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Third place in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I-Blue conference is on the line when Moanalua travels to Campbell Friday night.

Na Menehune (3-2 overall, 2-2 OIA D1) are winners of their last two contests, picking up back-to-back shutout wins over Radford and Kaiser.

The Sabers (2-3, 2-2), who are coming off a bye week, are eager to begin the second half of their season in the right direction. They will also be playing in their first home game since 2014. 

"Our players are excited," said Campbell coach Amosa Amosa. "We talk to the players (on) how important the next three weeks are for us and that we still control our own destiny. We control our own path to the playoffs, and of course the goal is to get into the state tournament." 

The bye week gave Campbell an opportunity to fine tune some things that it has been doing well in, as well as correct some things that needed work. The Sabers also made some changes on the offensive line, moving Micah Ah Soon-See to center to correct some snap issues that plagued them in a 44-0 loss to Kahuku. 

Sir-Wallace Chanel shifts over to right guard with Kaua Nakamura at tackle next to him. Kristian "Toa" Akina mans the left guard spot while Keoni Kaufusi protects the blindside of quarterback Kawika Ulufale. Those four linemen and Soon-See powers the engine for a more balanced offense than from what we've seen from the Sabers in recent years.

"I think for us, it's just been finding what the defense might give us at night," said Amosa. "Of course, we've been running the ball a little more better than we throw it, but the game plan has been to establish the run and be more balanced at the things that we do."

Moanalua first-year coach Savaii Eselu knows that Campbell likes to run the ball and is hoping his team can force the Sabers to be more one-dimensional when the two teams meet. Eselu said that stopping Campbell running back Tasi Faumui will be key if his team hopes to come out with the win. 

"They have a very good running back and their O-line can create some holes and get some leverage on the line of scrimmage," he said. "If they do that, I think their running back will have a field day on us. It's very important that we can control that aspect of the game." 

If Campbell is forced to throw more than it wants to, Na Menehune's chances improve. Eselu said his team has been able to get back-to-back wins because they were able to control the airwaves against the Rams and Cougars.

"It's a real good thing where you can try to keep teams one-dimensional," said Eselu. "That makes things a lot easier and allows the defense to be much faster. In turn, it allows us to do much more things on offense, like go for it on fourth-and-1 and take a chance on some different things."

Helping to lead Na Menehune's pass defense is cornerback Isaiah Jackson, who has four interceptions on the season and scored on a 44-yard pick-6 against Kaiser.

"We can put him on an island and he'll be OK," said Eselu. "He gives that one extra added dimension that allows you to do more things. You don't have to worry about that particular side. I think he deserves a whole lot more (credit) than he's been getting."

The Sabers are no slouch on defense either. They have recorded multiple turnovers in all of their regular season games, with their best performance coming in a 12-7 win over Aiea when they recorded six picks. 

"I think our defense has been the heart of our team," said Amosa. "They're actually keeping us in the game and are really trying to give us more opportunities to score some points." 

Campbell's defense is also highlighted by the fact that it starts three freshmen: safety Pokii Adkins-Kupukaa and linebackers Tyrese Tafai and Jeremiah Tauai. 

"I think the people that are really surprising me are our three freshmen on the defensive side," said Amosa. "I think they pretty much have a good feel for the varsity competition and speed. They're handling everything on the field pretty good. Varsity is a whole different field, a different beast, but they're doing a pretty good job, being consistent and are showing a lot of impact on the defense." 

The Sabers will have a tough test Friday night when Moanalua brings its vaunted aerial attack to Ewa Beach. Quarterback Alakai Yuen has thrown for 1,272 yards and 20 touchdowns, 14 of which have gone to receiver Ryan Ramones (39 catches, 761 yards).

"They've been playing well lately, they've been doing a lot of good stuff and they have a lot of momentum. It's another big week for our guys again," said Amosa. "We know offensively they can score points, especially with Yuen as quarterback. The game plan is to try and get to him and show him some different looks here and there."

Eselu acknowledges that the connection between Yuen and Ramones has been near unstoppable, but he's hoping that the same level of chemistry can be spread around to their other weapons. Eselu said part of the game plan against the Sabers' defense is "to see how well they can flow to the ball. 

"If they do that well, then we'll try our best to see if we can stretch things and if we can utilize the weapons we have and decipher what they do to us. We want to see how they flow laterally and we'll go from there."

Kickoff between the Sabers and Na Menehune is slated for 7:30 p.m.