Campbell Sabers

Head coach: Darren Johnson (13th season, 4th at Campbell)
Offensive coordinator: Shane Masaniai
Defensive coordinator: Kainoa Kinoshita

Players to watch: DB Carson Murakami (6-0, 180, Sr.), OL Nazareth Satele-Fereti (5-11, 280, Sr.), ATH Kama Espinda (5-10, 170, Sr.), DL Kyle Abang (6-0, 240, Sr.), DB Diego Betancourt (6-1, 185, Sr.)

Coach's words: "Offensively, we will do everything by committee. We have a lot of talented young guys looking to step in and contribute. Defensively, I'm expecting us to be very active and fly around the field. We will have a young team, so I'm expect some learning to happen along the way. However, I expect us to compete to be at the top half of our division." - Darren Johnson

SL's take: The Sabers not only lost one of the state's most prolific pass catchers to graduation in the spring in now-UCF freshman WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, but they also saw their star QB in Blaine Hipa transfer to an Arizona high school. All Mokiao-Atimalala did in his last season at Campbell in 2019 was record 1,133 receiving yards and a staggering 17 TDs, while Higa threw for 2,571 yards and 31 TDs as a sophomore that year, on his way to second team All-Hawaii honors. Replacing the two won't be easy and it will, surely, take a collective effort. Campbell also has a pair of new coordinators in Masaniai, who takes over for Jaymason Lee (now at Moanalua), and Kinoshita, who steps in for Blaze Soares on the defensive side of the ball. Johnson noted that the defense was young two years ago, which should bode well in terms of maturity with this squad. Johnson likes the athleticism and competition he has on the defensive line, with many of those players coming over from different positions. The linebackers are headlined by Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu (6-2, 215, Jr.), who started as strong safety as a 5-foot-11, 170-pound freshman. Kinoshita believes Alualu-Tuiolemotu can excel anywhere on the field due to his high football IQ. His size and strength allows him to align on the line of scrimmage and his speed makes his a viable man-defender in pass coverage. FS Kela Moore (6-0, 175, So.) brings a lot of potential as a first-year player and is the younger brother of Saint Louis DB and University of Hawaii-commit Kona Moore. Satele-Fereti will anchor a large OL as one of the two guards, but is one of very few players with varsity experience on the offensive side of the ball. Shane Kuboyama-Hayashi (6-3, 170, So.) steps into the QB job after transferring from Kapolei over the summer. Look for the Sabers to move the pocket to make use of Kuboyama-Hayashi's mobility and use an H-back or TE to assist with pass production. Big plays over the top will go a long way toward opening up the underneath for short passes and a run game and Johnson thinks Jonah Togafau-Tavui (5-10, 170, Fr.) can help in that department - he compares him to former standout Campbell WR Pokii Adkins-Kupukaa. Ultimately, QB play will largely determine how the season will play out for the Sabers this fall.

SCHEDULE

Fri Oct 15	Farrington		W, 38-6
Fri Oct 29	Waianae		W, 39-0
Sat Nov 06	@ Kapolei		W, 36-3
Sat Nov 13	@ Leilehua		W, 41-7
Sat Nov 20	Mililani		L, 48-14
Sat Nov 27	Kahuku		L, 49-23
Fri Dec 03	Mililani	at Farrington	L, 42-7
Sat Dec 11	Waianae	at Waipahu	W, 33-14
Sat Dec 18	Kahuku	at Farrington	L, 21-0