OIA looking strong entering football state tournament
November 8th, 2009 by WesGot to enjoy the Kamehameha-Punahou football game last Thursday as a fan, sitting near the 50-yard line, 20 rows up in the Orange section. Great deal for $7, and $2 for parking.
Anyway, Kamehameha looked good as usual on defense, and their passing game appears to be much improved with T.C. Campbell firmly at the helm. Ryan Ho is one of the state's most underrated running backs.
The next night, watched Kahuku-Leilehua from the press box (much higher up, farther from the action), and all I can say is: Wow.
There was some major hitting, major talent on that field, especially on defense. Kahuku's two ends, Hauoli Jamora and Kona Schwenke, were awesome, and so was Leilehua's Charlie Tua‘au.
Andrew Manley was making his usual laser throws. Kahuku's Cameron Mercado showed a powerful and accurate leg.
Around the third quarter, I turned to the guy next to me and said this:
During late 1980s/early 1990s when Saint Louis was dominating, I noticed a distinct difference in the overall level of play between the ILH and OIA. The team speed, quickness, crispness in running plays, execution, even overall talent seemed to a notch above in the ILH.
But Friday night, to me, showed that those days are officially over. The level of play in the Kahuku-Leilehua game was as good or better than any ILH game I've seen this season, including Thursday's.
When you look at the three OIA teams in the Division I state tournament — Kahuku, Leilehua and Farrington — any one of them would have had a strong chance of winning the ILH this year. You might not have been able to say that in the past.
Now, when you add some of the teams that fell short, like Castle, Mililani, Wai‘anae, Kapolei ... there's not a whole lot of dropoff at all. That shows just how talented and deep the OIA was this year.
The ILH looked to be a step ahead in nonleague action back in August, winning most of the interleague matchups. But it must be noted that with the public school calendar now starting in late July, OIA teams no longer have the benefit of two-a-days or holding weeklong camps, which some ILH teams still do.
During the regular season and playoffs, the learning curve appears steeper for the OIA and the improvement more visible. And the widespread talent in the East and West made for great competition week after week in both divisions.
The OIA coaches and players also now have more access to top-caliber offseason clinics, which must help as well.
Whatever the reasons, it's clear the gap between ILH and OIA football has disappeared.
It was like this back in the 1970s and early '80s, when Wai‘anae, Leilehua, Radford, Kaiser had programs that took a back seat to no one.
It's a good thing for the OIA, a good thing for Hawai‘i football in general ...
November 9th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Wes: I agree with you. With all the trouble the public schools are facing with furloughs and the budget crisis, wouldn't it be great if the football finals are between two OIA schools. The three top OIA schools, Farrington, Leileihua or Kahuku look much stronger than their ILH counterparts, Kamehameha, Punahou and St. Louis. Go public schools.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:42 am
great article Wes! That OIA championship game was outstanding. I don't get though why Haoli Jamora was able to change jersey numbers? I thought that was unfair and to me, unsportsmanlike. Is this a common practice in high school football?
oh and go Moanalua!
November 9th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Jamora's normal defensive number, 52, is for linemen only and would make him ineligible to play in the offensive backfield.
So on offense and special teams he has to switch to a legal backfield number if he is not used on the line.
I think it's OK as long as the officials are notified before the game.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Wes, I too was at both games. I saw everything you mentioned. EXCEPT, you are forgetting to mention the reason why teams like Kahuku and Farrington cannot win the state championship against the ILH unless they are physically dominant on both sides...NO DISCIPLINE, NO PASSING GAME. Leileihua has inferior talent this year, excet for Manley and they play with heart...like castle does. The fact that they pass the ball with a GREAT quarterback is why they almost became OIA champions last Friday, that and the fact that their defense is pretty damn good too. Please mention that Kahuku fumbles at least 5 times a game. The QB himself has a hard time taking the snap. Both Kahuku and Farrington have great defenses...I give Kahuku the edge on the D-Line, Farrington has the edge LB/DBs. Govs have the better RB. All that being said, when the run game doesn't work for either team, and it won't work if they play Kamehameha, they will have to pass the ball and we all know that spells disaster. I would also like to mention that why does Schwenke get all the hype over there...hello, Jamora is the beast. Anybody who has watched the past couple games knows that. What's more insulting is that he's not even rated as one of the top 20 recruits in the state...what a joke! He's Top 3 statewide in my book...and that's over Schwenke. What do you think?
