of perfect, however, and Torres saw the game with the Mustangs as another good learning experience as they prepared for their game last weekend with Kailua.
“We still have to clean up some things,” said Torres, whose team hosts McKinley at 6:15 p.m. Saturday. “Cody (von Appen), because of his ability to move and his toughness and his smarts, exposed some of our weaknesses, which is good. A lot of it (defensive struggles) had to do with technique, which is correctable. We hope to see improvement there.”
Among the key matchups Saturday night will be the Red Raider defense opposite the McKinley offense. In the win over Kalaheo, Kahuku conceded 351 yards of total offense.
“The biggest thing is their quarterback (Earvin Sione) and the twins they have at wide receiver (Tavita and Tana Woodward),” Torres said of McKinley. “(Sione) is a real good athlete, and they’re talented - we have to contain them. Kalaheo hurt us, and we can’t let McKinley hurt us.”
Offensively, first-year Kahuku quarterback Jray Galeai had his best game of the season to date against Kalaheo. “He’s coming around and starting to really understand the game of football,” Torres said.“He saw things in the game and made adjustments. Each week, he’s getting better and better.”
As in past years, Kahuku’s ability to play physical up front is paying dividends in the run game. Its offensive line of Daniel Kinikini, Patrick Au, Jordan Bridges, Anthony Siilata and Samiu Tonga helped its running backs pick up huge yardage in the Kalaheo game with both Junior Mataafa (150 yards, 13 attempts) and St. John Lessary (106 yards, nine carries, two touchdowns) topping the 100-yard mark.
“They’re starting to open up holes and make the adjustments,” Torres said of his offensive line. “We’ve seen improvement there - we’re starting to see everyone on the same page - and now we just have to keep on working. We can’t get complacent, that’s the biggest thing.”
Torres was awaiting medical clearance on Au, as well as fellow lineman Lala Ellsworth early this week and expected both to be able to play against McKinley.
“They’re vital ingredients to our success. Those are two big kids who can move.”
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