Early regular season wins usually determine the fate of a team throughout the rest of its season. That's why the adage "it's still early" doesn't always apply to every team.

For Konawaena, battling from behind to HPA 28-21 on Saturday is only a small part of why this team is now in the mix for the Division II title in the BIIF. That leads our list of storylines following the fourth week of the high school football season.


Konawaena's rebuilding effort may be peaking early

First year head coach Cliff Walters told me before the season started that he expected to be in a rebuilding phase this year with Konawaena. For Walters, it wasn't about just re-teaching some of the game's basic fundamentals, but also rebuilding the numbers and the positive energy within the community and players.

It started with offense for the veteran coach, who talked about trying to open up the offense and allow his players to have fun. The former Kealekehe head coach then said it was about preaching aggressiveness on defense. He said that his linebackers played like "catchers" who would wait for things to come to them. And when it came to confidence, it was about reminding these players of how talented they are and who they represent.

The attitude of this team was tested this past weekend. The Wildcats were down 21-0 after the first half against Ka Makani of HPA, and Walters wanted to make sure that his players didn't start thinking about some of the lopsided results that they were on the wrong side of last year. After an encouraging speech at halftime, the Wildcats offense put up 28 unanswered points, with their defense pitching a second half shutout to pull out one of the more stunning results of the season.


The Wildcats may have given out the gameplan to neutralizing HPA's running attack

If you know Hawaii Prep football, you know that the bread and butter of their football team is the strength of their offensive line, led by Division I prospect Shane Brostek. Bern's son anchors a solid and experienced front line that last year opened up big rushing plays for Isaiah Adams. This year, Kawohi Schutte is taking advantage of having a brick wall of an offensive line in front of him.

However, the Konawaena defensive attack held HPA to negative fourteen yards rushing all game on Saturday, which is a vast difference to the HPA team that was running the ball up, down, left, and right against Division I opponent Hilo in their final preseason test. Walters told me on Tuesday that he made a slight adjustment to his defensive alignment which he felt allowed his team to gain an advantage on the HPA offensive line.

Walters said that he took away one of his defensive lineman, going to a three man front. That allowed him to utilize an extra linebacker. As the offensive line would be keying on the down lineman, that extra linebacker would usually have a free opportunity to get to the rusher. It also allowed a linebacker to put extra pressure on the opposition's quarterback.

HPA's next real test will come on September 24th at Honoka'a. We'll see if the Dragons decide to take a piece out of the playbook of the Wildcats.


Nu'u Aiava deserves to be in the discussion as the state's best rusher

ScoringLive.com's interactive poll this week asked its readers to vote for their choice as the state's best rusher. While most people recognized, and subsequently voted, Farrington's Tyler Taumua, one name that was mixed in with Oahu's best was Waiakea High's Nu'u Aiava.

The Warriors senior has continued to pile on the yardage and the scores this season, adding 180 yards and a touchdown last Saturday in a seesaw win over Kea'au. These numbers are even more impressive because the Warriors haven't been able to muster any kind of a passing attack this year. Sophomore quarterback Kayed Rodrigues has completed four passes in three games this year.

Despite the lack of help through the air, the offense is still designed to feature the ground game. Aiava stand out among a handful of different backs, as he brings a complete package of strength and speed to be an effective runner. He's just as comfortable looking for the edge as he is pushing right through the middle of the line. Expect Aiava to continue to rack up a massive amount of yards as the season wears on.


Game to watch: Konawaena vs. Kamehameha-Hawaii (3 pm Saturday, ESPNHawaii.com)

The Wildcats will have another opportunity to prove that they are as advertised when they take on a high-powered Warriors offense on Saturday at Pai'ea Stadium. The key for Konawaena will be their ability to bring pressure to KS-Hawaii quarterback Warner Shaw. Shaw's seen considerable pressure in recent weeks from Kealakehe and Kea'au, which has slightly silenced the aerial fireworks. Quick linebackers Austin Denis, Makana Canda, and others will occasionally be tasked to beat another quality offensive line.

For Kamehameha-Hawaii, it seems like they have coasted through the last several weeks. At Kea'au two Saturdays ago, they fell into a lull against a feisty Cougars team throughout the second and third quarters, then used a counter running game to put their game away late. Last week, they defeated an undermanned Kohala squad, yet never really won with the authority you would've expected from them. The Warriors need to find the intensity and desire that they displayed against Kauai and Kealakehe if they wanted to beat Konawaena on Saturday.