Hypothetical football, especially the Big Island Interscholastic Federation version, is always a fun parlor game. ADVERTISING Hypothetical football, especially the Big Island Interscholastic Federation version, is always a fun parlor game. Kamehameha beat Konawaena 20-6 on the road in the
Hypothetical football, especially the Big Island Interscholastic Federation version, is always a fun parlor game.
Kamehameha beat Konawaena 20-6 on the road in the season opener with Warrior quarterback Micah Kanehailua producing three touchdowns.
At the time, the Wildcats couldn’t throw the football or at least on target to their receivers. It’s now Week 5 and improvement has been made.
Last week, Kona went on the road and took down Hawaii Prep 27-20 with Wildcat quarterback Shelton Grace (17 of 26 for 190 yards and two TDs) offering balance to the offense.
So, if Kamehameha defeated Kona, and Kona toppled HPA, then Kamehameha should take care of HPA, right?
There’s a lot of interest in that day game on Saturday in Waimea. But before the previews, it’s time for the BIIF Player of the Week award.
For the second straight week, there’s no BIIF Player of the Week because no coach from Division I, II or 8-man football submitted a candidate, and the weekly honor will be discontinued.
Kamehameha (3-1 BIIF D-II, 3-1 overall) at HPA (1-3 D-II, 2-4), 2 p.m. Saturday
Kanehailua has stamped himself as the heavy favorite for the BIIF Division II Offensive Player of the Year because beyond his stats he finds a way to win when he doesn’t have his best stuff.
In last week’s 25-18 win over Waiakea at home, Kanehailua had four turnovers in the first half: three picks and a fumble. His woeful start brings to mind that old marathon adage: It’s not how you start, but how you finish.
Kanehailua went 15 of 34 for 145 yards, and three touchdowns, including a pair to sure-handed Alapaki Iaea. In the second half, the senior QB made smart, short and conservative throws and had zero turnovers. It was game management at its finest.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Iaea, a receiver and defensive back, is a leading contender along with his fellow senior teammate, D-lineman Pono Davis, for BIIF Division II Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Iaea uses his height and length to become a blanket in the secondary, especially when the defense applies press coverage. That type of scheme works best when the opposing quarterback’s pocket is quickly crumbling.
Davis at 6-1 and 265 pounds doesn’t have ideal measurables, but as the old sports slogan goes: You can’t measure heart. If he doesn’t get a sack or tackle for loss, Davis is the hard-charging terror creating holes for others.
And maybe after four weeks of league play, the Warriors have finally found what’s been missing for so long. No, not a PAT kicker – Kala Muller’s confidence has been growing, and he’s knocking balls pretty good through the uprights.
Senior running back Kaeo Batacan has turned himself into an effective workhorse. He’s a little guy at 5-5 and 140 pounds, but knows how to dart and dance away from incoming traffic. He gashed Waiakea for over 100 yards on 32 carries.
If the Warriors take care of business and bring home a victory, they’ll get a leg up for home-field advantage in the four-team BIIF Division II playoffs.
Hilo (4-0 D-I, 5-0) at Keaau (0-4 D-I, 0-5), after 2 p.m. JV Saturday
Like Kanehailua, if there’s a slam-dunk candidate for BIIF Division I Defensive Player of the Year honors, it’s Ofa Fahuia.
The Vikings know if there’s a big play to be made, then Ofa’s their guy. The senior linebacker scored on a fumble recovery in Hilo’s 7-0 win over Kealakehe on the road. He’s made a good habit of being in the right place at the right time.
Kealakehe (2-2 D-I, 2-3) at Waiakea (1-3 D-I, 1-5), after 5 p.m. JV Friday
The game is sort of a measuring stick for Pono Auwae, the offensive engine for the unbalanced Warriors. The junior running back had 16 carries for 75 yards, including a brilliant 51-yard burst, for a 4.7-yard average against Kamehameha.
Auwae (5-4, 171) is not the biggest guy, but he’s tough to tackles. He’ll be going against the same defense that held Hilo senior Tristin Spikes and his ground crew to 33 total rushing yards.
If Auwae puts up big numbers, he’ll announce himself as the leading candidate for the BIIF Division I Offensive Player of the Year. Last season, he was honorable mention while Spikes was voted with the top honor.
It’s pretty obvious the Warriors are trying to groom sophomore Gehrig Octavio to be their quarterback. He has potential if not shining stats. He was 1 of 7 in the first half against Kamehameha, and finished 7 of 23 for 64 yard with two picks.
But those are deceiving stats because his line had major trouble slowing Kamehameha’s push rush. The chief asset for pass blocking is footwork. It really doesn’t matter how tall an O-lineman is, how long his reach is or how strong he is, if he’s a second slow on his first step to hedge out and protect the perimeter.
As O-line coaches like to remind their big fellas: If you’re a half step slow on the block, you’re already beat.
That’s why it’s so fun for linemen to run block. They can just ram somebody on straight up blocks, traps, pulls or zone where they hit the other guy in a different uniform.
But holes don’t generally open when there’s an entire defense in the tackle box. And offenses don’t generally gain a lot of first downs when there’s no balance. Passing makes a difference, something Kanehailua knows all about.
That said the Waiakea coaches made an adjustment in the second half with their spread offense. Octavio is another little guy at 5-6 and 140 pounds, so he rolled out to find passing windows, a reason he was 6 of 13 in the second half.
But maybe more encouraging was his diagnosis of Kamehameha’s defensive looks. When there was press coverage, Octavio made the correct pre-snap read, identified his best one-on-one matchup, and targeted his most trusted receiver, Cody Cuba (five catches for 45 yards).
Octavio is better known as a Waiakea outfielder, with a smooth swing, on the baseball team. He’s not a pitcher, but he’s got a pretty good arm. He can wing the football 40 yards, no problem.
It’s his accuracy that needs work. He’ll likely complete a higher percentage of passes if his O-line gives him time to throw. When that happens, Waiakea will have the type of balance that Kamehameha already has.
Kona (3-1 D-I, 4-1) at Honokaa (2-2 D-I, 2-2), after 5 p.m. JV Friday
It’s the third consecutive home game for the Dragons, who got roasted by Hilo 51-0 two weeks ago, and beat winless Keaau 45-18, scoring four touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Each week, the Division II title contenders – Kamehameha, Kona and HPA – get better in some fashion, find out what they do best, and watch their top playmakers carry their teams to victory or give their guys a fighting chance.
It’s Honokaa’s turn to join the conversation. On deck is Kona, then it’s at Kamehameha next week, and HPA at home the following week. The tough matchups bring to mind why the term measuring stick was invented for sports.
8-MAN FOOTBALL
Kohala (1-1 BIIF, 3-1) at Pahoa (0-2, 0-4), 2 p.m. Saturday
The host Daggers have given up the most points (215) and scored the least (12) of all the teams in the league, including Division I and II.
The BIIF announced on Thursday that Pahoa’s junior varsity volleyball team won’t play any more games. It’s a stark reminder for the 8-man Dagger football team that every game carries significance, with the lava flow having the potential as a season-ending spoiler.
The Cowboys, also in their first year, had a bye last week.
Kamehameha JV at Ka‘u (2-0, 2-1), 6:30 p.m. Friday
The Trojans had a bye last week.
In something of a recent trend, Kamehameha’s football program just doesn’t have the size like teams in the past.
On the junior varsity’s 38-man roster, only three Warriors are listed over 200 pounds. However, Kamehameha always has good depth, and speed somewhere on its roster.
But the biggest benefit for the Warriors playing 8-man football is getting more games to find Kanehailua’s successor. That’s a puzzle for another day.
