PREVIEW: ILH DIVISION II
Coaches say league is balanced

First of two parts

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

QB Jordan Tani will be a key factor for Pac-Five, says coach Joe Onosai. Wes Nakama • The Honolulu Advertiser

Just 26 months later, that gap has narrowed considerably.

"Every week is going to be tough in this league," Kamehameha coach Kanani Souza said. "Iolani has a great team with that running back (Raynold Stowers) and good receivers, and Pac-Five and Damien have greatly improved. It's going to be a dogfight every week."

Punahou coach Kale Ane agreed.

"Every team is a major concern for us," Ane said. "Iolani is very athletic and Raynold is a major concern not just because of his running, but they can play-action off of him, too. Pac-Five is athletic and physical with a strong running game, and they've got a good mindset now with two wins already. And Damien has developed their program; they beat us in a pass league game and beat a couple other teams, too."

Also, for the first time, the ILH's Division II champion will be rewarded with more than just pride. The title now comes with a berth in the inaugural Division II state tournament.

"It's gonna be tough," Pac-Five coach Joe Onosai said. "More than ever, the Division II teams have raised the bar."

He can start with his own Wolfpack, who are 2-0 overall for only the second time since 1996. Pac-Five defeated Kaimuki, 21-7, in the Father Bray Classic and beat Schurr (Montebello, Calif.), 27-22, in a thrilling comeback on Aug. 28.

Onosai said the Wolfpack, buoyed by 29 players from Word of Life Academy, bonded during Pac-Five's first weeklong camp in 20 years and gained confidence in the two non-league victories.

"They really believe we can win," said Onosai, a former Wolfpack and University of Hawai'i standout in his first year as head coach. "Even against Kaimuki, it was 7-7 at halftime, but they never doubted we could win."

That confidence grew in the second game, when Pac-Five controlled the line of scrimmage against Schurr with 5-foot-10, 250-pound fullback Gyles Lawrence pounding away behind a line led by Dustin Pilialoha (6-3, 330) and Daniel Paileulu (6-3, 290).

"Daniel must have had about 20 pancake blocks in that game," Onosai said. "And that's the second straight game where Gyles rushed for over 100 yards. We had the ball for 33 minutes, including 10 minutes in the third quarter."

Senior quarterback Jordan Tani recovered from an off day against Kaimuki with a strong passing performance against Schurr.

"A lot of our success will depend on him," Onosai said. "He's got some of the best receivers in Travis Tyler, Cody Walker and Paul Kaohu-Nishimura. Once he gets comfortable sitting in the pocket and rolling out, he can be dangerous."

The Wolfpack defense will be led by free safety Shane Lawrence, whom Onosai calls "our best all-around player." Shane, Gyles' brother, can play running back on offense and also is a threat on special teams.

"We still don't have enough depth, so we'll use our best athletes as much as possible," Onosai said. "We want to win the Division II (title), but we're hoping to surprise some people and have enough horsepower to give the Division I teams a challenge, too."

Iolani hopes to do the same thing, and the Raiders might be the most prepared to do it. By the time it starts its regular season on Sept. 20 against Pac-Five, Iolani will have played four games. It lost to McKinley, 25-12, before defeating Hawai'i Prep, 41-7, and Kea'au, 41-0.

"We wanted this group to be seasoned, especially on offense where we only have four returning starters," Raiders coach Wendell Look said. "We're not like Saint Louis or other schools where most of the kids played Pop Warner; with some of our kids we're still trying to teach them how to play the game. They have to learn all the small little things — that's why we needed to play (four games)."

Damien co-coach Dean Nakagawa said his team also benefitted from a non-league game against Nanakuli (a 37-19 loss) and scrimmages against Kailua, Kapolei, Kalaheo, Waipahu and Castle.

"We showed how good we can be, now we just gotta learn how to finish and win," said Nakagawa, in his second year with co-coach Rudy Alejo. "This group (of seniors) has never won (in the ILH), so I said it'll be poetic justice if we win the title."

