Last week saw the start of high school football’s preseason across most of the state, as well as the girls volleyball preseason on O‘ahu.
Due to the western Maui wildfires, most MIL games were cancelled.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser released its preseason rankings for football and volleyball on Tuesday.
Football Top 10: Kahuku, Punahou share No. 1 ranking
Kahuku and Punahou have so many things in common when it comes to the gridiron.
Now they share the No. 1 spot in the first Star-Advertiser Football Top 10 of the fall. Kahuku collected five out of 10 first-place votes, while Punahou received four first-place notches from the voting panel of coaches and media.
Kahuku barreled over Waianae 49-0 in a nonconference opener on Saturday. Punahou rallied for a 21-14 win over OIA powerhouse Mililani on Saturday.
Mililani is at No. 3 following the loss.
Campbell and Saint Louis followed in the rankings. Kamehameha served notice with a 51-7 win over Moanalua, the debut of Kaeo Drummondo as Warriors head coach.
Waipahu, ‘Iolani, Kapolei and Lahainaluna round out the Top 10. The Lunas received one first-place vote. Their game with Edison (Calif.), scheduled for Friday, was canceled due to the catastrophic fire in Maui. Athletic directors met on Monday to discuss the problematic, unprecedented situation in the MIL.
Volleyball Top 10: Punahou leads as ILH occupies top spots
Parity is in play even as Punahou collected six out of 10 first-place votes in the first Star-Advertiser Girls Volleyball Top 10 of the season.
Punahou went 6-1 in pool play at the Ann Kang Invitational over the weekend, including three-set wins over Oaks Christian (Calif.) and Mira Costa (Calif.). The Buffanblu finished fifth in the tourney, losing only to Los Alamitos (Calif.). Punahou will play in the Sacred Hearts Invitational this week, a 12-team tournament at Sacred Hearts and Kalani gyms.
Tournament host ‘Iolani was also 6-1 in pool play, losing to Moanalua in the seventh-place match. The Raiders received one first-place vote from the voting panel of coaches and media.
Kamehameha, Kamehameha-Hawaii and Moanalua rounded out the first five. KS-Hawaii and Moanalua each garnered one first-place vote. .
Lahainaluna, whose status as a team this fall is uncertain due to the catastrophic fire in West Maui last week, received one first-place vote.
Kauai football: Kapa‘a shuts down Aiea 49-0
Kapa‘a High quarterback Kapono Na-O kept the ball on two touchdown runs and threw for another on Saturday to lead Na Koa, a term used by game announcer Fig Mitchell, to a 49-0 shutout over ‘Aiea High School Na Ali‘i during a nonleague preseason football contest at the Bryan J. Baptiste (BJB) Sports Complex.
The Warriors lost little time getting the scoreboard lit, capitalizing on the first possession when Na-O cradled the pigskin for a 4-yard score with 8:12 showing in the opening stanza. The point after touchdown (PAT) boot was made by Kamalei Gonsalves, who ended kicking PATs on four of Kapa‘a’s seven touchdowns.
With the score coming in the first four minutes of the contest, Mike Tresler and the coaching staff used that as a demonstration of Kapa‘a’s control of the game and exercised the depth of its roster. That included an interception for a touchdown by Nash Graham in the third quarter.
Waikahekili Makepa, doing primary rushing duty for Kapa‘a, opened the scoring in the second half with a 5-yard charge to pay dirt with 5:00 showing on the game clock.
Gonsalves booted the PAT for the 28-0 go-ahead that stood until Nash plucked the ‘Aiea airball and ran the pigskin back some 40 yards for the score that came with 4:42 showing in the third quarter. Micah Rapozo was brought in for the PAT boot that saw the quarter end with a 35-0 Kapa‘a advantage.
Following the Warriors’ first score, Na Ali‘i had a shot at the scoreboard when they drove the ensuing kickoff to inside the Kapa‘a 30-yard line before coming up empty on a field goal attempt.
Kapa‘a brought in Evan Daligdig for its final two scores that came in the fourth period. The first was a 10-yard scoring pass to Kaimana Chong, and the second was a 25-yard keeper play. Successful PAT boots by Rapozo ended the scoring at 49-0.
The Warriors will next be on the field at the BJB Sports Complex on Saturday, when they host St. Louis II in a varsity contest. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
Following that matchup, Kapa‘a will open the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation football season on Sept. 2, when the Warriors host Kaua‘i High.
Reports are from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and The Garden Island.