November 9th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
baseball fan, what games are you watching? How have they been more dominant? I will give Kahuku this, that no matter what, no matter how sloppy they play, they seem to get the job done in the end. That goes unmeasured and may be enough this year. Though, if I was a betting man, I wouldn't bet on it.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Good point about the discipline and passing game, especially in Farrington's case (100-plus yards in penalties, zero passing vs. Castle).
Kahuku's passing game has shown glimpses of being a threat, but they will need more in the state tournament.
And yeah, they still need to cut down on turnovers.
November 9th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Wes... Nice article...but what you failed to mention about those great St Louis teams (and let's be honest...other than St Louis, the rest of the ILH was average...at BEST)...is that the best players on those St Louis teams of the 80's and 90's were the top players recruited from public schools...I can remember a stretch where almost every year the POY was a kid from Hau'ula. On top of that, St Louis/ILH teams ROUTINELY held those 'recruits' back a year so that they all had an additional year of maturity vs. the OIA teams.
So yeah...St Louis was great...but how great would they have been without 19-year old recruits that were inarguably their best players?? We'll never know...but now those players are staying home in the OIA and we can see how 'great' these ILH teams really are... Where would Punahou have been last year without Manti Te'o and the other LB from Laie? Where they are this year (see: non-competitive).
Tedium...you're comparing apples to oranges. Kamehameha has not faced ONE offensive line the calibre of either Kahuku or Farrington...not even close. Kam's defensive front has been great...vs inferior O-LINE's and inferior RB's. To be honest, I don't see Kam getting past Leilehua, whose defense is one of the tops in the state and they have the BEST QB bar none. I'm predicting an all-OIA final...and hopefully Kahuku is in it...but playing Farrington again will be a war...even on three week's rest.
RRFL!
November 10th, 2009 at 8:32 am
tedium,
I'd say a little more discipline than passing! If I'm not mistaken Kahuku has the most state titles??? All run orriented! Since an actual tourney has been made, so I find it hard pressed to say they need a passing game. We all know Kahuku is mythical when it comes to football! They just find a way! The principal of football has been run the ball and stop the run since it's existence! Passing the ball was always 2nd. Passing became incorporated in the game of football to give weaker teams a chance to win for example when they came out with the west coast offense! Then passing became more of a finesse type of football, which u now had to make defenses more complex as to strong teams started incorporating the passing game more! That's why defense wins championships and offense puts points on the board! Back in the early 80s and late 90s for example St. Louis had brute strength(thanks to alot of Kahuku kids as well as others from different areas) to dominate opponents but they also injected a lethal finesse passing game to go with a team that could also run it the whole game if they wanted too! The principle to winning is Discipline, Run, Stop Da Run, and Defense!
November 10th, 2009 at 10:02 am
regardless of what's being said a win is a win and a loss is a loss.
right? cant we all just be happy for ALL THESE kids and just support
them ALL. in the end the team the fights to the finish will get the win.
good luck to all the football teams!
November 10th, 2009 at 10:05 am
oh btw,i think schwenke gets more hype because he's gone to more
camps then jamora has.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:46 am
One thing i dont like is the fact that the ILH only has one participant in the STATE TOURNAMENT. There have been years when the #2 team in ILH was better than a couple of teams from the OIA that made the Tournament.
JAMORA WEARING DIFFERENT NUMBERS IS NOT UNSPORTSMANLIKE, THE LEILEIHUA COACH ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FEILD JUMPING UP AND DOWN LIKE HE JUST WON THE LOTTO AFTER EVERY PLAY IS. A GROWN @$$ MAN ACTING LIKE A COMPLETE IDIOT ON A STATE TELEVISED GAME......
