Lahainaluna and Kaimuki meet for the first time since 2010 in the opening round of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II Football State Championships. ScoringLive photo illustration

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The Kaimuki Bulldogs and Lahainaluna Lunas meet for the first time since 2010, this time in the opening round of the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Association Division II Football State Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Lunas' home field.

The series is tied 1-1: Lahainaluna won 52-20 in 2007, three years later, Kaimuki won 28-27.

"They are very disciplined, a well-oiled machine, and execute well. There are a lot of dangerous things that I am sensing about this team and it doesn't make it easier for us. This is like a championship bout to us and that's how we have to treat it," said Kaimuki coach David Tautofi, on the Lunas.

"I haven't seen any film on them yet, with the mess we had to deal with on Maui. But bottom line is that they are an OIA team and they get competition week in and week out, that alone makes them better. We know they will be tough," said Lahainaluna co-head coach Garret Tihada, on the Bulldogs.

The Lunas prevailed over Kamehameha-Maui, 14-10 in order to wrap up the Maui Interscholastic League championship and make their ninth-straight state tournament appearance. Lahainaluna started off 0-3 in league play and struggled in the first round, but went 5-1 to finish the regular season.

"We had a rough year, we lost a lot of seniors. Last night we were lucky to get away with a win. Our young kids started to step up because they had no choice, but we're happy we're in states because they get a taste. Who knows how far we go, but we're happy the younger kids get to experience this and learn from it," said Tihada.

The Bulldogs started the Oahu Interscholastic Association season 1-3, but went on a six-game winning streak in order to get into the state tournament. Along the way, they knocked out defending OIA D2 champion, Nanakuli, 27-22, before falling to Radford, 28-6 in the OIA championship game.

"A lot of things happened in this one season. But to trace where we were in the beginning, week by week, seeing the progress and growth of their character and attitude has been the most rewarding thing for me. Now the kids are starting to begining to believe in themselves," said Tautofi.

According to the stats provided by the Maui News, the Lunas, who rely on a ground attack, have 1,204 rushing yards for the season. Donovan Defang, who is fourth in the MIL in rushing, leads the team with 302 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Quarterback Etuati Storer has 395 passing yards on the season and Ronnie Espiritu leads the team in receiving with 268 yards and three touchdowns. But according to Tihada, it's a fresh group where a different player will step up on a given day.

"We really don't have standouts on offense, but every game is a different player that may stand out," said Tihada. "We had one returning starter on offense and defense. It's a brand new experience for our team."

Defensively, Lahainaluna gives up 14.6 points per game in the MIL and have allowed 191.9 yards of offense.

"I would look at defensive lineman Nau Filiai, he's been a standout player and one of our most consistent players this year. It's similar to our offense, we've been shuffling guys in and out due to injuries," said Tihada.

Offensively, the Bulldogs turn to Billy Masima, who has 786 rushing yards on the season. Keanu Pratt has 989 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions so far this season. Andrew Neves leads the team in receptions with 27 and 467 receiving yards. His game-winning 83-yard kickoff return against the Golden Hawks helped catapult Kaimuki into the state tournament.

"Because of Billy we were able to control the tempo and open up the possibilities with the play of our quarterback. But we're still not there. Billy is a junior and I'm proud of what he's done, even against Radford, he earned every yard," said Tautofi.

Defensively, Kaimuki held their opponents to 20.6 points per game and 226.9 yards.

"My brother does a great job game planning and it's always finding out where we can put the boys in the scheme and succeed the most. We made it simple for them and made it easy for them to adapt. Defensively it's been a blessing because we put in what allows what type of players we have to excel. We're looking lean on that defense for the rest of the season and future is promising," said Tautofi.

Kickoff is currently set for 7 p.m., the winner of this game will advance to face top-seeded Kapaa at Vindinha Stadium on Kauai.