Many of the senior Monarchs are three-year starters, but as they have grown and improved, so have the other teams.

"That's the challenge I posed to them, because Division II is getting better," Nakagawa said. "It'll be an interesting season; there won't be the dominance like years past. I'm excited ... but cautiously excited."

Tomorrow: ILH Division I.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456

ILH Division II capsules

Damien Monarchs

• Co-Coaches: Rudy Alejo and Dean Nakagawa, second season (1-7)
• 2002: 1-7
• Top players: WR Andrew Canoy (5-5, 140, Sr.); S/CB/K/P/PR Ranson DeCosta (5-8, 170, Sr.); LB Brennan Dela Cruz (5-6, 205, Sr.); WR Va'a Faualo (5-8, 150, Jr.); RB/DE Cory Mullen (5-10, 155, Sr.); OL Garyk Ontai (5-10, 270, Jr.); DB Fehi Sevelo (6-0, 190, Sr.); DL Soane Sevelo (5-10, 210, Sr.); DB Elijah Souza (5-10, 130, Sr.); TE Keoni Steinhoff (6-2, 250, Sr.); OL Kegan Tupuola (6-0, 295, Sr.); QB Tevita Williams (6-1, 160, Sr.).
• Outlook: Most of the senior Monarchs have been through a lot in the past three seasons, from a much-publicized near-forfeit to Saint Louis in 2001, to a coaching change last year, to an ongoing 14-game ILH losing streak. Now, co-coach Dean Nakagawa says, the future is in their hands. "The talent is there to win," Nakagawa said. "The seniors will determine how we do." Damien has playmakers, starting with third-year starter Ranson DeCosta, who mainly is a safety but also contributes on offense. He and receiver Andrew Canoy have returned punts and/or kickoffs for touchdowns. Quarterback Tevita Williams is a returning starter, and Garyk Ontai is a veteran on the line. The Monarchs have struggled offensively the past two seasons, and Nakagawa says that must change. "We have to make plays," he said. Defensively, the concern is giving up big plays. Senior Cory Mullen has moved over from running back to defensive end to shore up the line, complementing bookend Soane Sevelo. Brennan Dela Cruz leads the linebacking corps, and DeCosta and cornerback Elijah Souza will anchor the secondary. Nakagawa said having a full offseason of running and lifting should help the Monarchs. "Conditioning shouldn't be an excuse anymore," he said. "And physically, we shouldn't be outmanned, at least against Pac-Five and Iolani." The key, he said, will be consistency. "I still don't know which team will show up from one week to the next," he said. "It should be an exciting season, but first we still need to get over that hump. I know we're capable, but I told the guys that to beat somebody else, we first gotta stop beating ourselves with mistakes."

