Kobie Russell and the Marauders take Lancen Kuni and the Bulldogs in the OIA Division II championship game Friday night. ScoringLive photo illustration

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For the Waialua and Waipahu football teams, Friday night's Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II championship final represents more than just another game.

Both the Bulldogs and the Marauders — two of the OIA's original five founding schools — are relishing the opportunity to bring home a title to their respective communities.

"Winning would mean so much," Waialua coach Lincoln Barit said. "We're just soaking it in right now, but like I told the boys, we haven't won anything yet, just a chance to play in the state tournament and a shot at the (OIA) D2, so we're just trying to keep them focused."

Waipahu coach Bryson Carvalho has found that has been easier said than done on his end.

"We're trying to keep the same mindset and really trying not to overhype anything," Carvalho said. "There's a buzz on campus with everybody, but I think the kids are doing a great job of staying focused."

The Marauders (8-1) are riding a five-game winning streak, including a 13-7 win over Pearl City in last week's semifinal round. It was their best defensive showing since a 26-7 win over Waialua on Sept. 23.

"I think defensively we've gotten a lot better throughout the year," Carvalho said. "We've had some problems with containment, but we've worked on that and we're starting to play to our potential."

Defenses could be leading the way Friday. Both team defenses are allowing an average of 14.8 points per game by the opposition.

"We depend a lot on our defense," Barit said. "They keep us in the game when our offense is struggling. I told the defense that defense wins championships and offense wins games, so hopefully our defense shows up to play."

Barit's defense will have its hands full keying on Waipahu standout running back Alfred Failauga. The freshman has 1,058 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the year.

"Offensively we've changed our identity over the year, but Alfred has been kind of our main stay," Carvalho said. "He's been our go-to guy in almost every game, so we definitely have to control the line of scrimmage and get him started and once we get him started it opens up our passing game."

Waipahu has the statistical edge offensively, averaging 28.3 points per game to Waialua's 21.4.

The last time the teams played, the Bulldogs were out gained 401 to 262 total yards and couldn't overcome a pair of interceptions as the Marauders scored the final 21 points after a 7-7 deadlock in the first quarter.

"We made a lot of mistakes int hat game, so the boys really look at it as motivation for them the second time around," Barit said. "Hopefully we can limit our mistakes Friday.

Conversely, Carvalho said the previous result is all but out the window.

"I think Waialua has gotten a lot better throughout the year and the kids understand that this is a whole new game," he said. "I'm sure they are going to adjust to what we do and I'm sure they're going to come out with their game plan, too, so it's a matter of adjusting during the game."

The Marauders, who are ranked sixth in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric D2 Power Rankings have 10 OIA titles in their history, but none since the D2 crown in 2011.

The championship drought has been a long one for the seventh-ranked Bulldogs, who captured their last of sixth league titles in 1955 under legendary coach Toshiyuki Nakasone, whom their home stadium is named after.

Kickoff Friday is slated for 5 p.m. at HTFCU Field at Aloha Stadium.