Damien Monarchs

Head coach/Offensive coordinator: Anthony 'Bones' Tuitele (1st season)

Players to watch: OL/DL Rustyn Ah Yat (6-0, 285, Sr.), DE/LB/WR Jayce Pedro (6-2, 200, Sr.), LB Kahiau Young (5-9, 185, Sr.), OL Carmelo Lave-Nieves (6-1, 280, Jr.), RB/LB/WR Syles Alaimalo (5-9, 180, Fr.)

Coach's words: "Our team is young and inexperienced, but we will be led by some seniors who have been to battle. It will definitely be a challenge this year with so many new players stepping, but we will be ready. Everyone is just excited to get back on the field and play ball. It will be nearly two years since the last time we stepped onto the field and it will, no doubt, be a great feeling to be back under the lights to do what we love to do. We are looking forward to the start of the season and all that will come with it. As for how we stack up against the league, we really don't know yet because we we haven't seen competition for a while. Going into this year, most teams have graduated their varsity players who had any experience and along with the many coaching changes, it will definitely make for an interesting season. We will continue to keep our boys prepared and make adjustments as the season progresses." - Eddie Klaneski

SL's take: The Monarchs were poised for a strong 2020 campaign with 22 seniors before COVID reared its ugly head. They were set to return four of their six All-Hawaii selections, including first team RB Aperamo Sulu, who ran for 1,292 yards and scored 17 total TDs as a junior in 2019. On top of the lost season, Klaneski noted that several other would-be contributors to this season have transferred to other schools (both on the mainland and locally). Add to that the fact that about a dozen players who are still enrolled at Damien have essentially opted out of this fall and it leaves Klaneski and the Monarchs about 25 bodies to work with. That translate to ironman football, as Klaneski points out, he won't have players going just two ways, but three ways, including special teams. Of the 11 seniors on this squad, about six or seven have played in a varsity game previously. Many of the new faces are up from the intermediate team. Among the players who moved was Logan Lacio, who started a few games as a sophomore QB in 2019. With Lacio gone, Jensen Tanele (5-7, 190, So.) will slide into the starting QB job. Tanele is a running back by trade - the give-away are his calves - and that skillset will be utilized with an RPO-heavy offensive attack with lots of quick passes. Alaimalo's athleticism is evident by the fact that he is just the third freshman to start a season on varsity in Klaneski's 10-year tenure. Ah Yat's importance in the trenches can't be overstated: he will play either G or C on offense and NG on defense. Pedro, who put on 20 to 25 pounds since his sophomore season, has drawn interest from several schools, including UH and Colorado State. He can play both DE and LB and also presents a mismatch on offense as a bigger WR against smaller DBs. While the roster size may be down, the collective team strength is way up, Klaneski noted. By his count, eight or nine kids can squad 400-plus pounds, including Tanele (425 lbs.) and Pedro (495 lbs.). Tuitele, a 2009 Damien graduate, takes over as OC this season with the departure of Brian Ah Yat to become the quarterbacks coach at Kamehameha. Team health will be paramount for the Monarchs this fall if they are to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2017.

SCHEDULE

Fri Aug 27	@ Iolani		L, 28-0
Fri Sep 03	Kamehameha II	at Aloha Stadium	W, 25-20
Fri Sep 10	PAC-5	at Aloha Stadium	W, 27-21
Fri Sep 17	Saint Louis II	at Aloha Stadium	L, 34-14
Fri Sep 24	@ Iolani		L, 38-0
Fri Oct 01	PAC-5	at Aloha Stadium	L, 19-7
Fri Oct 15	@ Moanalua *		L, 26-6