Q&A
Rivals to square off for MIL's D1 title Friday




The two times that the Maui High and Baldwin football teams faced off this season, the results were two vastly contrasting outcomes.

The Sabers raced past the Bears by a score of 44-6 on Sept. 15 behind Naia Nakamoto's 246 rushing yards and four touchdowns — all of them in the first half en route to a first round title in the Maui Interscholastic League.

Less than two weeks ago, Bishop Wickes accounted for 162 yards from scrimmage, two touchdowns and a field goal to lead Baldwin to a 24-14 win, which secured it the second round title and forced a playoff for the league championship and a berth in the First Hawaiian Bank Division I State Championships.

The teams will clash Friday night at War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku.

Maui, which has lost its last three games, is seeking a second straight MIL title.

Baldwin, which is riding a modest two-game win streak after losing six of its first seven games this season, is trying for its first league crown since 2016.

We caught up with the coaches of both teams a few days before their rubber match.


ScoringLive: Describe your team's current situation in one word and explain.

James Kammerer, Maui interim coach: "Confident. We were able to start the year off strong with a few losses, but strung together some key victories. Now we are on a three-game losing streak that we need to reverse in order to win the MIL and make it to the state tournament. We have been improving in little things the past three games so we just need to put it all together for a complete four quarters."

Pohai Lee, Baldwin coach: "The situation our team has faced this season has been about perseverance. The combination of us being young and inexperienced compared to the rest of the MIL is not the ideal situation any coach favors. We had three returning starters on offense and three returning starters on defense from the 2017 team. We faced a lot of struggles and adversity. For most of the season, we took our lumps. It could have been real easy to pack it in. However, this group is an unassuming group. They knew they had some talent and they knew they would get better as the season progressed. They continued to work and improved at the end of the season."


ScoringLive: How near or far is your team from playing to its full potential?

Kammerer: "We'll out find on Friday. Our second Lahainaluna game set back our confidence a little bit because they are a real-deal program and we didn't show up and perform the way we are capable. The second Baldwin game also caught us by surprise with their game plan and execution, so we are kind of back to basics and trying to have our best practice week of the year and perform to our potential on Friday night."

Lee: "Coaching this team has been very rewarding regardless of the win-loss record. Our team is playing with more confidence and rightfully so. We still have a ways to go yet to reach our full potential. Experience counts and we have a good group of underclassmen. The senior group is a humble bunch and have done a pretty good job mentoring our young guys."


ScoringLive: Who or what is the heart of your team?

Kammerer: "The core of our team is the Maui High Legacy. We were able to have a wonderful dinner during our bye week in which we honored past teams and coaches, specifically coach Curtis Lee. Hearing him speak made me want to suit up again and play for him. We just need that spark and excitement back, we need to play disciplined and undoubted. Baldwin will be a great test for us again because they have gained a lot of confidence and (made) improvements."

Lee: "I can't really pinpoint one person. We have a lot of players with heart. We want all of our guys playing with passion and playing for each other."


ScoringLive: Which game this season has proved to be most beneficial for your team?

Kammerer: "This is the game to watch. There is nothing better than competing for your own league crown with states in the balance; nothing else matters. This is why we started lifting back in February and putting in work in May. The summer practices, the tryouts, the long hot days of practice and the bright lights of a game, this is what makes high school sports so much fun and teaches our student-athletes life lessons and how to be prepared for life. Can't wait!"

Lee: "I really believe it was our second-round victory over King Kekaulike. It was a hard-fought game that could have gone either way. We were down 19-14 at half and at that point, I think our guys made a conscious decision to band together and get it done."


ScoringLive: What are your thoughts on this week's opponent and what do you feel will be a key matchup within the game?

Kammerer: I believe it comes down to coaching and in-game adjustments. Our players have been putting in work and I feel like I've been letting them down. Things happen for either two reasons: you made it happen, or let it happen. I give credit to Baldwin's coaching staff for bringing up some JV talent and energy, changing some defensive schemes and making good in-game offensive calls. But now we're prepared. The team that can dominate the line of scrimmage, run, tackle, kick, catch, and throw will come out on top."

Lee: "Maui High School is the defending MIL Division I champion. We were able to put ourselves in this position by winning the second round. Offensively, their offense is geared around Naia Nakamoto, but they have great depth behind him with Rusty Lopaka-Abalos and Mone Tongi. We'll need a huge effort trying to contain their run game. There will be the game within the game with both opposing o-line and d-line battles. That'll be the key to watch. Defensively, they are very active, physical and athletic. They present problems when they do pressure."


ScoringLive: What did the first two meetings against this week's opponent provide for your team?

Kammerer: "That Baldwin has renewed the rivalry and won't go down without a fight. They are putting it all together and peaking at the right time. They had some injuries and key guys out the first time we played, we were missing a few and didn't play up to our potential in the second round. Now I expect each team's best shot and I believe in our coaches, players, system and legacy that we hope to build and remember for the rest of our lives."

Lee: "The first meeting wasn't much of a meeting. They took it to us pretty good. It was definitely a tough loss to take. Again, there were things to be learned from that game and it's about how you can move on and get better. The second meeting was our best game collectively in all three phases of the game. It was a back-and-forth game with minimal mistakes."


ScoringLive: Complete the sentence: We win Friday's game if ____________.

Kammerer: "We play the Saber way."

Lee: "We can minimize our mistakes and can play solidly in all three phases of the game."

Kickoff between the Sabers and Bears is scheduled for 7 p.m.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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