Both Kea'au (pictured) and Waiakea can lay a legitimate claim to the #2 spot in the BIIF Division I standings, and they will face each other on Saturday. Josh Pacheco | Special to SL

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The best thing about the preseason is that a loss won't hurt you. In fact, some preseason losses actually show you a lot about your football team's character.

One good example would be the Kea'au Cougars. On Saturday, they shot themselves in the foot on each of their first two plays from scrimmage, giving up a safety and a fumble returned for a touchdown. After a 62-yd Jesse Huihui touchdown run got the Cougs back in the game, the home team stayed right with the Kamehameha-Hawaii Warriors throughout much of the game, even outplaying them at times, before finally falling 36-21.

What does that loss mean in the bigger picture? That leads our list of storylines after the third week of the season.

The second best team in Division I may be decided this weekend.

Most people, and I have been the first to say this, would agree that Kealakehe is far and away the best team in Division I. The bigger question is who will stand out as the second best team in the division. Both Waiakea and Kea'au can lay a legitimate claim to that spot, and they will face each other on Saturday.

For those of you reading away from the Big Island, you're probably wondering why the second best team in the division matters. That's because the BIIF puts all four teams in a mini-tournament, which determines the league champion and state tournament representative. The top two seeds get home field advantage in the semi-final games.

Before last weekend, I didn't have the Cougars in this discussion, but after watching them play tough against the Warriors, I'm willing to consider them as the second best team in the division. Their defense staggered pressure on quarterback Warner Shaw, and limited big plays, while the Cougars moved the ball down the field on several occasions, yet stalled on a few drives. They are better than most people expected.

Honoka'a opened up league play with a win.

Only one game has actually mattered so far this year, and that the 63-0 win that Honoka'a picked up against the determined Ka'u Trojans last Saturday. With that win, the Dragons moved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Division II league play.

The win meant something more to the Dragons as they played for head coach Bobby Embernate. West Hawaii Today reported over the weekend that Embernate has been in a Honolulu hospital to address a high white blood cell count. Embernate took over the Dragons head coaching job after Fred Lau left to be the head coach at Waiakea.

The real question is whether Honoka'a will be able to stay at the top of the Division II rankings. They host Kealakehe in a preseason contest on Friday night, followed by a home game against Kohala the following Friday. The first in-conference test for the Dragons will fall on September 16th when they travel to Kamehameha-Hawaii.

Kea'au's Jesse Huihui may be the league's best athlete.

The statement has been true for over a year now, but the credit has been long overdue for the Cougars senior. Non-football readers may know Huihui as a tremendous track-and-field athlete at the league level, where he has recorded several top three finishes.

On the football field, Huihui is a two-way player for Kea'au High. He's a standout defensive back whose quickness allows him to hang with receivers and cover a lot of ground. That speed has allowed him to become a regular on offense, where he is the team's starting running back this year, while continuing to moonlight as a slot receiver.

Huihui showed several examples of his athleticism last week, almost carrying the team on his shoulders at times to keep them in their game against the Warriors of Kamehameha-Hawaii. With Kea'au down 9-0 after two offensive plays, Huihui took a second down run 62 yards for the team's first touchdown of the game, spinning off of a few tackles and bursting out with his elusive speed. Later in the game with his team down by double digits, Huihui returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score and allowing Kea'au to hang around as he dashed up the left sideline with help from clean blocking.

Kea'au will rely on Huihui all year, as they are still trying to find consistency in their passing game. If defenses can't keep him in check, Kea'au may be able to grab an extra couple of wins just on Huihui's playmaking alone.

Hawaii Prep-Konawaena tilt is the matchup to watch this weekend.

This week's game to watch is at HPA, as Ka Makani will be hosting Konawaena on Saturday. Konawaena is coming off of a great defensive effort in a win over Division I Hilo last Friday, while HPA enters this game at 1-1 off of a bye week. Konawaena has looked impressive in their first few games, and fans will find out whether the Wildcats are for real against HPA's dominant offensive and defensive lines.