Hawai’i Prep stands in the way of Red Raiders’ streak The Kaua’i football team spent last Friday raising a lot of eyebrows. After enduring a winless 2000 campaign, the Red Raiders opened their preseason with a 21-13 victory at Maui.
Hawai’i Prep stands in the way of Red Raiders’ streak
The Kaua’i football team spent last Friday raising a lot of eyebrows. After enduring a winless 2000 campaign, the Red Raiders opened their preseason with a 21-13 victory at Maui.
Saturday, Kaua’i will try and turn those lifted eyebrows into permanently opened eyes. And get a little revenge in the process.
The Red Raiders host Hawai’i Prepatory Academy Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Vidinha Stadium. It’s the second half of a home-and-home series that began last year with a 7-0 Ka Makani win.
“We’re looking for some redemption,” Kaua’i head coach Keli’i Morgado said. “We’ll also be looking to continue the progress we made in the Maui game.”
Playing on the Big Island last year, Kaua’i battled HPA in hurricane-like conditions. Both teams had difficulty keeping track of the ball, much less organizing anything productive.
Things should be quite different this time around.
“I’m having this feeling like we’ll do well against [Hawai’i Prep],” Morgado said.
For that to happen, the Red Raiders will have to prepare for a look much different than they got against Maui.
“HPA is a whole different animal,” Morgado said. “Maui was big and strong and we were ready. HPA is going to be smaller but faster. It’ll be a good test.”
Morgado said the Ka Makanis employ deception on both sides of the ball, running a lot of misdirection on offense, and disguising much of their coverage on defense.
“We’ll have to be ready for that on both sides of the ball,” Morgado said. “HPA’s offense can be confusing. Our defense will have to be disciplined and trust what their eyes tell them.”
Much like the Maui game, Kaua’i will have to watch for a talented player coming out of the backfield.
Against the Sabres it was 210-pound Andrew Malafu. HPA will bring senior Bully Fergerstrom, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 180 pounds.
“He’s athletic and quick,” Morgado said. “He’s going to be tough.”
Meanwhile, Kaua’i will be trying to clean up its mistakes of last week.
Morgado said he recalled three times when the Red Raider offense drove inside the Maui 30-yard line, only to stagnate or turn the ball over.
“I think the exciting thing for me about the Maui game,” the coach said, “was that we played well, but showed that without mistakes there is room to play so much better.”
Offensively, the errors may minimize once Kaua’i players settle into position. Right now, Rejis Canales, a KIF All-Star receiver in 2000, is handling the quarterback duties.
Another reason for the sputtering was Jameson Smith’s turf toe. The injury hampered his play and will likely prevent him from playing much against the Ka Makanis.
The Skinny
– What: Preseason high school football
– Who: Hawai’i Prepatory Academy vs. Kaua’i
– When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
– Where: Vidinha Stadium
– Last year: HPA defeated Kaua’i 7-0 on the Big Island
– Last week: Kaua’i beat Maui 21-13; HPA did not play
