Leilehua QB Kalanimoku Pauole and Kaiser QB Kalawaia Judd will face off Friday at Hugh Yoshida Stadium with playoff seeding on the line. ScoringLive photo illustration

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The seven-week regular season in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division Red and Blue come to a close this weekend and despite seeding implications on the line for the 12-team tournament, Cameron Higgins and Nolan Tokuda aren't thinking about anything beyond Friday night, when 10th-ranked Kaiser pays a visit to Hugh Yoshida Stadium and eighth-ranked Leilehua.

Heading into the weekend, Tokuda's Mules is tied with Kahuku at 5-1, but lost the head-to-head matchup in a tightly-contested game last week. Meanwhile, Higgins' Cougars are one game behind them at 4-2, tied with Waianae. The Seariders hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their win over Kaiser earlier in the season.

Kahuku and Waianae face off Saturday at Aloha Stadium. Depending on the result of that game, the winner of Friday's Kaiser-Leilehua game will earn one of two first-round byes in the league playoffs. The loser will host either the fifth or sixth seed out of the Blue next weekend.

"We're treating it like any other game, but I know that the kids know what is on the line and the coaches know, too," said Higgins, who was offensive coordinator the past two years before being promoted to head coach. "We want to make history — that's been our motto all season — and getting a win would put us in the driver's seat going into the postseason and that much closer to having that dream of ours become more of a reality."

Kaiser might be one of the hottest teams in the division, having won four straight by an average of 18 points.

"We're excited about this opportunity and that we can control our own destiny," Higgins said. "

Tokuda said he has a lot of respect for the Cougars and what they've been able to accomplish after moving up to Division I following their D2 state title run a year ago.

"They're dangerous," Tokuda said. "They're riding on a high, they're really confident, they're well coached by coach Cameron and (defensive coordinator Richard Torres), who do a great job of getting their guys to play."

Jensen McDaniel, a junior running back, has been the catalyst for Kaiser's offensive success this season. He has 126 carries — the most of any player statewide — for 771 yards and 14 touchdowns. Both marks rank second in the state, just behind Mililani's Vavae Malepeai. Quarterback Kalawaia Judd seems to have found his groove as of late, throwing for a combined 738 yards with five touchdowns against one interception in his last three games.

The Cougars' strength defensively in their 3-4 scheme is a triumvirate of players who started on last year's D2 championship team.

"I think a big question will be can our front five handle their front three, including Manase Palu and Zeno Choi, who are both great players," Tokuda said. "If they do their job, it will leave guys like (inside linebacker) Parker Higgins roaming around to do their job. Those three guys are the triangle that solidifies their defense."

The Mules saw their five-game win streak snapped with a 21-14 loss at Kahuku last weekend, the same team that the Cougars defeated just a week prior.

"In our eyes, this team is even better than Kahuku so that's how we're going to treat them," said Tokuda, whose team will be without explosive running back Randy Neverson (MCL sprain). "Offensively we've been moving guys around with Randy out, so we're trying to get other athletes on the field that can give us that breakaway back."

Aside from their season-low scoring output last week, the Mules have been lighting up the scoreboard. They are averaging 38 points and more than 360 yards per game.

"They have a great offensive attack, they have weapons all over the field that can take it to the house at any moment," Higgins said of Leilehua.

The defense held Kahuku to minus-7 rushing yards and just 59 yards of total offense for the game.

"Their defense is stout, their defensive line creates pressure and their secondary can run with anyone," Higgins said. "I think whoever wins the line of scrimmage is going to win the game. We're confident in what we do and we're looking forward to playing a great team in Leilehua."

Kickoff between the Cougars and Mules will follow 25 minutes after the completion of the 5:30 p.m. junior varsity game.

Other games of interest this weekend:
-Waianae vs. No. 5 Kahuku, Saturday 5 p.m. at Aloha Stadium
Two of the OIA's perennial powerhouses will square off in a rare regular-season contest that will be the first game of a doubleheader at Aloha Stadium. The Seariders (4-2) have won three straight and four of their last five games. The Red Raiders (5-1) can clinch the D1 Red's top seed with a win.

-No. 6 Campbell vs. No. 7 Farrington, Saturday 7:30 p.m. at Aloha Stadium
The second seed in the OIA D1 Blue, as well as a coveted first-round bye in the league tournament, is at stake when the Sabers (5-1) take on the Govs (5-1) in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader. Both teams' only loss has come against division-leader Mililani.

-Nanakuli vs. Radford, Friday 7:30 p.m. at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium
The OIA D2 schedule heads into its final two weeks of the regular season with the Golden Hawks (6-0) holding a 1/2-game lead on both the Rams (5-2 overall, 5-1 league) and Pearl City. Nanakuli moved up two spots to No. 4 in this week's SL/OC16 D2 Power Rankings. Pearl City, which lost to Nanakuli last week, drop one spot to fifth, while Radford moved up a spot to sixth.