Unbeatens Radford and Nanakuli will take the field Friday night in a key divisional game with first place up for grabs. ScoringLive photo illustration

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There will be a lot of "firsts" when Radford and Nanakuli meet on the gridiron Friday night.

The highly-anticipated Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II matchup will be the first for the Golden Hawks (6-1 overall, 6-0 league) on their home field this year due to the late completion of a new synthetic surface for the track.

For the Rams (7-0, 6-0), it could be considered their first big test of the season having outscored the opposition by an average of more than 40 points per game this year.

Not to mention, the winner of the contest will stand alone atop the division in first place.

We caught up with the head coaches of both squads a few days before their showdown on the Leeward coast.

ScoringLive: Describe your team's current situation in one word.

Fred Salanoa, Radford coach: "Excited. The kids are excited going into this week's game. The media — ScoringLive, The Star-Advertiser — everyone's been kind of hyping it up as kind of THE game of the OIA D2 season, so our kids are excited and they're excited, I think, most for the challenge of taking on Nanakuli. They're the defending champions so we're excited to have the opportunity to play them."

Keala Watson, Nanakuli coach: "Motivated. Of course, the opening-season loss to Kapaa was a big eye-opener for all our guys and of course we've been trying to rectify that all year long. Week-by-week, not only on game day, but by practices we're trying to get better and this week we're motivated to see if all of our work has been worth it. Also, them being in the top spot int he OIA as well gives us more motivation to go out there and put on a good game."

ScoringLive: How near or far is your team from playing to its potential?

Salanoa: "I think every week we're getting better. I think hopefully as each week goes on and as we push forward and hopefully make it deeper into the postseason and are playing for a division championship and hopefully a state championship, we're peaking at the right time and I think our young men have gotten better in phases of personal gain and group gain and team gain with every game. We're just banking on that going into this game that it'll work out and we'll get better."

Watson: "I tell you what, we've seen little blips of full-potential football out of us this season, but never lasting more than a quarter. It's funny that you mention that because I mention that every day in practice. If any team — not just us — but any offense and any defense can go out there and play full-potential football then that team will be unstoppable. Our thing is that we want to be that type of team."

ScoringLive: Who is the unsung hero of your team?

Salanoa: "I think it's definitely the whole offensive line and defensive line on both sides of the ball. I think everyone knows that the skill position players get put in the limelight or get highlighted and those are always the guys that kind of get overlooked, but I think our offensive line has been doing a good job as well as our defensive line and I think any true coach knows that a lot of the games are won and lost within the trenches."

Watson: "It really has to be the front seven of our defense. They hardly get their names called, they don't get their pictures in the paper, but week after week they put in the hardest work of the entire defense. They bang their bodies up, a lot of them are hurt or injured, a lot of them have had to sit out games and it's kind of been a revolving door on defense. Those guys sacrifice their bodies for the well-being of the team, so I really wish they could get more recognition for doing that."

ScoringLive: Which game do you feel your team has benefitted the most from?

Salanoa: "I think we've taken positives away from every single game that we've played this year. Starting off with our first game and just kinda continuing on and then taking our trip to Washington. That was kind of a reiteration of the importance of unity and believing in one another and the bond that one should have with another on our team and so I think each game we've taken little pieces away from it and learned some life lessons or things that we've been preaching about teamwork or being unselfish and knowing your role and being a role player and being supportive of every single player on our team. I think every single game we've taken away something positive to make sure that our young men understand what our philosophies are and what the goals are for our team this year."

Watson: "I've got to go with our close game (41-34 overtime win at Pearl City) last week. I think that really tested us to see if we've still got what it takes to pull out a win, seeing if our kids have the ability to rally together and never give up in a dog fight. To actually experience that and pull one off at the last minute, that's the kind of thing that not just brings a team together, but gives them the belief that they can do it again and pull it off if they wanted to."

ScoringLive: What's your take on this week's opponent?

Salanoa: "Coach Keala Watson has done a tremendous job for the short time that he's been there. He's been able to change the culture of their team and their mindset. He's been doing a lot of things with them not only on the field, but off the field, getting the Pop Warner divisions involved all the way up to the varsity level. The way he's built up that program is the way we as coach try to do things. He's from that area, he went to town for college (at the University of Hawaii) and now he's back pulling that community together. He doesn't only have his players on the field, but the whole community will come out and support and it's kind of an ‘all-for-one, one-for-all' mentality. That's kind of the way we see Nanakuli as a football program and as a community and that's what we admire about them. I know we're going into a hostile situation being that it's their first game on their home field this year. I know the fans will be excited and the players will be excited. It's going to be a good game, a hard-nosed football game and I think there will be some exciting plays. The team that is most prepared and makes the least amount of mistakes is the one that I believe will come out on top."

Watson: "Radford is one resilient team. They rarely let anything get to them; no good, no bad. From watching them and Fred and his staff over the years, I've noticed that they will definitely be prepared and they won't play on emotions no matter if they're up, down, or sideways. They will rely on execution, so I'm just hoping we can matchup with them."

ScoringLive: What is a matchup to watch within Friday's game?

Salanoa: "I think it's going to come down to special teams maybe. I think special-teams wise, coach Watson and his staff have put together some special teams schemes that are not seen on a week-to-week basis and I think that might be the point where a game is won or lost, so that might be an exciting thing for fans to watch."

Watson: "I think it's going to be a true test of speed. Radford has got speed at almost every position. For our guys, we've got braun. We do have speed here and there, but the big match-ups you're going to see is their running back, (Ace) Faumui, against our defensive front. We're hoping not to let him get past that front seven because if he does you can pretty much wave goodbye to him because he's gone. The other big matchup is their slots and receivers, because they throw a lot of screens and go over the top, so that's a big job for us as well. It's going to be a matchup of speed and a matter of who is faster and who wants it more and not even I know who is going to come out on top of that."

Kickoff between the Rams and Golden Hawks is set for 8 p.m.