PAC-5 receiver Angelo Coluccio battles for possession with a Roosevelt defender in the two team's earlier season matchup. Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 1 of 2

Roosevelt QB Sky Ogata rolls out of the pocket in a interleague game against Saint Francis. CJ Caraang | SL

Purchase image 2 of 2

Nearly three months after it opened the 2018 football season with a two-point loss at Roosevelt, PAC-5 will get its shot at redemption this weekend.

The teams will cross paths for a second time this season when they meet at Ticky Vasconcellos Saturday night in a first round matchup of the First Hawaiian Bank Division II State Championships.

Kickoff between the fourth-seeded Rough Riders (10-2) and the unseeded Wolfpack (4-4) is set for 6:30 p.m.

When the teams previously met this season — Aug. 11, also at Vasconcellos Stadium — Roosevelt edged PAC-5, 17-15, on Mason Morishige's 38-yard field goal on the final play of the game.

"We're using that as motivation that we should have won that game, that's our thought process anyway." Wolfpack coach Kip Botelho said. "We had the lead with seconds left. Granted, Roosevelt is a different team now."

Although his team has shown steady improvement on both sides of the ball — averaging 26.8 points for against 9.3 points allowed per game — Rough Riders coach Kui Kahooilihala isn't overlooking PAC-5.

"We kind of expect another close game because, as you guys know, we only won by a field goal and they're gonna come back strong and ready to play. I told the kids that PAC-5 is a good team and they're well coached. They have those guys ready to bang and we gotta take care of business on our side because these guys want to win just like everybody in the state. Everybody wants to get that big prize in the sky and take that state title home, so they're gonna come ready to go."

Offensively, Roosevelt has evolved over the season from a run-heavy, veer-option attack to more of a balanced one. A key in that process has been junior Sky Ogata (989 pass yards, 775 rush yards, 20 total TDs), who has taken over the full-time quarterbacking duties.

Roosevelt QB Sky Ogata rolls out of the pocket in a interleague game against Saint Francis. CJ Caraang | SL    Purchase image

"The first time we played them we didn't have a lot of our stuff in and we had a couple guys out. I mean, I'm not trying to give excuses, but since day one we never really played a game with everybody, so we didn't really play with a full deck of cards," Kahooilihala said. "We always had guys out, starters out, but right now everybody is ready to go."

Botelho, for one, has taken notice of the Rough Riders' gains this season.

"They've improved a lot since then and they're doing a lot of different things. It looks like they got some guys back, I think that first game they had some guys out," Botelho said. "I've watched them a few times since then and they're very athletic. They fly around, they play physical, so we've got a big challenge ahead of us."

For the Wolfpack, it's not just a big challenge, but a second chance. They lost four of their last five games and finished five games behind Saint Francis in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu D2 standings. However, due to the discovery of an ineligible player, the Saints were forfeited their entire season and thus, PAC-5 assumed the role of league representative in the six-team state tournament.

"It's an opportunity that doesn't happen, so these kids are very fortunate to get another chance and they understand that and they're excited about it," Botelho said.

Botelho said his team has had two-plus weeks of preparations, but the logistics of coordinating practice proved difficult initially. The team draws players from numerous schools across the island.

"In the beginning it was a little tough to get everybody back to practice because everybody was back at their schools, involved in their next sport, so that first week we didn't have much there," Botelho said. "We just kind of conditioned with the guys we had and last week we had a little better turnout — maybe 30-plus kids at practice last week. We just had some guys that had commitments made that they had to get out of, but toward the end of the week we got back most of our guys, so we're back — it just took a little while — but we're back in a routine."

While PAC-5 closed the regular season with a 14-6 win over Waialua, it has lost its previous four games before that.

Offensively, the Wolfpack have struggled, averaging 17.5 points per game. Among the bright spots for the unit has been the play of receiver Angelo Coluccio (27 receptions, 394 yards, 14.6 yards per catch), one of 24 sophomores on the team.

"We got a lot of young guys on the field. We got a couple freshmen, we got a whole bunch of sophomores that are starting and playing a lot, so far as we go, I think just with the games that we've played, they've grown as far as experienced from our first game so our guys have gotten a little better, too, but we'll see. We're hoping that transfers into this game against Roosevelt."

💍 👑 🏆 chasing time. @FHBHawaii/@HHSAAsports 🏈 starts this weekend. Who's taking the title in each division? #ChaseForTheChampionship pic.twitter.com/xiJFF2heK6

— ScoringLive (@scoringlive) November 7, 2018

While PAC-5 is looking to make the most of its second life, the Rough Riders are coming off their first league title since 1957, when they were still a member of the ILH.

As far as Kahooilihala is concerned, however, that was the past.

"We had to bring them down to earth. They had just that weekend to enjoy the moment and then it was back to work for us. At the school and for these guys it was exciting, but it's just business as usual on campus, meaning taking of grades and going to class and doing the things we gotta take care of," Kahooilihala said. "We gave the kids two days off last week to take care of grades and for the guys that were injured a chance to heal up and just to recover, but other than that it's just been a regular day at the park."

The winner of Saturday's game advances to next week's semifinal round and will face two-time defending state champion and top seed Lahainaluna.