November 10th, 2009 at 10:56 am
WES, KAHUKU runs the ball. We played 11 time's this year and 11 time's we won with the majority of our game's running the ball. The whole STATE know's we are running and still we win. So either KAHUKU is DOMINANT or HAWAII FOOTBALL JUST SUCKS. Teams stack the box with 8 sometime's 9 and still we run. 3 yards here 4 yards there and next thing you know its 3rd and short. The run works cause our kids are PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY STRONG and after 3 qtr's of getting the ball smashed down your throat majority of the teams quit.... It may be ugly but it works and we have the STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS TO PROVE IT.....
November 10th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
That was mos def a great game on Friday but also frustrating. Its frustrating because the Kahuku squads are stacked with talent but can't seem to get it right on the field. If they just put everything together it would be ridiculous! I don't know what it is about this side of the island but they be puttin out some ballers! I don't know why all you purist kissin the ILH a$$. They got nothing on the public schools, you know why? They got no heart!haha. They playing for nothing. They just playing to win. And win for a school that means nothing to their community.lol. Thats just my two cents anyway. Thats why Kahuku is so dangerous. They play for something bigger then them(even tho they're so talented)...that tradition and drive make them that more dangerous. Have a good week Hawaii! See you all in 3 weeks at the stadium.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Al,
Good point about Saint Louis, but I wouldn't say "the rest of the ILH was average at best." Saint Louis did not go undefeated every year, so many years another ILH team beat them.
Also, back when they used to have a "runner-up" game right before the Prep Bowl, the ILH usually would win (Damien beat Kailua in 1991; ‘Iolani beat Kahuku in '93).
Ack-rite, stopDRail,
If you ask Siuaki Livai, who was an assistant in several Prep Bowls vs. Saint Louis before beating them three times as a head coach, Kahuku needed to develop some form of passing threat in order to get over that hump.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
For all,
Kamehameha went to Waianae and beat them without the ILH Offensive POY Ryan Ho. So who didn't they play this year? FYI...if that brawl that happen a few weeks didn't happen, Castle doesn't squeek by Waianae, and things are looking a whole lot different right now in the OIA
November 10th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Wes, lets just agree to disagree..... Now is there anything that we can do to get 2 ILH Teams into the State Tourney?
November 10th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I think this year, it's probably appropriate for the ILH to have only one DI state berth. All three OIA teams are legit state title contenders and deserve to be there, and the Big Island and Maui deserve to be represented as well.
The formula worked out well this year.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Why is that everytime we talk about past football glory people have to tear down other programs. Let the records stand. St. Louis dominated, plain and simple. Please don't tell me that only St. Louis was "recruiting" at that time. All schools in ILH and OIA schools in one way or another recruit that's just a fact.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Football numbers are up!! More players are playing football than any other decade. I think public HS expansion and private school numbers hurt the talent pool in the 90's and early 2000's. I think parents are letting their kids play instead of holding them back and allowing them to only play the non contact sports.
November 10th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I don't know how the brackets are laying out, but I just hope Leilehua gets to beat Kam. Their's is one of the great ILH-OIA rivalries, and Kam seems to come out on top quite a bit. There was a State championship basketball game in the 80s where Kam blew out the favored Mules with a bunch of converted linemen, LOL. In any case, it cannot be stressed enough that Manley is a once-a-generation player. Heck, I was one year behind Manley's father at LHS, he was NOT even close to being his son's size. Andrew Manley as a sophomore was bigger than Colt Brennan is right now.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
couple points Wes - Farrington should have beaten Punahou last year. They had Punahou reeling and was dominating. Back when St. Louis was dominating, recruiting was big. Tyson Alualu went to Dole and should have gone to Farrington but chose to play for St. Louis. My first chair trumpeter at Nanakuli went to St. Louis to play football. The biggest difference I see now is that more athletes are staying at their home school and less going to private schools. Some GE to other public schools with good FB programs. I was with the Farrington Band at the leilehua game. I was not impressed with Manley as much as I was with the Leilehua defense. They shut down Farrington big time. Kahuku is not overpowering this year but they know how to win. Iolani has no business in Div II. I also think that the format for the State tournament should be changed by allowing ILH 2 slots, not by size of league but by power rating. I think OIA 3 is stretching in the past but this year and last year, OIA 3, 2, and 1 are all close.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Yes, Farrington was a legit state title contender last year, talent-wise pretty much on par with any ILH team.
