Kamehameha, Leilehua reprise '74 title clash

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

A lot of history surrounds tomorrow's Division I title game of the First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships at Aloha Stadium. Some of it new, some of it old.

The new is Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion and top-ranked Kamehameha Warriors playing the O'ahu Interscholastic Association's and second-ranked Leilehua Mules at 8 p.m. This is the first appearance for both in the six-year history of the state tournament, and the first time a nonleague champion will by vying for the title. The Mules got the last tournament berth by beating Castle in the OIA third-place game.

Both had to beat their league's defending champion to get here. The Warriors (9-1-1) unseated 18-time defending ILH champion Saint Louis by beating the Crusaders and getting help from Division II champion Iolani, which also beat Saint Louis.

The Mules (11-2) avenged a 12-6 loss to Kahuku in the OIA championship with a 17-14 win in last week's semifinals.

The old is that this isn't the first time the schools will play for prep football supremacy. Kamehameha edged Leilehua, 20-19, in the second O'ahu Prep Bowl in 1974 at Honolulu Stadium. At the time, with no state tournament, the Prep Bowl was considered the mythical state title because it only involved the two O'ahu leagues.

It is the unknown that makes this matchup intriguing.

Can the Warriors win their first major football title since the 1976 Prep Bowl against Radford?

Can the Mules do the same since winning the 1984 Prep Bowl against Saint Louis?

To be sure, neither team is just satisfied to be here.

"They're very focused," Kamehameha coach Kanani Souza said of his players. "They've been very business-like at practice. There's not been a lot of hoopla."

Prior to Monday's practice, Leilehua rookie coach Nolan Tokuda took his players into the school gym to observe the championship banners.

"'It's been exactly 20 years,'" Tokuda told them, referring to the 1984 Prep Bowl win. "I told them, 'If (the '84 team) thought getting a big win was enough, they wouldn't have this banner.' They didn't say, 'At least we got to the championship game.' They took the next step. Ten, 20, 30 years from now, when (your) kids come here, you can say you were a part of that team. If you want to leave your mark, you have to leave your heart on the field."

WHEN KAMEHAMEHA HAS THE FOOTBALL

Kamehameha will try to establish the run behind one of the best offensive lines in the state. Jayson Rego will get the bulk of the work, taking advantage of the zone-blocking scheme that enables him to choose his gaps. The results are 1,325 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns. He averaged 21.3 carries per game.

The Mules, though, have been successful in stopping the run in their last four games. They held Kahuku to 177 yards in last week's semifinal and 225 in the OIA championship loss. They also contained Kealakehe to 128 in a first-round state game. They have allowed 11.75 points per game during the four-game span. Inside linemen Leonard Tauala and Vaimaa Tamafuta and ends Kekoa Kama and Aviata Faaloua have to plug the Warriors blockers so linebackers Guyes Galdeira, B. J. Fruean and Josh Scruggs can stop the run.

"Some teams might get confused on the line because of our stunting," Tokuda said. "But Kamehameha is a zone-blocking team, so it doesn't matter where we line up and attack."

Once the Warriors establish the run, the play-action becomes a lethal weapon. Although they will be without Waika Spence, who injured his knee in last week's semifinals, Ikaika Hardie and Aaron Nichols are skillful receivers.

"He's a big-play guy for us," Souza said of Spencer. "It will affect us."

The only question is which quarterback will be used. Pono Kam has taken the bulk of the snaps, but Parker Bode has played well, too. Between the two, they have thrown five interceptions, or a little under three percent of their attempts. Kam started last week, but Bode finished. Depending on the situation, Souza said they might share time.

Souza is impressed with Leilehua's speed on defense, saying it seems as if they have 14 players.

"They've got some guys who can move," he said. "They play real hard and are very physical."

WHEN LEILEHUA HAS THE FOOTBALL

It's pretty obvious what Leilehua will do. The Mules average 32.3 pass attempts per game, by far the most of any team in the state.

Although this is sophomore Bryant Moniz's first varsity season, he has shown the poise of a veteran, passing for 2,648 yards and 25 touchdowns. Moniz has been intercepted 3.4 percent of the time. He has strong blood lines; his grandfather is former Leilehua coach and OIA secretary, the late Bill Smithe, and his uncle is Kaua'i quarterback Kekoa Crowell, one of the leading passers in the state.

Moniz spreads his passes evenly among wideouts Chustin Senas (65 receptions for 944 yards, 12 TDs) and Anthony Palomares (49, 489, 6) and running back Justin Lawelawe (53, 428, 2), who sometimes sets in the slot. Senas (6-1, 180) and Palomares (6-2, 170) are physical receivers who can use their bodies to screen out tight-covering cornerbacks.

"They utilize that short game to neutralize the rush," Souza said. "They spread you horizontally and if you're not careful, they'll throw it over your head."

But the Mules will face one of the best defenses in the state. The Warriors allowed 207.4 yards per game. Kamehameha had 12 consecutive scoreless quarters before Lahainaluna scored in the third quarter of the semifinals.

The Warriors likely will use its flex front led by nose guard Mika Kane, tackle/linebacker Chaz Barit, linebackers Mana Lolotai and Kaipo Sarkissan. They need to pressure Moniz to force him into throwing the short passes so the Warriors can use their speed to converge on receiver. Still, if Moniz does get off the long ball, the Warriors' secondary is athletic and fast enough to make plays.

"They're light years ahead in pass coverages, having gone through Saint Louis, Punahou, Iolani and Pac-Five," Tokuda said. "They'll disguise their coverages. They have athletic defensive backs and lots of team speed. They'll match up well with our wideouts."

If the Mules do run, running backs Lawelawe and Sione Faleofa get the load, combining for 72 percent of the carries for 949 yards, or 95 percent of the rushing yardage. Faleofa missed the last two games with a bruised chest he sustained in the Castle game, but has been cleared to play, Tokuda said.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The kicking games are about even. Kamehameha's Kepa Gaison does the place kicking and punting, as does Leilehua's Ryan Bibilone. Bibilone, solely a kicker, has the slight edge on PATs and field goals, but Gaison, who also plays tackle, has an advantage in punting.

The Warriors appear to have an edge in returning kicks and punts. Ikaika Hardie, whose 34-yard punt return gave the Warriors good field position to set up a touchdown against the Lunas, has returned kickoffs of 90 and 92 yards for TDs this season. He also returned a punt 54 yards for a TD.

Lawelawe and Palomares return kicks, while Senas and Mason Edra return punts for the Mules, who have not returned a kick or punt for touchdowns this season.

Notes

Former Iolani athletic director and football coach Eddie Hamada and Campbell principal Gail Awakuni have been designated honorary game captains for the Iolani-Campbell game. Awakuni is the National Principal of the Year.

Former coaches and players, Kamehameha's Cal Chai and Blane Gaison, and Leilehua's Hugh Yoshida and James Toyota will be honorary captains for the Kamehameha-Leilehua game.

Gaison and Toyota were captains of their 1974 teams that played in the O'ahu Prep Bowl.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.

• • •