Hurricanes Face Tough Seariders In Season Finale
By Jack Danilewicz
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The Oahu Interscholastic Association playoffs may be more than a week away, but the Kapolei Hurricanes have been in the post-season mode for a few weeks already.
“Every game takes on playoff implications at this time of year,” said Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez, whose team visits Waianae Saturday night for their regular-season finale.“We need to win. We want a high seed. They’re tough at home, and they’ll want to protect their home field. We’ll really have to show up.”
On that note, Kapolei’s ability to respond was best illustrated in its 21-0 win over Leilehua Sept. 28. The Hurricanes had dropped their previous two games to Mililani and Campbell and were in jeopardy of being left out of the playoffs for the first time in the program’s brief but proud history.
“The kids took it hard, but sometimes you learn more from a loss than from a win,” he said. “We didn’t play well in those games. We came out flat. We didn’t get it done against Mililani, and we kind of wilted in the Ewa sun (in a 19-12 loss to Campbell), turning it over a couple of times ... That was the low point, but we talked about how there was a whole lot of the season left and that we wanted to make the playoffs. Once we get into the playoffs, it’s a new season.”
Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. game with Waianae will likely have the feel of a playoff game. Kapolei owns a 3-1 record in the brief series between the schools and posted wins at Waianae in both 2003 (21-10) and 2004 (21-0) in addition to last year’s 17-13 win at Kapolei, which accounted for the Seariders’ only regular-season loss en route to the Red West championship last fall. As in previous years, Hernandez is expecting nothing less than Waianae’s best effort in Saturday’s encounter.
“They’re a physical team - they run the ball well - and they’re very old school,” he said of Waianae, which takes a 3-2 league record (5-2 overall) into Saturday’s game after having had an open date on its schedule last week. “I hope we can physically match up with them. Defensively, their front seven is always good - they have a solid rotation inside (their interior line).”
Kapolei’s own defensive play could go a long way in determining the outcome of Saturday’s game. Kapolei has been stout against the run for much of the season, limiting Damien’s Kama Bailey and Campbell’s Samson Anguay to sub-par outings earlier in the season. Should Kapolei be able to force Waianae to the air, it would help their chances. Kapolei has yielded only 23 points total in its aforementioned three wins over the Seariders.
“Overall, our defense has really stepped it up and played well. We went through a period when we made some mistakes, but now we’ve shored those things up. We’ve been able to contain the other team’s best player, and now we need to be able to do a good job against their supporting players as well.”
The Hurricanes’ defense is led by its line, which includes Chad Lopati, Othaniel Maiava, Trent Nakata, Paul Belford, Victor Faavae and Bryson Guerrero. Linebackers Cyril Ontai and Tim Brown both rate among the best in the OIA at their positions for the Hurricanes, while Kalae Parish and Keliiholokai Aki are play-makers in the secondary.
Offensively, Kapolei is led by versatile quarterback/receiver Mason Koa. The starter behind center to begin the season, he has also caught a team-best 13 passes for 194 yards when playing at receiver - an adjustment that was made possible due to the development of fellow quarterback Noah Pascua (372 passing yards and a 53 percent completion rate).
In Waianae, the Hurricane offense could face its stiffest test to date. The Seariders lead the entire OIA in total defense, relinquishing a mere 190 yards per game. Against the run, the Seariders had given up only 62 yards through their first five league games.
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