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After opening week losses, both the Pearl City and Roosevelt football teams rebounded with wins to open the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II season last week.

Friday night the teams will cross paths with the Chargers (1-1 overall, 1-0 league) set to visit Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium for a clash against the Rough Riders (1-1, 1-0).

Pearl City, the No. 10 team in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric D2 Power Rankings, opened the year with a trip to Maui that resulted in a 29-0 loss to perennial powerhouse Lahainaluna.

The Chargers surrendered 370 yards of total offense — 245 rushing — to the Lunas and managed just 54 yards of offense of their own. They bounced back six days later with a 35-20 win over Kalani, in which they scored 22 unanswered fourth-quarter points to rally from a 20-13 deficit.

Wide receiver Patrick Nunez recorded nine receptions for 144 yards and three touchdowns — two of them from quarterback Kekainalu Simon, who finished with 165 yards on 13-of-22 passing.

Meanwhile, the Rough Riders started off their season with a hard-fought 28-21 loss to Kaiser. Quarterback Shastyn Kekahuna rushed 21 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns, but was 0 for 7 on passes that night.

Kekahuna threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in last week's 41-14 win over McKinley. Running back Charvis Paia also ran in two scores and caught a touchdown pass from Kekahuna in the game.

When the teams met last year, running back Joe Maneafaiga ran for 204 yards on 22 carries to help Pearl City to a 14-7 victory.

We caught up with the coaches of both teams a few days before their showdown in Makiki.

ScoringLive: What have you learned about your team so far?
Robin Kami, Pearl City coach: "We're feeling confident that we know that we can finish, like the last game against Kalani in the fourth quarter. Last year we struggled in the fourth quarter and this year we came back against Kalani."
Kui Kahooilihala, Roosevelt coach: "They're hard workers. They come in, put in work and just kind of take care of business up there. They're fighters, warriors."

ScoringLive: How close is your team to playing to its potential?
Kami: "We're far away. We've got a lot of work we've got to do. We're making a lot of mistakes that we've got to correct, but like I tell the kids, we take it game by game and try to get better for the next game."
Kahooilihala: "They're close. We're not there yet. We're all learning how to play together, just identifying each other's ability, so every day is a learning process for us."

ScoringLive: What are some of the difficulties your team has faced this season?
Kami: "Just the execution. We're pretty much running the same thing as the past years, so it's just the execution. You know, one block away, one play away, broken tackles, missed tackles — just the execution and doing what we've go to do."
Kahooilihala: "Being on the same page. Being on the same page and playing together as a team. For us, being on the same page with the coaches and the kids and just everyone taking care of their responsibilities."

ScoringLive: Has any individual stood out as a pleasant surprise so far?
Kami: "It's not one particular person, but I think overall I like how the offense is getting better game by game. We struggled in the beginning, but we put up 35 (points) on the scoreboard last game and the defense is overall getting better themselves. They're tackling better and playing the scheme the coaches are trying to put in."
Kahooilihala: "Not really, because of the returnees we got back. We knew that we were getting these kids and they come in and put in the work and they bust their butts. Offensively, we've got some guys like Shastyn Kekahuna and our running backs. Our offense has changed — not really changed — but we're trying to establish the running game. Our running backs come in and run hard and they do their job. Now we're trying to get the guys up front moving, but as far as a surprise, not really, because we kind of expected these guys to put in the work because of the offense that we changed."

ScoringLive: What's your take on this week's opponent?
Kami: "Roosevelt is real tough. They look real good on film. Their offense is very explosive. They run the veer very well, they block well, they have good running backs, their quarterback is real good. Overall the offense is real tough to defend. The defense is very physical. They run very well to the ball, so it's going to be a tough night for us."
Kahooilihala: "Pearl City, they're a good team. They spread the field, they throw the ball, but they also have a great running game. They're very disciplined up front and they play good, solid defense. Their offense is tough because they're kind of balanced. To me, they are very good."

ScoringLive: Which players or position groups need to play especially well Friday?
Kami: "For us, it's going with how we play in the trenches. On offense, the offensive line has to block well, give time to our quarterback to throw the ball. Defense, our defensive line has to play well because Roosevelt runs the ball so well and we're going to have to stop them, so it starts in the trenches on both offensive and defensive lines."
Kahooilihala: "It's our guys up front, our line play. Actually on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively. We've got a couple of linemen who play two ways. Up here at Roosevelt they only know how to play two ways. These guys have to push for the running backs and for Shastyn, too. For us to stay afloat, they've got to get that push."

Kickoff between the Chargers and Rough Riders is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.