1-7-1 Lunas could surprise

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Lahainaluna Lunas' true colors are not reflected by the 1-7-1 record they bring into the inaugural First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships Division II tournament.

First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships Quarterfinals Division I Friday At Aloha Stadium Kaua'i vs. Kahuku, 5 p.m. Mililani vs. Saint Louis, 8 p.m. At Kea'au High School, Big Island Farrington vs. Hilo, 7:30 p.m. At War Memorial Stadium, Maui Kailua vs. Baldwin, 7:30 p.m. Division II Friday At 'Aiea High School Kapolei vs. Damien, 7:30 p.m. Saturday At War Memorial Stadium, Maui Hawai'i Prep vs. Lahainaluna, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $7 general, $5 students (K-12). Parking: $2 at Aloha Stadium only; other venues free

Lahainaluna coach Robert Watson admits "we feel fortunate" to be in the tournament.

"We didn't have a good season but because the way our league was set up, we beat out the Pac (Pac- Three) to get in here so it's an extra game for us," he said.

But the MIL, like the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation and Interscholastic League of Honolulu, played integrated schedules. The bulk of Lahainaluna's losses were against Division I-classified teams. In the five-team MIL, only Pac-Three and Lahainaluna were classified as Division II.

"They played some pretty tough teams over there: Maui, Baldwin, King Kekaulike," noted Hawai'i Prep coach Tom Goodspeed.

Lahainaluna's only win was against Pac-Three, after losing to the Titans in the first round. The Lunas tied King Kekaulike in the season finale to clinch the berth by having a better record than Pac-Three. King Kekaulike handed MIL champion Baldwin its only loss of the season.

"It kind of boosted our confidence a little, so hopefully we can take it from there," Watson said of the tie with King Kekaulike.

The Lunas were in the tournament two years ago and have won three MIL titles since 1997. That's another reason Goodspeed said his players should not be overconfident.

"It's do or die," he said. "They're a good program. They've got a lot of history."

Ka Makani have recent history on their side, as they made their tournament debut last year.

"The kids have come a long way," Goodspeed said. "In a lot of ways, they've come a lot further than the team we has last year, so I'm really proud of them."

Hawai'i Prep tied for the second-best record in the BIIF regular season at 6-2 with Hilo, which won the island's Division I title by upsetting fifth-ranked Kealakehe.

Just as Lahainaluna's record might be deceiving, Waimea's previous success might have been too.

The KIF Division II representative Menehunes, who have a first-round bye, have enjoyed the most success among tournament teams after Kahuku and Saint Louis. At 3-4, Waimea has the third-winningest record among the 17 teams that have played in the state tournament.

But Waimea first-year coach Liko Pereira said the program's success in state play has been circumstantial. The Menehunes usually had three weeks to recuperate from the regular season to the start of the tournament. Plus, there was time to study prospective opponents.

"We were kind of lucky because we get to scout them three or four times before we played them (and) while the O'ahu schools are busting each other up," Pereira said. "That was a big part of our success."

The push to drop down to Division II came from athletic director James Kitamura and former coach Jon Kobayashi.

"They had a big part in deciding to go Division II," Pereira said. "(While) we did have some success in the quarterfinals, we really got banged around in the semifinals when we met up with the Kahukus and Saints Louises. Even in the quarterfinals, our kids get banged up a little bit."

The winner of Damien-Kapolei will play Waimea (6-2) on Nov. 28 at Vidinha Stadium on Kaua'i. The Menehunes have a first-round bye.

The winner of Lahainaluna-HPA will play OIA Division II champion 'Aiea (7-2) at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28. If HPA wins, the game will be played at Kealakehe High; if Lahainaluna wins, the game is tentatively set to be played at Kamehameha.