And yes, obviously the talent pool at Saint Louis is not what it was 10 or 15 years ago, and now that talent is spread out among more public schools.
But overall, I think that's a good thing for Hawai‘i football in general.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Let's face it, the ILH plays finesse type football. Coaching makes a difference when playing in the ILH. As for the OIA, talent and depth is the main component. If you have teams like Castle who I believe have great coaching, they lack the talent and depth to play an entire season. Strength in numbers, and talent. That's the key to success. Punahou had both last year, Coaching and depth... It'll be a matter of attrition this year....who will it be? GBR
November 12th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Whats up wes, i think youre wrong about the oia being stronger then the ILH. Kamehameha is going to go all the way. Their defensive front is too tuff for any oia school this year. Plus they are peaking at the right time. their offense is finally coming around. and Finally Tc Campbell the quarterback, is hitting his receivers now. especially my nephew Blaise Cuban. nobody can stop him one on one. He caught three touchdowns against punahou. and the rest of the key positions is awesome. aloha clif
November 12th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
To appagom: Farrington was playing a nice game, but to call it dominating is a very untrue statement. If they were dominating the game, they would have been leading by more than 7 or 14 points. They had momentum, but they were not dominating. Let's tell it like it is. They were playing well.
Yet, at the end of the game, Farrington didn't make enough plays to win the game, and the appropriate team won, Punahou. They made the important plays and won the game, and eventually the state title.
I don't believe in should have won. Every team can say they "should have won" or whatnot. But it's the team that makes the most plays, the important plays, or the consistent plays who wins the game.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I believe that the mistakes and the penalties will be cut down in the title game and it will be a battle of attrition, smart defense and power. Trickery? uh uh. A team can have good stats during the season but that will all be thrown out. It will come down to Mental preparedness, and heart. It won't be a hail Mary pass or onside kick or fake punt. It's going to be better than the OIA title game. People must fill the seats and support the high school . I won't predict anyone but if all goes well their destiny is now.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:51 am
To the guy that thinks ILH teams play for nothing:
Get outta here.. I dont even want to start
The way i see it kam is gonna waltz right thru states and take the title..
Manley is a little overrated in my opinion but he has shown flashes of greatness.. He just dont got the supporting cast he did before. leilehua is done
Kahuku will NOT be able to run against kams d line.. Their d line is very talented as a whole and play very sound football.. Kahuku dont got the usual Man-ly beast o linemen they always have. Kams d line is relentless and creates lots of pressure.. They gave higgins (last years and one of this years most effiecient QBs) his two worse games of his high school career. And they got 3 year starter chaz bajet out at corner.
I havent evenmentioned ryan ho. Hes like a hawaiian version of maurice jones drew.. That fast bowling ball back with power and breakaway speed.
And the kid cuban (slotback) is uncoverable.. Hes just too quick for anyone to contain alone.. I hope the oia coaches devise a way to bracket him or he'll make plays.
Kam is gonna take it EASILY
November 15th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Football geek:
So, Kam is gonna take States, EASILY huh? We'll see.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Football geek if Kam is so dominant and their D-Line so relentless and Chaz Bajet so tough and Ryan Ho as good as MJD and Cuban uncoverable, how did they manage to lose to Iolani?
