Damien QB Marcus Faufata-Pedrina tries to avoid a tackle in the 2016 ILH D2 title game against Saint Francis. John Lujan | SL

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For the Damien and Saint Francis football teams, the 2017 season has been quite similar in many regards.

Both the fifth-ranked Monarchs and third-ranked Saints enter Friday's night's Interscholastic League of Honolulu clash with 2-0 league records and 4-1 overall marks.

The winner will take over sole possession of first place in the ILH's Division II standings at the midpoint of the league's first round schedule.

"We're obviously excited about the challenge and we know what Saint Francis is all about and what they can do, and what they've accomplished over the past couple years — and especially this season," said Damien coach Eddie Klaneski, whose team is coming off a 39-18 win over PAC-5 Saturday night.

"Our kids kind of know the deal. We talked to them after the PAC-5 game and said, ‘our focus is on Saint Francis and we gotta get going on Monday,'  and so far we've had real focused practices. The kids are dialed in and we're just trying to prepare them for what Saint Francis brings to the table," Klaneski said.

The Monarchs, who also have a 35-21 win over Iolani under their belt, have been balanced offensively — averaging 197 pass yards to 148 rushing per game — and stingy on defense, holding opponent to just 13.4 points.

Klaneski said his team has benefitted from the leadership of its seniors, most notably quarterback Marcus Faufata-Pedrina.

"Obviously having Marcus as a three-year starter at quarterback is definitely a big plus for us, but we also have a veteran offensive line — we have a couple of three-year starters there — and we're young at other positions, but we're skilled," Klaneski said. "Having that solid group of seniors give us confidence that we can rely on those guys to move the ball and get us a first down. That's the hope; that's what we want to do."

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Faufata-Pedrina has thrown for 986 yards and 12 TDs against three interceptions. He has completed 60.6 percent of his passes and rushed for 165 yards and three TDs on 48 carries.

Another senior, defensive back/wide receiver Akila Arecchi, has been impactful on both sides of the ball. The 5-foot-6, 145-pound Arecchi leads the team in receptions (17), receiving yards (358) and scoring (36 points). He scored on a 48-yard pick-6 and an 11-yard reception against PAC-5 last week. In the Monarchs' win over Castle to open the season, Arecchi scored on a 71-yard kickoff return.

"Even on the defensive side we have seniors on the defensive line, the linebackers and in the defensive backfield. That leadership in certain positions is really crucial to staying balanced throughout the game — not getting too high, not getting too low," Klaneski said. "I think having that senior leadership on both sides is a benefit for us and we will rely on those guys to kind of keep us on track."

Saint Francis, meanwhile, has also gotten the job done on defense. Opponents have averaged just 16 points and 217 yards of total offense per game, including a meager 13.4 rushing yards.

"In the past they always relied on their defense to kind of carry their team and it's no exception this year — their defense is still very stout, especially against the run — but the difference this year is offensively they have weapons across the board," Klaneski said of the Saints, who are averaging 33.6 points per game on offense.

They've been prolific despite the limited play of Tyson Shimabukuro, a First Team All-Hawaii running back last year. The 5-foot-8, 200-pound Shimabukuro has carried just 21 times while returning from knee surgery in November.

In his absence, sophomore Jonan "Bubba" Aina-Chaves has blossomed in the backfield. The 5-foot-8, 160-pounder ranks second in all of D2 with 603 yards and six TDs on 81 carries; an average of 7.4 yards per rush.

Saint Francis coach Kip Akana said he expects to have both backs fully healthy Friday night.

"Tyson is back. He was on limited reps the last couple games, but he's had a good week of practice, so you should see a fair share of Tyson, and we've also got Bubba Aina-Chaves that has been doing well," Akana said. "It's a good problem to have."

Another underclassmen, junior Kaimanuwai Akana — who also goes by the nickname Bubba, and is the coach's son — has excelled at the quarterback position. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Akana has thrown for 528 yards and nine total TDs against just one interception.

The receiving corps is led by a trio of seniors in Samson Kaleikau (20 catches for 286 yards, 1 TD), Scott McLeod (25-251-5) and Lachmann Atoa (15-220-3).

It all makes for a tough task to defend, Klaneski said.

"They have a big offensive line and a second-year quarterback in Bubba, a stable of tough running backs that can pound you and hurt you with speed, as well, and they also have weapons outside, so it's going to be a challenge for us. They do a lot of different things offensively and they have a lot of weapons to account for — and they're also the most physical team we've played to date — so we have to be smart in the way we attack them."

The last time the teams played, Saint Francis led late but Damien rallied to a 20-12 win to claim the ILH D2 title last year and the league's lone state tournament berth.

Akana is hoping for a different result come Friday.

"I think we're prepared to handle whatever type of game this turns out to be," Akana said. "In previous years we didn't have the firepower to maybe keep up in an offensive shootout. I don't believe that's the case this year."

Kickoff between the Monarchs and Saints is slated for 6 p.m. at Farrington's Edward 'Skippa' Diaz Stadium at Henry Kusunoki Field.