The heavy-hearted Castle High School football team has decided to play its O'ahu Interscholastic Association showdown at defending state champion Kahuku tonight as scheduled, despite the grave situation of starting offensive/defensive lineman/punter Patrick Kapahu.

Kapahu, a senior who also played baseball and soccer for the Knights, suffered a severe head injury in a skateboarding accident late Wednesday night and remained on life support as of 8 last night.

Castle athletic director Richard Haru deferred further details pending the family's consent. Knights coach Nelson Maeda said Kapahu was taken to The Queen's Medical Center after a "freak" accident — in which no car was involved — and never regained consciousness.

Maeda and his players were at Queen's all morning, then had a team meeting in the afternoon.

"We brought in people who are more well-versed than I am in this kind of situation, some spiritual leaders," Maeda said. "We left it up to the team (whether to play Kahuku), and they made their decision at about 6 o'clock."

Maeda described Kapahu as "one great kid who had a love for life."

"The team collectively decided they would carry the torch for him and continue his legacy," Maeda said. "We left it up to them, but we also told them that if tomorrow you decide you cannot focus, there's no shame in telling us you cannot play. Football is just a game, and we are dealing with life and death here. The players are taking it very, very hard."

Maeda said he supported the team's decision to play, because "speaking as a coach, sometimes I think it's best to focus on something else for a little while instead of dwelling on a situation."

Four teams — Castle, Farrington, Kahuku and McKinley — are locked in a tie for first place at 3-1 in the OIA Red Conference Eastern Division, but the playoff picture could get clearer after tonight since all four are in action against each other.

Farrington and McKinley, both 4-2 overall, square off at 6:30 p.m. at Mililani in a game that will be televised live statewide on OC-16.

Castle (3-3) and Kahuku (4-2) are set to kick off at about 7:30, or 25 minutes after the 5 p.m. JV game.

All four teams already have clinched OIA playoff berths, but McKinley does not own the tiebreaker against Kailua (3-4, 2-3) so the Tigers need one more victory — or a Surfriders loss — to secure a top four finish.

Also, seeding is still up for grabs and important for all four teams, since only the top three in each division receive first-round byes in the league playoffs. Home-field advantage in the first two rounds also is at stake.

In the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, 'Iolani (3-1-1, 1-0-1 ILH) visits arch rival Punahou (4-1, 1-1) at 3:15 p.m.

Here is a closer look at each game:

CASTLE AT KAHUKU

Advertiser Top 10 ranking: Kahuku tied for No. 3; Castle unranked

Last week: Kahuku defeated Farrington, 38-0; Castle was idle

Notable: Castle upset the Red Raiders, 23-6, last season for Kahuku's only loss in 2005. But that game was at Aloha Stadium. The Red Raiders have not lost a home game since 1999, when Service (Anchorage, Alaska) beat them 39-33. The last Hawai'i team to win at Kahuku was Campbell, way back in 1996 when the Red Raiders played in the White (lowest tier) Division. ... Points always are at a premium against Kahuku's fast and physical defense, which allows only 11.3 points per game. Free safety Gary Nagy recovered two fumbles against Farrington last week, had another fumble recovery against Kailua in the regular season opener and also returned a kickoff 49 yards against McKinley. ... Castle's undersized defense, led by ball-hawking linebacker Corey Paredes, has done a stellar job as well, allowing only 46 points in four East games (11.5 ppg). ... Kahuku running back Lehi Aumua has been a steady force, rushing for 582 yards and five touchdowns and averaging 6.9 yards per carry this season. But he was only one of 15 different Red Raiders to carry the ball last week. Kahuku gained 227 yards rushing against a tough Govs defense that posted two shutouts and had been allowing only 8.2 ppg.

FARRINGTON VS. MCKINLEY

Advertiser Top 10 ranking: Farrington No. 7; McKinley No. 9

Last week: Farrington lost to Kahuku, 38-0; McKinley defeated Moanalua, 30-13

Notable: Both teams will be without their starting quarterback. Farrington's Elijah Filifili suffered a broken index finger in his right (throwing) hand during practice three weeks ago and will sit out his third straight game. Maeli Siliga has moved over from receiver to again fill in for Filifili. McKinley quarterback Tilton Kaluna suffered a broken left (non-throwing) collarbone last week in the victory over Moanalua. He will be replaced by inside linebacker Isaac Iuta. McKinley coach Bobby Grey said Iuta's brother, Isaiah, has been brought up from the JV to help shore up the linebacking corps. ... Farrington receiver Elijah Lesu is among the state's leaders with 29 catches for 534 yards (18.4 ypc) and eight touchdowns. Running back Hercules Sula has scored seven TDs. ... McKinley is in the thick of the East race despite scoring 99 points in six games, the lowest total in the division.

'IOLANI AT PUNAHOU

Advertiser Top 10 ranking: Punahou No. 2; 'Iolani No. 8

Last week: Punahou lost to Saint Louis, 38-35; 'Iolani was idle

Notable: 'Iolani has officially added the Hawaiian okina to its school name. ... Although 'Iolani is classified as a Division II team and Punahou is DI, this heated rivalry has seen tight games the past two years. Punahou had to rally for two second-half touchdowns last season to overcome a 17-10 deficit and win, 24-20. Two years ago, the Buffanblu outscored 'Iolani 22-6 in the fourth quarter to rally for a 25-22 win that denied the Raiders a chance to play for the overall ILH championship. ... Punahou faced an even bigger deficit — 31-0 at halftime — against Saint Louis last week before a furious rally brought the Buffanblu to within three points with 53 seconds remaining. But their onside kick did not travel the required 10 yards and the Crusaders were able to run out the clock. ... 'Iolani quarterback Ryan Dung ranks fourth in the state in pass efficiency rating (145.0). He has completed 65 of 114 attempts (57 percent) for 888 yards and nine touchdowns, with only two interceptions. Receiver Lionel Fujioka leads the team with 25 catches for 408 yards and four TDs. ... Punahou quarterback Brett Kan has completed 107 of 172 passes (62.2 percent) for 1,313 yards and 10 TDs, with 11 interceptions for a pass efficiency rating of 132.7. His favorite target is receiver Miah Ostrowski (42 catches, 640 yards, four TDs). ... Raider running back Justin Yamamoto has rushed for 482 yards and four touchdowns on 98 carries (4.9 ypc). ... 'Iolani's Kody Adams has kicked four field goals, including a 49-yarder against Mililani. ... Punahou running back Dalton Hilliard briefly left last week's game with a leg injury, but returned later on the final series.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.