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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, November 11, 2005

OIA football crowns on line today

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

O‘AHU INTERSCHOLASTIC ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

WHO: Moanalua vs. Radford, 4:30 p.m. for White; No. 6 ‘Aiea vs. No. 1 Kahuku, 7 p.m. for Red.

WHERE: Aloha Stadium

TICKETS: $7 general; $4 students K-8th grade and students with OIA athletic books.

TV: OC-16

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Welcome to the extreme game.

When defending champion Kahuku plays 'Aiea tonight for the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red championship, it will be a battle of offenses of the extreme.

Game time is 7 p.m. at Aloha Stadium. Both have qualified for the Division I state tournament, but the winner draws a first-round bye.

There are no secrets here. The top-ranked Red Raiders (8-1) play smashball, while the No. 6 Na Ali'i (8-2) throws.

"We can't give 'em any room to run," 'Aiea coach Wendell Say said. "Of course, we're not going to put nine men on the front, but we'll make sure everybody knows their responsibility and knows their keys. We have to work on the runs, but they can throw it well, too."

Kahuku has two reliable running backs in Kamuela Alisa (695 yards, 11 TDs) and Malosi Te'o (559 yards, 6 TDs). After they lure the secondary into looking for the run, quarterback Kaulin Krebs will catch defenses by surprise with pass plays. Though he has thrown the ball only 43 times, he has eight TDs to one interception and averages 10.6 yards per attempt. Although Redmond Tutor has only seven receptions, three were for TDs and he averages 25.3 yards per catch.

Na Ali'i have one of the state's prolific passers in Kali Kuia, who has thrown for 2,239 yards and 20 TDs to seven interceptions. All-purpose Lofa Li'ili'i is the leading receiver with 52 catches for 990 yards and six TDs. Receivers Josh Blakemore and Lahaina Kuroda-Olsen also are frequent targets.

"The key is the quarterback," Kahuku coach Siuaki Livai said of Kuia. "We can't give him time to throw or he'll find a receiver no matter what."

The Red Raiders have the personnel to apply a steady rush with the likes of Joe Faifili, B.J. Beatty, Micah Wily and Kaniela Tuipulotu. Kahuku has posted seven shutouts this season. Only Castle, similar to 'Aiea in that it passes the ball well, is the only team to score more than once in a game against Kahuku this season.

Kahuku leads the series, 12-4, having won the last 10 meetings. Last year, Kahuku eliminated 'Aiea from the playoffs in a 32-8 win in the OIA quarterfinals.

There is a milestone at stake tonight. Kahuku's Livai is one win shy of reaching his 100th career coaching victory. He would be the 21st local high school coach to reach the century mark.

WHITE CHAMPIONSHIP

These are exciting times for Radford and Moanalua, as the two engage for the White title and bye in next week's Division II state tournament in a rematch of a regular-season game won by the Rams, 35-13. Game time is 4:30 p.m.

Neither has played at Aloha Stadium in a while. Radford's last appearance was in 2000 in a regular-season game against McKinley. Moanalua's was in 1995 in an OIA quarterfinals loss to Campbell.

"We told the kids this is what we practice for, why we lift (weights) for, why we run," Radford coach Fred Salanoa said. "It's to play for the championship game in the stadium. It's their pay day."

Besides playing for the title, the game is big because their campuses are about three miles apart. The Rams lead the series 21-8-1.

In their previous game, the Menehunes were hurt by turnovers, special teams and Rams' running back Alex Daniels, who had a season-high 241 yards with three touchdowns.

"He's a heck of a runner," noted Moanalua coach Arnold Martinez.

The Menehunes, though, have seen little game action in the last month. They missed a game when Waipahu forfeited Oct. 14 because it did not have an adequate number of players after a team-imposed suspension. The next week, Moanalua had its scheduled bye. Moanalua squeezed by Kaiser, 15-10, in the White semifinals Oct. 28. Both Radford and Moanalua are coming off an open week, meaning the Menehunes will be playing only their second game in five weeks.

"There was a lot of rust," Martinez said of the game against Kaiser.

But Moanalua had a chance to heal, which is helpful for players like Quinton Tang, last year's White Defensive Player of the Year, who plays linebacker and running back.

The Rams need a repeat of their performance against the Menehunes. They contained quarterback Stanford Leti, the third-leading rusher in the state with 957 yards, to a season-low 46 yards rushing. Still, Moanalua had 266 yards of offense, the most gained against the Rams all season.

"It comes down to our defense stopping Stanford Leti," Salanoa said. "He's a great offensive player."

Both teams have already qualified for the Division II state tournament.

BIIF

Kamehameha-Hawai'i will try to make history when it hosts Konawaena for the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II championship at 7 tonight.

The winner advances to the Division II state tournament. The Warriors, in their second season of varsity football, are trying to garner their first state tournament appearance, as their sister school has already done on Maui.

The Warriors (9-2) are led by quarterback Mana Silva. who has passed for 1,802 yards and 23 TDs.

The Wildcats (8-3) have one of the state's best pass rushers in UCLA-bound Dylan Rush (15 sacks, according to MaxPreps.com Web site).

Meanwhile, defending champion Kealakehe (8-2) will host Kea'au (6-3) for the Division I title at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

The Waveriders' only BIIF loss was 32-28 to the Cougars on Oct. 8.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.