Sabers Remain Formidable Despite Numerous Injuries
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usThe Campbell football team was battle-tested long before it began its brutal Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West schedule. Since the beginning of spring drills in May, the Sabers have been hit hard by their share of injuries.
In fact, scouting reports have almost taken a back seat to reports from the training staff. Campbell’s opponents are hardly feeling sorry for the Sabers, however. Indeed, the depleted Campbell team has hardly missed a beat, a tribute to the program’s ability to develop its talent from the junior varsity on up.
“The game goes on,” Campbell coach Tumoana Kenessey said. “It’s been tough for us to suit up a full team, but that’s the game and that’s the challenge. Our kids are up to the challenge. Whoever is in there, they know they’re expected to perform at a high level. This team has been hit in the face with adversity, but it’s a team that believes it can win.”
Only a 1-point setback to Aiea has knocked the Sabers off stride to date. Their other outings included an impressive 17-6 road win at defending Red East champion Castle, and a rout of Interscholastic League of Honolulu foe Damien (38-7). Last Saturday, the Sabers were to play a key road game at Waianae, before having an open date this week. Campbell returns to action on Friday, Sept. 22, when they visit Kapolei for a game that will be televised statewide by OC-16.
“We’ll be focusing some on Kapolei, but we’ll also look to heel up. We lost three more players against Aiea, so we’ll be rehabbing. We just have to be smarter in our practices, limit contact, work on our metal preparation and conditioning ... The bye comes at a perfect time for us.”
While the loss to Aiea left his team 0-1 in the league, parity is such in the Red West that the champion figures to have two losses or more. A win over Waianae heading into the open week would have been “a tremendous boost for our program,” Kenessey said.
“The kids realize they’re still in the race. Every week is a war, and they know they have to play their best,” he continued.
Although its first setback of the season, Kenessey liked the prowess his team played with against Aiea. Trailing in the second half of that game, the Sabers regrouped to post a pair of fourth-quarter scores and had a chance to go ahead on a two-point conversion attempt that failed.
“This team has character, and that’s the part I’m happiest with,” he said. “We were able to fight back and put ourselves in a position to win. Either a team has it or it doesn’t. It’s a very resilient group. We always want to keep the score low, keep the game close, and give ourselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter.”
As in past years, Campbell’s forte has been its ability to execute the Wing-T (four-back) offense. Including non-league competition, the Sabers are averaging 25 points per game.
“If we execute the way we are capable of and limit our mistakes, we believe we are hard to stop,” Kenessey said.
“We still have room for more growth.”
The much-anticipated match-up with Kapolei will be Campbell’s first appearance on television this season. While Kenessey acknowledged the exposure the program receives, he’s also weary of the distractions it can create from a player standpoint.
“I personally don’t like to play on TV,” he said.
“For me, it doesn’t change anything. We still have to block, tackle and run, but it’s nice for the kids.”
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