November 18th, 2009 at 12:15 am
i have to say, you are reaching saying that the OIA has closed the gap on the ILH. as you so clearly pointed out results of the preseason games, and if anyone even tries to say that preseason games dont count then you really dont know hawaii football, because every coach and player will tell you those games count.
for those of you pointing out the dominance of st.louis in the ilh, trying to explain the dominance in the past. have you noticed the top teams for the OIA, always, kahuku, leilehua, or farrington, wainae,that never changes either.
wes you using the excuse of how ilh teams have the luxury of a longer camp is relevant because it is benefitial but the reality is the ilh teams still are better because of it, no excuses "oh they had two a days" or "camps" the reality is they are better and thats what it comes down to.but it is unfair to use that as a side excuse.
in terms of team speed, kamehameha has the best team speed in the tourney, idk how you can compare the speed from the OIA.
im not sayin that the OIA doesnt have talented players, because there are, but as TEAM, the ILH has so much more depth, and it takes a team to win the state championship.
in terms of the state tourney, defense wins championships, so kahuku and kamehameha will be there in the final, and i give the edge to kamehameha because they have been on fire after that lost to iolani, even though kahuku won OIA they had to sneak bye, and im sure torres will admit thats not a good way to win.
and i dont agree that farrington could keep up in the ILH, kahuku this year , but not leilehua (the excuse about leilehua beatin punahou is weak, because we can all say that this was not the strongest punahou team in a while, defending state champs or not, everyone knows they are the team they had last year)
November 18th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Just for clarification, Kahuku and Mililani beat Punahou this year, not Leilehua.
Leilehua lost to Saint Louis, but I was at that game in August and can tell you the Mules have improved leaps and bounds since then and if the the two teams played now, I'm sure it would be a different game.
The two-a-days/camps are a clear advantage, because of the extra reps and instructional time ILH players receive. It's not a "side excuse;" it's a fact that more reps and instruction help at that point in the season.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:54 am
yes that is true and thats what im trying to say, the reality is there is nothin anyone can do about it so to discredit the ILH teams and account their domination (not really) or ability to win, to two a day camps (four a days at Kamehameha) is unfair to them.
and like i said punahou is not the same team that they were, not even close, and i did say that kahuku could keep up in the ilh, if anything i always believe that is the one team that can, but in the case of leilehua and farrington, they have great individual players, but the overall team talent in the ILH is just that much higher.
maybe leielhua looked different against st. louis because they were playing a decent team, not tearing up the weaker OIA conference (besides the kahuku, and farrington)
November 21st, 2009 at 3:10 am
Leilehua vs kam next weekend
Kamehameha is ready to burst from their long rest
They will be fresh and stant should have his offense on the same page.
Ryan Ho will break a big play or two and that nasty kamehameha d will take care of the rest
The ILH equivalent to leilehua is saint louis (who beat leilehua) and kamehamea won both games easily..
I saw Kams loss to iolani and it just seemed that it wasnt Kams night..with costly penalties (including a key roughing the punter call that eventually gave iolani the go ahead score i believe) and were getting every bad break.. And iolanis passing game is quick reads and quick passes to their quick wide recievers thus negating kams pass rush..
If leilehua can get the ball off quick like that i think they might have a chance but i dont think any team has as many quick recievers as iolani so i dont think it'll happen
Since then they've been clickining and its to be seen wether all that time off turns out to be positive or negative. My bet is on it being positive.
November 21st, 2009 at 7:57 am
Mules vs. Bears last night:
Baldwin did not belong in that game. Facts are facts, sorry. State tournament needs to be reconstructed. Let the neighbor islands play in their own tournament and let them crown their own neighbor island champion. Let the OIA and ILH battle it out for some sort of Honolulu championship or call it whatever you want.
If a neighbor island school plays one of the top teams from the OIA or ILH 10 times, they will lose 9 of them. St. Louis, Waianae, Iolani, Punahou, Mililani, even Kapolei and Campbell must be at home screaming, "Should have been us out there."
November 21st, 2009 at 7:59 pm
2 ILH teams in a State Tournament, well thats an obvious unfairness specially the fact that there are only 3 teams in the DI and all of them could lose to a DII ILH team (Iolani). In the OIA, you could win the your division which is more than twice the size of ILH, but it doesn't mean you're in the state. ILH plays more DII teams than the OIA DI schools and have double games with every school in the ILH. Average OIA DI school plays 1 ILH, 1 DII, 1 outer division and the rest are from its division. If you think that ILH should have 2 teams in the state, well OIA should have an automatic clinch to the state after winning the division and 2 more teams from each division. No need playoff OIA schools can get down and dirty anytime...
