Keaau football coach Leo Abellera was taking over a Division I cellar-dweller during an early August practice when he half-jokingly said the Cougars’ first goal was simply to win “a game.”
Approaching the midpoint of the regular season, Keaau is eyeing loftier goals because most of the jokes have come at the expense of others.
The Cougars and Kamehameha carry similar BIIF records into the season debut of Thursday night football – kickoff of the sixth annual Kipimana Cup is at approximately 7:30 p.m. at the Cougars’ field – but it’s the perennial-contending Warriors who are looking for a pick-me-up offensively.
Kamehameha (2-1 BIIF Division II, 4-1) suffered from rash of turnovers and dropped passes last Friday in a 3-0 loss to Kealakehe on its home field, and coach Dan Lyons wasn’t joking when he refused to blame the rain for the Warriors’ miscues.
“Until they change the rule to where you can’t let the ball hit the ground before you try to catch it and run with it, we are going to have problems and are going to have to adjust and get better,” Lyons said. “Now we are under the gun and are going to have a quick turnaround against tan improved Keaau team.”
He said starting quarterback Kaimi Like won’t play Thursday after twice leaving the game against Kealakehe, first with a hand injury and then after taking a blow to the head. Backup quarterback Kekona Naipo-Arsiga found some success in the short passing game as he tried to rally Kamehameha last Friday before a drive stalled.
While the Warriors’ offense has been stagnant for most of its past eight quarters of play, their run-stuffing, sack-happy, ball-hawking defense has been near perfect, allowing fewer than 65 yards a game in BIIF play and just more than a touchdown a game overall.
“The bottom line is part of our team is playing at a championship level, so we have to figure out the other aspects,” Lyons said.
Abellera knows something about sound Warriors’ defense. He coached Keaau to a 27-17 record from 2005-09 before stepping down, but he said Lyons, his good friend, “tricked” him into assisting as a Kamehameha defensive backs coach the past three seasons.
“My dad got sick and football didn’t seem fun anymore,” Abellera said in statement highlighting the Kipimana Cup. “(Dan) helped me bring back the fun in coaching and football.”
Abellera in turn brought the winning back to Keaau (2-1, 2-1), first in a 18-8 season-opening victory against Hawaii Prep, the Cougars’ first triumph since 2013, and the Cougars again relied on their defense last Friday in a 13-12 victory at Honokaa.
“’Leo is a really good guy and a really good catch,” Lyons said. “It obviously leaves a void in our program, but it certainly helps Big Island football be better.
The Warriors own all five Kipimana Cup trophies. W.H. Shipman, Limited in Puna provides $500 to each of the school’s booster clubs following the game.
Lyons likes how the rivalry between neighbors has come to foster “competition” and “sportsmanship.”
“I just think it’s a really good thing for the community, building community togetherness with both of us being in Keaau,” he said.
