Posted on: Friday, September 6, 2002

Two teams try to stay unbeaten

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

High school football is a big tradition at Farrington and Leilehua, two programs with rich histories of winning.

But the late 1990s were not kind to either school, and tonight each will try to recapture some past glory as they look to establish themselves as contenders in their respective O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference divisions.

Leilehua, 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the OIA Red West, travels to Wai'anae and will attempt to go 3-0 for the first time since 1989. Farrington, 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the OIA Red East, will play Castle on the road and will try for its first 3-0 start since 1994.

Here is a closer look at each game:

LEILEHUA at WAI'ANAE

• When: Tonight, 25 minutes after completion of 5 p.m. JV game
• Where: Wai'anae High School, 85-251 Farrington Highway, Wai'anae
• Records: Leilehua 2-0 overall, 1-0 in OIA Red; Wai'anae 1-1, 0-1
• Last week: Leilehua defeated Kalaheo, 25-0; Wai'anae lost to Kahuku, 25-14
• Notable: Leilehua, under new coach Jake Kawamata, has returned to a run-oriented offense. Against Kalaheo, the Mules rushed for 271. ... Leilehua's defense limited the Mustangs to 48 total yards. ... Wai'anae's offense has shown the ability to strike through the air, with quarterback Uilau Faliuga completing 14 of 30 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown against Kahuku.

FARRINGTON AT CASTLE

• When: Tonight, 25 minutes after completion of 5 p.m. JV game
• Where: Castle High School, 45-386 Kaneo'he Bay Drive, Kane'ohe
• Records: Farrington 2-0, 1-0 in OIA Red; Castle 0-2, 0-1
• Last week: Farrington defeated Radford, 35-13; Castle lost to Mililani, 10-7
• Notable: Farrington junior Matt Bell has emerged as one of the league's top running backs, rushing for 180 yards and three touchdowns and catching six passes for 70 yards and one touchdown against Radford. ... The Governors, under new offensive coordinator Elroy Chong, are using a West Coast passing attack. ... Despite losing last week, Castle impressed Mililani coach James Millwood with its speed. "They're probably the fastest team we'll face all year," Millwood said.