The state high school football playoffs don’t begin until Friday, Nov. 17. But for Waimea, the island’s representative in that competition, tonight will be the last chance for game-time tuning and tweaking. “Right now we have to get ready for
The state high school football playoffs don’t begin until Friday, Nov.
17.
But for Waimea, the island’s representative in that competition,
tonight will be the last chance for game-time tuning and tweaking.
“Right
now we have to get ready for the state playoffs,” Menehunes coach Jon Kobayashi
said. “We have to get out there and work some things out, and the best time to
do that is during a game.”
So, despite the fact that Waimea’s likely
opponent – either Waianae or
Kahuku of the Oahu Interscholastic
Association – will have scouts in the stands, Kobayashi will not hold any
players out of the Menehunes’ homecoming game at Hanapepe Stadium.
In the
KIF finale, Waimea (5-0) will host Kaua’i (0-5). Last time the teams tangled,
October 13 at Vidinha Stadium, the Menehunes scored 50 first-half points on
their way to a 63-0 victory. But that doesn’t mean that Kobayashi and his staff
are taking the Raiders lightly.
“We got some very good bounces last time we
played them,” the coach said. “We had some solid play from our special teams
and defense.
“But they [Kaua’i] play tough football, and they bruised us up
during the season.”
The Raiders stuck it to the Menehunes in 1999’s final
game, as the teams battled to a 0-0 tie. Waimea then went on to defeat Kailua
in the first round of the first-ever state playoffs.
Though holding the
Menehunes scoreless tonight seems a long shot for Kaua’i, head coach Kellii
Morgado said his boys are going to put forth the same effort they have been all
season.
“My guys are going to go in there and play as hard as they can,”
the coach said. “We want to move the ball on them offensively, and we know we
have to play better defense.”
Inspirational about the Raiders has been
their ability to sustain their drive and focus despite the lackluster season
they’ve endured. Twice — once in preseason — have they been beaten by 50
points or more, yet the kids’ “spirits are up,” according to
Morgado.
“There was one time when I questioned their heart this year,” the
coach said. “They responded very well to that, and haven’t let down
since.”
Still, the facts are fairly grim for the Raiders. Lack of depth
means the team can’t prepare properly; against Waimea, more than one Raider
will play a position he hasn’t all year because of injury. Star running back
Jameson Smith is nursing a sore knee, though he is expected to play. Receiver
Regis Canales may miss the contest with a bad shoulder.
“Anything can
happen in football,” Kobayashi said. “That’s why we go out and play the game.
We go see how the ball will bounce and whose favor it will bounce in. You can’t
take anything for granted.”
IN THE OIA
Waimea’s scheduled first-round
opponent in the state playoffs will be the champion of the OIA. As was written,
that team likely will be either Waianae (10-0, ranked No. 2 in state) or Kahuku
(8-2, ranked No. 4). Each would present a stiff challenge to Waimea’s hope to
reach the semifinal round of the playoffs.
“Last week we got the chance to
go over [to Oahu] and watch all the games of the first round,” of the OIA
playoffs, Kobayashi said. “Both Waianae and Kahuku are excellent teams with big
bodies and solid coaching.”
Each of those OIA schools, along with the OIA’s
Kaimuki (8-2, No. 8) and Castle (9-1, No. 7), and Big Island champ Hilo (8-2,
No. 10) already have qualified for the state playoffs.