Iolani Raiders

• Coach: Wendell Look, 13th season (82-61-1)
• 2002: 6-4
• Top players: FS Shaun Agustin (5-5, 165, Sr.); WR Paul Bennett (5-10, 195, Sr.); QB Peter Heimerdinger (5-8, 175, Sr.); QB Kiran Kepo'o (6-0, 200, Soph.); OL Riley Martin (6-1, 270, Sr.); WR Karl Motoyama (6-1, 185, Sr.); CB Kyle Muraoka (5-8, 170, Sr.); DL Brad Nagasako (5-10, 175, Sr.); DL Keone Nakoa (5-10, 240, Sr.); OL Jayson Quon (6-1, 270, Sr.); RB Raynold Stowers (6-1, 200, Sr.); DB Tyler Street (5-8, 170, Sr.); LB Brian Wallace (5-9, 200, Sr.); OT Alex Why (6-1, 205, Sr.).
• Outlook: Raynold Stowers, who led all O'ahu rushers last year with 1,027 yards in seven games, is back for his senior year. But he will be running behind a line that returns only two starters in tackle Alex Why and guard Jason Quon. Senior tackle Riley Martin was a starter two years ago, however, and is back to add size and strength. Senior quarterback Peter Heimerdinger started one game (against Saint Louis) last season, but he is being pushed by sophomore Kiran Kepo'o. "Right now we're going with the senior because of the leadership, but I feel comfortable with either guy," Look said. "For a smaller guy, Heimerdinger has a good, live arm and has some accuracy. And he's getting a grasp of the offense." Iolani has five starters back on defense: free safety Shaun Agustin, cornerback Kyle Muraoka, linebacker Brian Wallace, and defensive linemen Keone Nakoa and Brad Nagasako. Senior defensive back Tyler Street played as a sophomore but was injured last year. For a change, Look said the Raiders are blessed with decent depth. "We have a lot of kids in the secondary, so we can be more flexible there," Look said. "Even up front, for us, we have pretty good size." But Look said his team is still small compared to some others in the ILH. "We're undersized, so we still have to rely on quickness," he said. "We're not going to run straight at people; we have to move guys around." Iolani had a tough non-league opener against McKinley, losing 25-12. But Look said the loss was beneficial, as were the Raiders' non-league victories over Hawai'i Prep and Kea'au. "We saw what our weaknesses are," he said.

Pac-Five Wolfpack

• Coach: Joe Onosai, first season
• 2002: 3-7
• Top players: DE Ka'au Fergustrom (6-0, 180, Sr.); DE Willie Fetu (6-1, 180, Sr.); MLB Keala Kaehuaea (6-0, 200, Sr.); WR Paul Kaohu-Nishimura (6-0, 145, Sr.); RB Gyles Lawrence (5-10, 250, Jr.); FS Shane Lawrence (5-11, 170, Sr.); OL Daniel Paileulu (6-3, 290, Sr.); OL Dustin Pilialoha (6-3, 330, Sr.); DB Andrew Rutherford (5-9, 160, Sr.); RB Brashton Satele (6-0, 255, Jr.); QB Jordan Tani (5-9, 160, Sr.); WR Travis Tyler (6-4, 200, Sr.); WR Cody Walker (5-10, 145, Jr.); DB Josh Young (5-7, 135, Sr.).
• Outlook: The Wolfpack are feeling optimistic after impressive non-league victories over Kaimuki and Schurr (Montebello, Calif.). Coach Joe Onosai said the Schurr game in particular showed how Pac-Five hopes to perform. "We won't fool a lot of people with what we do; we can almost tell you, 'We're running here,' " Onosai said. "When we won the Prep Bowl (in 1982), we called our offense the 'Pac-Men' offense, because we just ate up the clock like that. If we can control the clock and shorten the game, that might give us a better chance." The ball-control attack will be led by senior offensive linemen Dustin Pilialoha, who is receiving strong interest from several Division I colleges, and Daniel Paileulu. Fullback Gyles Lawrence, at 250 pounds, is a load for any linebacker to tackle. Another running back, Brashton Satele, also weighs 250. Quarterback Jordan Tani has a big target in receiver Travis Tyler (6-feet-4, 200 pounds), and two other solid wideouts in Cody Walker and Paul Kaohu-Nishimura. "We hoped to be balanced in our attack," Onosai said. Defensively, the leader is senior safety Shane Lawrence, but he will have lots of help in the secondary from Josh Young — whom Onosai says is "our best cover guy" — and Andrew Rutherford. Lawrence also will return kicks. Keala Kaehuaea will anchor the linebacking corps in the middle. "He's our best hitter," Onosai said. "And I think he's the best linebacker in the ILH." The Wolfpack are a bit small on the defensive front, with two 180-pound ends in Willie Fetu and Ka'au Fergustrom. But Fetu had three sacks against Schurr. "Our linemen are small, but they're very fast," Onosai said. "Our whole approach on defense is speed."