Hawaiian Electric Game of the Week
Conference title on the line when Kahuku travels to face Campbell




It's been a while since the Kahuku Red Raiders went down Route 76 for a football game.

Kahuku, ranked second in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Division I Football Power Rankings, will travel to Ewa Beach for the first time in 25 years Friday night to take on No. 7 Campbell to close out the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I-Blue Conference regular season.

To add to the fanfare, the two teams will also be fighting for the conference's title and top seed in the upcoming 12-team playoffs. The league's postseason tournament starts next week, but the top two teams from each conference will enjoy a week off before their next opponent.

The Red Raiders enter the matchup with a 6-1 overall and a 6-0 record in league play and can finish no lower than second in the conference standings.

Campbell on the other hand, has much more to lose. A win for the Sabers (5-2, 5-1) will put them in first place, but a loss will drop them down to third because Waianae (5-3, 5-2) owns the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to a 27-14 win over Campbell on Aug. 25.

First-year Kahuku coach Makoa Freitas is expecting nothing less than the best from the Sabers this weekend.

"They're a good team," he said. "It'll be a good environment and it'll be a good test."

While it will be the Red Raiders first trip to Ewa Beach since 1992, at least one North Shore resident knows the way really well: Campbell first-year coach Darren Johnson.

Johnson, a Kahuku alumnus, took over the Sabers in February when the school did not retain nine-year coach Amosa Amosa. Before stepping in at Campbell, Johnson was a head coach at Kailua from 1996 to 2003 and at Kaimuki from 2007 to 2008. He also spent time as an offensive coordinator at his alma mater under former Kahuku coach Reggie Torres.

Like Freitas, Johnson knows his team has its hands full with its upcoming opponent.

"Kahuku comes with an attitude no matter where they go," said Johnson. "They try to determine the outcome before the game.

"The way you look at it, you're playing the defending champions, you're playing a team that is rich in tradition. They come to play. Their kids know how to win and they play hard."

The biggest question heading into the contest is whether or not Kahuku sophomore quarterback Sol-Jay Maiava will play. Maiava, who received an offer from the University of Michigan before he played a down of high school football, injured his non-throwing shoulder in a 51-7 win over Aiea on Sept. 1. Thorton Alapa has played in his stead and has performed admirably with a two touchdown outing against Radford last weekend.

While Freitas was non-committal on whether or not Maiava would play, Johnson said his team is prepared no matter who is behind center.

"What we're doing is we're preparing for Kahuku as if everyone of their starters is playing because Alapa plays good football," Johnson said. "He'd be starting on any other football team on the state if it was there."

Regardless of who is at quarterback, the Red Raiders can depend on senior running back Enoch Nawahine (6'0, 185) to carry the load. Nawahine, a transfer from Punahou, has rushed for 570 yards and eight touchdowns on just 69 carries. He is also coming off a four touchdown (one receiving) performance against Radford in where he just had 10 touches from scrimmage.

"He's a big boost for us," Freitas said of Nawahine. "He decided to come back to Kahuku so he can play in front of family. Given the chance, I'm sure he'll want to play collegiately here in Hawaii in front of his family as well."

Stopping the run and controlling the trenches will be key for the Sabers, Johnson said. He also added that the Sabers are trying to emulate the Red Raiders' in their caliber of play.

"Kahuku is big and physical. We can't go into the game and get bullied. They come with that attitude and I understand that, and it's not a bad thing. They come with pride. We're building that.

"These Ewa Beach boys, we have a lot of pride. We actually have a good product. I think it's going to be a big game. We know what's at stake and our kids understand our opponent."

Johnson is hoping that defensive tackle Isaac Sevao (5'11, 250) and defensive end Nathaniel Thompson (6'1, 205) can have big games so that middle linebackers Dane Esprecion (5'7, 190) and Chanse Hoopai-Tofili (5'11, 195) can stuff the gaps.

Kickoff between the Red Raiders and Sabers will be 30 minutes following the conclusion of the junior varsity contest.



Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].




Show your support

Every contribution, no matter the size, will help ScoringLive continue its mission to provide the best and most comprehensive coverage of high school sports in the state of Hawaii and beyond.

Please consider making a contribution today.

ADVERTISEMENT


MORE STORIES

Radford wins on walk-off wild pitch to turn back Kalaheo

Mataio Tauanuu batted 4-for-4 and scored the game-winning run in back-and-forth game for the Rams.

Punahou continues unbeaten streak, hands Kamehameha second straight loss

Third-ranked Warriors suffered consecutive losses in the regular season for the first time since 2017.

No. 4 Iolani rallies to hand No. 1 Kamehameha first ILH loss

Ethan Akagi and CJ Taira scored the winning runs for the Raiders off a wild pitch to hand the top-ranked...

Punahou pulls away from PAC-5 to notch first ILH win

The Buffanblu ended a five-game skid and broke into the win column to keep the Wolfpack winless in the...

Kalani's Nishigaya headlines All-OIA East selections

Forward/midfielder Kaiulani Nishigaya helped lift Falcons to first-ever league title; Kaiser's Noelani...

Trojans' Fuamatu-Maafala leads All-OIA West picks

Mililani's Iai Fuamatu-Maafala named Player of the Year; Campbell's James Curran named coach of the year.