Last Saturday, Kamehameha-Hawaii stayed unbeaten on the season by defeating Konawaena 28-0. The score looked dominant on paper, but the on field play told a completely different story. That leads off our list of storylines following Week Five:

Kamehameha-Hawaii likes to complicate things for themselves

Even while pitching a shutout against the Wildcats of Konawaena on Saturday, the Warriors still found ways to make it awfully difficult to win. For starters, head coach Dan Lyons talked about how his team would shoot themselves in the foot with penalties in their last few games against Kohala and Kea'au. They did it again against Konawaena, getting flagged twelve times for over a hundred yards. Penalties ranged from drive-complicating false start penalties to defensive encroachment and holding. Lyons especially noted that those penalties kept his offense from gaining any kind of momentum.

The numbers backed up that statement, as Warner Shaw had one of his worst statistical passing games of the year, throwing for only 103 yards and completing six passes. Kamehameha-Hawaii was able to win thanks to their rushing attack picking up the slack, tallying over 150 yards and all four touchdowns. They also got help from their opponents, as Konawaena gave the ball away six times and was flagged thirteen times.

While the Warriors have stayed out of the loss column all year, they haven't put together a complete football game since the opening week of the season. That could spell trouble when they square off with opponents like HPA and Honoka'a in the first half of the season.


One of Division II's leading rushers faces his biggest test this weekend.

The toughest part of grading running backs in this league is that you will end up facing opposition that is clearly below your level. When you put up a lot of numbers against inferior teams, you have to be able to back up those results against teams at or above your level. Hao Faumuina will face that challenge when his Dragons face Kamehameha-Hawaii this weekend.

The senior racked up 321 rushing yards in an offensive shootout against the Kohala Cowboys last week. As a colleague told me during the week, it's hard to make a big deal out of those numbers because the Cowboys are a very small squad with a lot of two way players.

Dragons head coach Bobby Embernate hopes that his offensive line can help to prove that Faumuina and the rest of the running game is for real. The first year head coach said earlier this week that the big difference in his team this year as compared to the past is that they don't have many two way players in the trenches, which can allow for fresher legs later in the game. They will have their work cut out for them on Friday.


Game To Watch: Waiakea Warriors vs. Kealakehe Waveriders (Saturday, 6:30 pm)

Waiakea will be playing this game without leading rusher Nu'u Aiava, who was ejected in his last game. That ejection also goes with a one game suspension, and that couldn't have come at a worse weekend with the Waveriders waiting. Both of these teams enter at 1-0 in league play. Kealakehe put up fifty points in a shutout win last weekend against Hilo, while Waiakea is coming off of a bye week. The Warriors will be tested by Kealakehe's stellar defense, featuring a physical front line and aggressive, quick linebackers who roam all parts of the field.