The ghosts of state tournaments past stand in the path of the No. 6 Baldwin Bears' quest to become the first Neighbor Island team to reach the Division I state football championship.

The Maui Interscholastic League Division I champion Bears (8-1) will host the defending state champion and No. 5 Leilehua Mules (9-2) 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku.

It was the Mules who eliminated the Bears, 41-34, in last year's semifinals.

Should the Bears win tomorrow, they will play the No. 2 Kahuku Red Raiders in next week's semifinals. Kahuku ousted Baldwin from the 2006 semifinals, 22-20, in the closing seconds.

Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda is expecting a Baldwin team that will be raring back.

"For one, you're going to play a team that has something to prove," Tokuda said. "They're going to be hungry to beat us because of last year. The last two years, they've been a play away from getting into the championship game. They're not going to be holding anything back."

And unlike last year, when the Mules drew a first-round bye as O'ahu Interscholastic Association champions, Leilehua will have to win three games to retain its title.

Moreover, the Mules have to play on hostile grounds. The Bears, making their seventh tournament appearance, are 4-1 at War Memorial in tournament games. They beat Farrington in 1999 and 2007, Kailua in 2003 and Mililani in 2006. Baldwin's only loss on Maui was to McKinley in 2002.

The Bears, in fact, have dominated on Maui soil, going 36-0-1 against MIL teams the past four seasons.

This is the Mules' third state appearance. They have made it to the title game twice, losing to Kamehameha in 2004 and beating Saint Louis last year.

BALANCED BEARS

The Bears attack teams pretty evenly with the run (228 rushing attempts) and pass (233 pass attempts).

While the Bears lost three-year starter Jordan Helle to graduation, he was succeeded by Patrick Wilhelm-Ioane, who has mobility that adds another dimension for the Mules' defense to think about.

Wilhelm-Ioane has passed for 1,406 yards and 18 TDs and is third on his team in rushing with 96 yards.

Sheldon Leong is the leading receiver with 32 catches for 504 yards and 6 TDs. Joshua Tam Sing (18 for 282, 5 TDs), Brennan Canencia-Black (14 for 106) and sophomore Ro Wilson (13 for 183, 2 TDs) are the next-most frequent targets.

Like the Mules, the Bears will use some of their athletic defensive players on offense. Defensive ends Mana Rosa (6-3), who has verbally committed to Oregon State, and Jordan Puu-Robinson (6-4), also see action as tight ends.

Running back Kainalu Garso leads the team in rushing with 513 yards and 6 TDs. He also is a cornerback.

The Bears will be the best passing team the Mules have faced this season. Leilehua's defense has allowed 218.4 yards per game. It has allowed three or more TDs only twice (in a 27-21 loss to Wai'anae and a 27-21 win against Waipahu). (In its 26-24 loss to Farrington in the OIA semifinals, two of the TDs were allowed by the Mules' offense).

PASSING FANCY

Last year, in just his fourth varsity game after being called up from the junior varsity, Andrew Manley passed for 263 yards and and two TDs in rallying the Mules from a 13-0 first-quarter deficit against the Bears in the state semifinals.

With a full season of experience, Manley has passed for 2,921 yards and 24 TDs in 11 games.

The Bears haven't seen a more prolific passing team since their only loss of the season, 48-21, to Mission Viejo (Calif.). The Diablos (9-1) passed for 272 yards against the Bears.

Leilehua throws nearly 60 percent of the time. While all-state wide receiver Edieson Dumlao gets the bulk of Manley's completions (58 for 744 yards, 10 TDs), his counterpart on the left side, Cheves Aberilla Ramento, has made the most yardage with 795 yards on 42 catches.

Running back Rico Newman also lines up as a receiver and has been the second-favorite target for Manley with 51 catches for 611 yards and 4 TDs.

Newman is the team-leader in rushing with 399 yards and 9 TDs.

Like the Bears, the Mules use some defensive players on offense. Defensive end Nate Hall (6-4, 230) has played some tight end this season.

The Mules have been successful on offense despite injuries and illnesses on the offensive line. The only original starters from the start are Jaydon Cuesta (5-6, 175) and Genesis Ponce (5-10, 220).

To help with depth concerns, Leilehua promoted 17 players from the JV and will travel to Maui with 67 players, Tokuda said.

Besides Garso, Puu-Robinson and Rosa, the Bears' defense also features DB Mikie Webb, a key player in last year's state tournament.

HAPPY FEET

While both offenses are capable of generating a lot of TDs, both are just as apt to give the other the boot.

The Bears' CeeJay Santos has five field goals, his longest being an MIL-record 51-yarder.

Leilehua's Maika Kunioka has nine field goals, his longest from 37 (twice).

Both teams also have dangerous return specialists. Baldwin's Webb has an 82-yard punt return for a TD, while Leilehua's Newman has a 90-yard kickoff return for a score.

WEATHER OR NOT

Inclement weather is being forecast for the state tomorrow.

"The weather might play a factor," Tokuda said. "It might affect both teams, offensively, so it's probably going to be a low-scoring game and comes down to who executes and who makes the least mistakes."

Baldwin coach A.J. Roloos did not return several messages to his cell phone.