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Both the Kalaheo and Kalani football teams were left on the outside looking in at the end of the 2018 regular season.

The Mustangs went 4-6 a year ago, including a 3-4 mark in league play, but narrowly missed qualifying for the four-team Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II tournament. The Falcons posted a 3-7 overall record and finished sixth in the league standings with a 2-5 mark, one game behind Kalaheo.

With a new season comes a clean slate and both teams would like nothing more than to get off on the right foot with a win this weekend, when they cross paths to open the regular season.

Kalani (1-0) will look to keep the ball rolling after a 35-0 non-league win over Kohala in their 2019 debut last Saturday, while Kalaheo (0-1) seeks a bounce-back win following last Friday's 7-0 loss to Kauai.

The Falcons dominated in their victory last week, scoring in all three phases and finishing with 343 yards of total offense to just 32 for the Cowboys, of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation. Conversely, the Mustangs were limited to 101 yards of total offense by the Red Raiders and turned the ball over three times, but they hung tough defensively with four takeaways of their own.

We caught up with the coaches of both teams a few days before their face-off in Hawaii Kai.

ScoringLive: What did week 1 reveal to you about your team and players that maybe the final score did not?
Darrell Poole, Kalaheo coach: "First of all, we had no controlled scrimmages and were weeks behind and coming into week one this past game, we were without key players both on offense and defense, which in turn, we had to use freshmen as starters to play on the line in the trenches for both offense and defense. We had our opportunities in the game to score, but things just didn't fall our way. Regardless of the outcome of the game, my coaches and I came away pleased with what we saw and how our young team persevered throughout the game and showed a lot of character in holding Kauai to just one score. Also what this game showed us is how far we have come as a team in just a short time, with much to build upon."
Scott Melemai, Kalani coach: "I think one thing that week one revealed is that our kids worked hard this offseason. Having over 30-plus players every day on the field and in the weight room showed that it helped us run the ball."

How did the 2018 season and how it played out factor into your team's preparations for this year, if at all?
Poole: "Well, we fell short of our goal from last year in making the playoffs, so we have put in a lot of emphasis on specialized training, both physically and mentally, to ensure that our goal as a team is to make the playoffs."
Melemai: "Last year we struggled in many games and came up short, (but) we felt we were competitive. One thing that we focused on is being committed: going to lifting and meetings, practices, taking care of school so that they will not miss games. This helped us install and train for this upcoming season."

What will be the identity of this year's team, or has that been determined yet? How is that process playing out thus far?
Poole: "Our identity is ‘faith can move mountains.' I think just faith is believing in each other and especially for each person to have faith in believing in themselves."
Melemai: "We have yet to find our identity this year, but we want to be competitive and put our best foot forward. So far our team has been striving for this and I see this as being our identity."

What are your thoughts on this week's opponent and what it presents?
Poole: "Kalani is a well-coached team and we have to play mistake-free football on both defense and offense. Also, for us as a team, with returning players on offense this game, it will help us find our character and identity on offense."
Melemai: "Kalaheo is a good team that has a lot of talented kids. They have a good scheme both offensively and defensively and play very hard."

With nine D2 teams in the OIA and just four playoff spots in the league tournament, how far can a win to open the regular season Saturday go for your team, potentially?
Poole: "A win in the opener for our team will be huge and the motivating factor that will make our kids hungrier to get more wins and it also helps to put us right up there in the standings, too."
Melemai: "Every week is a big game and in order to make it to playoffs, you must win. A win in the opening week would be big for us and one step forward towards the goal of making the playoffs."

What will be the key matchup within the game Saturday?
Poole: "Defense will be the key. We'll try to limit what they do offensively on the field, so the matchup of our offense against their defense will be key."
Melemai: "Kalaheo's Jordan Neufeldt is a really good player, both on offense and defense. He is one of the key players that we need to set-up good match ups (against)."

Ironically, the teams met in the final game for both squads last year, on Oct. 13 at Kailua's Alex Kane Stadium. The Mustangs ran for 215 of their 331 yards of total offense to rally from an early deficit to the 22-7 win over the Falcons.

Kickoff Saturday is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Kaiser Stadium.