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The first half of the 2015 prep football season has come and gone. One hundred and eighteen varsity football games have taken place and the ScoringLive staff scoured through the statistics and top performances to bring you the Third Annual Midseason Awards.

So without further adieu, here are our first half offensive and defensive most valuable players as well as our coach of the year in Division II.

ScoringLive Division II Football Midseason Awards

Offensive MVP: Ace Faumui, running back, Radford, Sr.
For one of the state's most explosive offenses, Ace Faumui is the steam locomotive to the train that is the Radford offense.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior running back's deadly combination of speed and strength has played a pivotal role in the second-ranked Rams (5-0) hot start in 2015.

"He's one of those deceptively quick type of players," said first-year Kaimuki coach David Tautofi. "He's not just quick, but he's physical and is a beast. He's actually a lot more tougher when you see him live on the field than what you see on the film."

In 3 1/2 games this season, Faumui has carried the ball 33 times for 466 yards and seven scores, good for a 14.7 yards per carry and one touchdown in every five carries. The Rams' first win of the year was a forfeit win over Anuenue and their contest against Roosevelt was called at the half due to weather with the Rams leading 43-0.

"He's a playmaker," said Tautofi. "He makes big plays and that's what's good about him. He's definitely a special player that's for sure."

Slotback Blaise Manabe was selected as the preseason prediction for offensive player of the year, and receiver Thomas Reid boasts a handful of Division I FBS offers, but Faumui's presence in the backfield has been one of the main reasons why the Rams have outscored opponents 218-12.

 "He's actually the one that opens up the pass for Radford," Tautofi said on Faumui. "I think without him, those receivers wouldn't be as big as a name that they are. With him in the backfield, not only do you have to account for him, but you have to figure out how many players you can afford to keep in the box without giving up the risk of a big pass play." 

Faumui provided consistency for the Rams when their quarterbacks had a rough night against  Tautofi's Bulldogs two weeks ago. The senior running back racked up 118 yards and three scores while quarterbacks Jonah Soakai and Quintin Iriarte tossed three total interceptions and combined for five completions on 17 pass attempts for 60 yards. 

"We actually held him down pretty good in the first half," said Tautofi. "He wore down on us though. As the game progressed, it was just harder and harder on our players to hold him down." 

Faumui was also a ScoringLive All-Hawaii Division II second-team selection in 2014 as a member of the Kalani Falcons. Tautofi says that the senior running back has lived up to the accolades.

"I've heard a lot about him before we even played them," he said. "From what I heard he did to us with Kalani last year, and being what he did this year, he's pretty much lived up to what I heard about him. He's definitely one of those guys that you wish you could have on your team."

Apologies to (in alphabetical order): Sunshine Anuenue, Nanakuli running back; Kaeo Batacan, Kamehameha-Hawaii running back; Austin Ewing, Konawaena quarterback; Marcus Faufata-Pedrina, Damien quarterback; Mila Lele, Waialua running back; Kurt Napoleon, Kapaa quarterback; Shayne Teruya, Roosevelt wide receiver.

Defensive MVP: Mana Kupihea, outside linebacker, Kapaa, Jr.
Mana Kupihea has come a long way since being a rotational edge rusher last season.

The junior outside linebacker has blossomed into a team captain and is one of the main reasons why top-ranked Kapaa (4-0) has not allowed a single score on defense all year.

Kupihea, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 190 pounds, recorded a nine-tackle performance against then No. 1 Nanakuli in the Warriors' non-league opener, and accounted for two non-offensive touchdowns in Kapaa's Kauai Interscholastic Federation opener against Kauai.

"Mana, he kind of came out of nowhere this year because last year he wasn't starting," said Waimea coach Jason Caldeira. "Mana is well disciplined and seems to be in the right place, right time all the time. He's well prepared and you can tell he works hard in practice.

With defensive coordinator Mike Tresler directing the defense, Kupihea and company have terrorized opposing quarterbacks, having recorded multiple interceptions in each contest so far.

"Coach Tresler is one of the best defensive minds in the state," said Caldeira. "They swarm to the ball and they play as a unit. He's done an excellent job in teaching them how to play team defense."

Even though Kapaa's defense is stacked with so many talented players, Kupihea's play so far in the season has stand out on the field and on the scoreboard.

One attribute about Kupihea that has allowed him to be successful is his ability to read what the offense is doing and react accordingly. Many tackles that he recorded against the Golden Hawks saw him race another defender on his own team to make the stop.

"He's an outside linebacker, but their style is a 4-4 defense so he flies up to make the tackle," said Caldeira. "He's very quick and has good instincts, and he's also pretty tough and strong."

His speed has also been used as an asset on special teams. Against Lahainaluna Kupihea forced two shanked punts that helped the Warriors win the field position battle en route to a 14-10 victory.

Two weeks later Kupihea got his first score of the year when he recovered a blocked punt 17 yards to give Kapaa a two score lead over Kauai after the first quarter. He also returned an interception 39 yards for a pick-six in the same contest.

"To be honest, the whole team kind of stands out, but it seems like he makes a couple more big plays against everybody else," Caldeira said on Kupihea. "The ball just seems to fall into his hands and when it does, he takes it to the house."

Kapaa will look to extend its win streak to five when it takes on Kauai Friday.

Apologies to (in alphabetical order): Mosese Fifita, Kapaa middle linebacker; Randy Manewa, Nanakuli linebacker; Jarin Manuel, Damien defensive back; Kapena Texeira, Kapaa defensive lineman; Torin Tuppien, Konawaena defensive lineman; Sione Vea, Kalani defensive lineman; Jordan Walker, Radford linebacker.

Coach of the Year: Brad Uemoto, Konawaena 
Brad Uemoto's first stint as head coach of the Konawaena football program has produced favorable results so far in the 2015 season.

The Wildcats have flourished under their former offensive coordinator and have compiled a 5-0 mark to start the year. Along the way Konawaena has climbed the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Division II Football Power Rankings from No. 7 in the preseason to No. 4 in the latest rankings.

"I think what Brad is doing is a great job," said Kamehameha-Hawaii coach Dan Lyons. "His team is well-disciplined and they are having a lot of fun playing."

Uemoto, who was a 1997 graduate at Konawaena, served as an assistant on the program for the last four years under then head coach Cliff Walters. During Walters' tenure the Wildcats won three straight Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II championships before being usurped by Lyons' Warriors a year ago.

"I think that's a tough challenge for any head coach, to come into a successful program and try to make it your own," said Lyons. "I think he's done a helluva job so far and they're obviously buying into his system and he's communicating very well with what he wants them to do."

The Wildcats have ascended as one of the top teams in the league, regardless of classification, and have outscored BIIF opponents 154-44 so far on the year. Konawaena even pulled off a rare feat when last week when it defeated Hilo, 34-27 on Monday night, and shutout Keeau five days later.

"They're taking care of the details," Lyons said. "They don't give the other team great opportunities and have done a great job taking care of all the things that they can control."

Saint Francis coach Kip Akana, another first-year head coach, also came away impressed with Uemoto when his team traveled to Kona for a non-league game in early August.

"Brad is very committed to the Kona football community," said Akana. I was very impressed that prior to our game his players and staff conducted a pop warner clinic that lasted minutes prior to our kickoff. He and his staff's ability to navigate his team through their challenges is a testament to his leadership skills. Konawaena football is in great hands."

Apologies to (in alphabetical order): Lincoln Barit (Waialua), Cody Nakamura (Kamehameha-Maui), Phillip Rapozo (Kapaa), Fred Salanoa (Radford), Greg Taguchi (Kalani).