Kaimuki takes on Kamehameha-Hawaii Saturday night at Paiea Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. ScoringLive photo illustration

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KS-Hawaii's Kilohana Haasenritter tackles a Keaau player during a tri-scrimmage in the summer. Brien Ing | SL

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Kaimuki coach David Tautofi is hoping history will repeat itself Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (8-3) travel to Hawaii Island this weekend to take on Kamehameha-Hawaii (6-2) at Paiea Stadium in the first round of the First Hawaiian Bank Division II Football State Championships.

The two teams last met in 2010 at the same venue with Kaimuki walking away with a 14-9 win to reach the D2 semifinals, and eventually the title game.

Tautofi, a 1999 Kaimuki graduate who coached football in the Las Vegas area before taking over the Bulldogs in 2015, was a spectator in the stands in that contest.

"That was the first and last game that I've watched Kaimuki in the stands," he said. "We definitely want the same result and we're on that path right now."

💍 👑 🏆 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

The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back from a 28-18 loss to Roosevelt in the OIA D2 championship game, their first loss to a league opponent all year.

"That definitely left a sour taste in our mouths, a sour taste that they needed to have," said Tautofi. "When you have the kind of success that our team has had this year, sometime it's easy for kids to forget what it's like on the bottom. They kind of needed that, we all needed that, but it's really been a positive thing this past week in practice for us."

Kaimuki last reached the postseason in 2015, while KS-Hawaii is making its first appearance in the tournament since 2014 after beating three-time BIIF D2 champion Konawaena two times during the year.

The Warriors were loaded with depth in their previous appearance, but numbers have been thin this year resulting in multiple players going both ways. Standout two-way players include lineman Teva Reynolds, WR/DB Noah Carvalho and utility Kilohana Haasenritter, who leads the team in rushing with 536 yards and is averaging 7.2 yards a carry.

KS-Hawaii's Kilohana Haasenritter tackles a Keaau player during a tri-scrimmage in the summer. Brien Ing | SL    Purchase image

KS-Hawaii coach Dan Lyons said the result has made the bond within his team much stronger.

"It's a very tight team. To have guys playing both ways and maybe even have coaches coach both way has brought guys together better. Sometimes when you platoon guys, it does create a division when one side of the ball isn't performing as the others do, but now they're both accountable."

Lyons has also been more hands with the team this season taking over coordinating duties on both sides of the ball. His team has just one loss on the field — the Warriors chose to forfeit their game against Hilo before the BIIF D2 title game — which came in a 49-42 defeat against Kealakehe in KS-Hawaii's second game of the year.

Since then the Warriors moved from a four-man front on the defense to a 3-5 formation to better suit their roster.

"They really responded to that," said Lyons. "A lot of that was I wanted guys to study more and I think they really rose to the occasion. We tend to have a lot of skill guys, but not a lot of size so we wanted to see if we can use our personnel a little better."

Lyons is also pleased that his team gets to play at home with its turf field, which he said allows his players to play faster and more confident than if they played on grass. He is hoping his team's speed can counteract Kaimuki's size, led by 6-foot-4, 355-pound University of Washington-commit Sama Paama.

"I think it's going to be fun with two teams that kind of have opposing ways of doing something," said Lyons. "Defensively we're going to have to figure out how to handle their size and their aggressiveness in their downhill running."

Linebackers Wilde Germano, Thaze Gomes and Isaiah Anahu — who also leads the team in receiving with 382 yards and four scores — will lead the charge against a Kaimuki offense that averages 26.1 points and 328.2 yards per game.

Running backs Jonah Stephens (137 carries, 872 yards, 10 TDs) and Naomas Asuega-Fualaau (130 carries, 759 yards, 12 TDs) are responsible for the bulk of the Bulldogs' offense, but quarterback Jonah Faasoa can also sling it with 1,815 yards through the air.

Ultimately turnovers will decide the game. The Warriors have dominated that department, scoring on three interceptions in their regular season game against the Wildcats, while forcing nine takeaways in their second meeting against Konawaena.

On the other hand, Kaimuki is coming off a loss where it blew a fourth quarter lead by giving up two defensive scores in the final period of play against the Rough Riders.

"We don't want to leave the game to turnovers, and we learned that lesson humbly in the OIA championship game," said Tautofi. "It's just about us taking care of responsibilities and playing our game.

Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. The winner of the contest will take on Kapaa at Vidinha Stadium in a 2:30 p.m. tilt on Nov. 17.