November 21st, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I don't disagree with your overall point but just for clarification, ILH teams play other league teams within their division twice, outside their division only once.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Howz it Wes,
So much excitement with hs football now days. My first question is, isn't two a days banned from high school football? Due to athletes dying from heat stroke? Maybe not?
IMUA KAMEHAMEHA! GO BIG RED! GO MIGHTY MULES! GO GOVS! Yeah Right! Let's just wait too see the out come of the state tournament and how it plays out. Anybody's game right now! who ever shows up to play and makes the least mistakes will prevail. We can talk smack all we want, but the reality is that we will feel like sh#$? and twice as bad if we start predicting who's going to win the title and it does not turn out to be what you predicted.
Kam is beatable, and has showed signs of weakness, Iolani proved it. The only team that is elite right now and has bragging rights, that shows up to play every game is, Kahuku because they are still undefeated regardless of how much they win by, they still find a way to win and that's the facts whether we like it of not. Remember the game is not over until its over and Kahuku has proven that so far.
People, when we talk about teams that we think don't have enough talent to compete with other teams, and yet compare the ILH to the OIA, we forget to see the whole picture. To me, it works both ways, coaches who educate them selves enough along with there staff that acquires enough knowledge to train and prepare there team for competition, will have a high percentage to succeed, regardless of what talent they have. You see I believe that every kid has the opportunity to develop and progress into better athletes, with the proper training, mentor, and learning. We can say that this kid, or that kid is not as talented as the other, but place him in the right position at the right time, and I'll guarantee you that you will see positive results. You can master mind and strategies how to place individuals over a talented team and succeed. It works if you are experienced with your field.
Let the kids play! Let the coaches coach! and let the officials do there job! This will make you a true and positive supporter with Hawaii High School Sports, Aloha.
November 24th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
BTW, my son plays for Farrington, and I wish the best of luck to both teams. I will be supporting the GOVS, and look forward to an exciting game this Friday. GO GOVS!
November 28th, 2009 at 3:44 am
Kahuku vs Kamehameha Yeah what a great game it'll be but i don't think it'll top the battle between Farrington and Kahuku. Coaching will be even. Mistakes and turnovers? Line goes to Big Red QB to Kamehameha, Opportunity...Kahuku Kicking game Kahuku Dedication to Kahuku for the game that this will be played for (Maiava, Carvalho) and if there's a way ...Raider nation believe.
November 28th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
ok so what were you saying about leilehua being able to contend in the ILH? 40-0 is a pretty clear DOMINANT performance, on all angles, physically and mentally dominated, the Leilehua offense had not seen a complicated pass defense like the Kamehameha defense gave them, thats why there were those mis communications, leilehua just could not read the defense. physically both kamehameha's oline and dline destroyed the opposition, and the skill players ran circles around the opposition.
as any sports person and im sure you wes would agree, the end result says it all 40-0 is a shut out of possibly the best offnese that the OIA could offer. So i hope this knocked all you people that were high on the "dominance" of leilehua off your high horses a little.
next week will be a battle. two of the best defenses in the state going at it. it will be fun to watch. but i thinkin for any team to run into kamehameha right now would be unfair, they are clearly a finely tuned machine.
November 29th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Yes, Kamehameha looked awesome and all the props to them.
But it wouldn't be fair to judge Leilehua based only on this one game. Remember, Kamehameha lost to ‘Iolani, which lost to Castle, which lost to Roosevelt.
In high school football, anything can happen on any given day ...
November 30th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Whats up Wes, You are still in big time denial. Hey, i played football for Campbell in the late 70's and early 80's.So i know how it feels to be a oia supporter. But ever since my nephew Blaise Cuban played for Kamehameha i supported him and the team, not necessary the ILH.So take off your blinders!! and support the better team. Kamehameha will row this weekend, and take home the crown. Aloha Clif