ScoringLive photo illustration

Purchase image 1 of 1

Just a few weeks ago, members of the Waianae and Kamehameha football teams worked alongside one another in a beach clean-up. Friday night, the teams will meet once again, this time on the gridiron on the opening night of prep football across the state.

The Seariders and Warriors are two of the state's most storied programs and also opened the 2015 season against one another. Kamehameha came away from Raymond Torii Field with a 33-13 win over Waianae.

In that game, the host Seariders held leads of 6-0 and 13-6 in the first quarter, but allowed the Warriors to score 27 unanswered points to pull away in the second half.

"Last year when we played Kamehameha we had some breakdowns, especially on special teams, so we have to make sure we do a better job on that this time," said Waianae coach Walter Young.

Kamehameha scored 21 points off of its special teams last year, including a pair of Adam Stack field goals, and two return touchdowns by Kumoku Noa. Noa, who has graduated after earning First Team All-Hawaii honors at wide receiver last year, had an 84-yard kickoff return for TD in the first quarter and also scored on a 74-yard punt return in the third quarter.

The Seariders, however, went on to win six straight games after the loss and reached the semifinal round of the Division I state tournament before ultimately falling to eventual-champion Kahuku, 13-0. Young went on to garner All-Hawaii D1 Coach of the Year honors in his rookie season.

"Waianae is really, really good at what they do," Kamehameha first-year coach Abu Maafala said. "They run one of the most unconventional offenses here in Hawaii. I think it's an art to be able to run the veer triple-option as well as they do. They run it well, the kids understand it well, so it's going to be a challenge for us to try and contain that, not give up long runs and play disciplined, sound football because they have great players and great athletes."

Waianae has considerable depth at the running back position. Senior Javen Towne is coming off a breakout 2015 season in which he rushed for 19 touchdowns. Also expected to share the carries will be junior Rico Rosario and senior Kade Ambrocio.

Quarterback Jaren Ulu threw for 1,069 pass yards and 10 TDs in 2015. His favorite target was wide receiver Isaiah Freeney, who averaged 25.7 yards per reception last year.

As a unit, the offense averaged over 300 yards and 35 points per game last season, with 215 of those yards coming via the run game. Young hopes to be more balanced offensively this year with Ulu, a second-year starter, showing improved footwork and arm strength.

"Football is a team sport, so our guys are coming together, they're jelling, understanding that it's not just the offense that wins games, not just the defense that wins games, but it's the offense, defense and special teams," Young said. "I think it's going to be a good test for us to see where we stand."

Maafala, a 2002 Kamehameha alumnus, will be making his head coaching debut Friday night. The former University of Hawaii and Cal-Berkeley defensive lineman  was hired in April after spending the last five years as an assistant at West Liberty University in West Virginia. He also served as a graduate assistant at the University of Louisville under current Texas coach Charlie Strong and participated in internships with the NFL's Carolina Panthers for two seasons.

Maafala was pleased with what he saw from his team in scrimmages against Farrington and Mililani last weekend.

"I thought they went well; We got everybody evaluated and got everybody on film, so we already have an idea of what our two-deep (depth chart) is," Maafala said. "The number one thing I'm proud of our guys for is they played hard, gave their best effort — whether they were the first guy in or the fourth guy in — and they showed a lot of character because it got chippy out there, but our guys were able to compose themselves and get back in the huddle. We're still trying to work out the kinks and the coming pains, but the kids are staying motivated, keeping their heads up and playing hard and that's all we can ask for."

The Warriors will use at least two quarterbacks Friday night in senior Justice Young (1,064 pass yards, 9 TDs in 2015) and junior Thomas "Boogie" Yam (930 pass yards, 9 TDs). In addition to Noa, they also saw their top rusher from a season ago, Jordan Bayudan, graduate in the spring.

"Our quarterbacks are slowly getting what we're trying to do, but we still have a long way to go. It's very different from what they were used to before," Maafala said. "We're going to try to use the preseason games as competition where we can get better at what we do, try not to pay attention to the scoreboard, but just keep on getting better and compete."

Wide receiver Jaykob Cabunoc (51 catches, 569 receiving yards, 3 TDs in 2015) and running back Kanoa Shannon (4.9 yards per carry, 4 TDs last year) are both unavailable to play Friday due to injuries, Maafala said.

Kamehameha's defense allowed under 75 rushing yards per game last season and will be tested right off the bat against the Seariders. Seniors Andrew Aleki and Nakoa Pauole are returning starters on the defensive line.

"Our defensive line has just been unbelievable," Maafala said. "Every string — whether it's the first line or the third line — have come up really big for us in the scrimmages."

While the Warriors will be looking to develop some depth and mixing in reserves, the Seariders are looking to kickoff their 2016 campaign with a win.

"We're going to go in there with the mindset that this is the start of our season and we want to know what we've got," Young said. "They're a very good team, so we're going to come out and try to give them a good look. I'm sure they're going to want to know what they have, so we're going to give them our best and I'm sure they will bring their best."

The first Hawaiian Electric/ScoringLive Power Rankings were revealed Wednesday, with Waianae checking in at No. 4 and Kamehameha slotted in at No. 8.

Kickoff between the Seariders and Warriors is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Kamehameha's Kunuiakea Stadium.