As the Waiakea Warriors get ready for their first of two rivalry meetings with cross-town Hilo High, the Warriors find themselves still trying to gel as a unit with a new addition on offense. They are also welcoming back one of the top rushers in the state who let his emotions get the best of him two weeks ago. So how close is Waiakea to reaching its potential? That leads the list of storylines in BIIF Football this week.

Waiakea hopes that a new dual-threat playmaker can help them win

The Warriors started the first month of the season without offensive speedster Kean Wong, who spent most of his summer with the Hilo Senior Little League Baseball Team galavanting, or more accurately, beating almost everyone they went up against, across the country, going from Oahu for the state tournament, to Ontario, California for the regional tournament, and finally stopping in Bangor, Maine where they won the World Championship.

While Wong had been basking in the spotlight of the championship experience, his football teammates had been getting work in during non-league matchups against Waimea and Maui. During that time, the Warriors went with a sophomore quarterback who had been taking his first snaps at the Varsity level. Academic Probation hurt the depth at that spot, as well, which put Waiakea in a tough spot while waiting for Wong to return.

Wong started his first game last Saturday in Waiakea's 48-13 loss to Division I favorite Kealakehe. Wong will be asked to make a lot of plays on his feet at the quarterback position in the run-first offense, but his accurate arm will be an upgrade to what Waiakea had been playing with for the first third of the season. Wong completed a touchdown pass and ran for another score in the fourth quarter last week to account for the only touchdowns of the game.


Waiakea's top rusher returns after an error in judgement

Several weeks ago, ScoringLive ran a poll asking fans to choose who the top running back in the state was at that particular time. Waiakea's Nu'u Aiava didn't receive a lot of votes, mainly because a lot of people haven't seen him play or read his statistics, as stats are often hard to come by on the Big Island. Aiava could've had an opportunity to add to the great numbers he has accumulated all year last Saturday, but was not able to because of a lapse of judgement against Kea'au.

Aiava was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Cougars in Waiakea's hard-fought victory two weeks ago. Because of the penalty and subsequent ejection from the game, Aiava was forced to sit out last Saturday's game against Kealakehe. It's a tough pill to swallow, considering players like Aiava get up for games against better teams like the Waveriders.

Aiava, who reportedly has received a scholarship from the University of Hawaii, will be eligible to play against cross-town foe Hilo High on Friday night, and is expected to return to his role as lead rusher in a crowded Warrior backfield.

Aiava is not only a talented football player, but is known by his peers as a very good person to be around. It would not be fair to judge the senior based on one incident, and we hope that Aiava can bounce back from the incident.


Game to watch: Hawaii Prep vs. Honoka'a (Saturday, 6:00 pm)

In the last two weeks, Kamehameha-Hawaii has been heading up the top of the Division II conversation. They've been joined by opponents like Konawaena and Honoka'a, who have each been dispatched by the Warriors in the last two weeks.

Missing from this conversation has been Hawaii Prep. Three weeks ago, they gave up a 21-0 halftime lead to the Konawaena Wildcats, who scored four second-half touchdowns to win 28-21. Since that time, Ka Makani has been relatively quiet, despite picking up blowout wins against smaller foes Ka'u and Kohala. Hawaii Prep's first real test since their loss to Konawaena takes place Saturday night in Honoka'a when they face the Dragons. The Dragons stumbled in several areas, including punting and pass defense, in their blowout loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii.
 
HPA needs to focus solely on this contest and not ahead, which is tough to do considering that the Warriors are on the schedule next weekend, followed by a rematch with Konawaena. If anything, Hawaii Prep can use this contest as a way to send a message to their future opponents that reminds them of how good Ka Makani football has been in recent years.