Football Double Feature At Kaiser This Weekend
As prep football reaches mid-season this weekend, every game is critical in shaping the playoff picture. A preview of East Oahu games is below.
Waipahu at Kaiser, 8 p.m. Friday
After a riveting rout of Aiea in week one, the Cougars were brought back down to planet earth by a loss to Waianae. After last weekend’s bye week comes Friday’s Waipahu matchup. The Kaiser run game is rock solid, averaging 225 yards per game and led by back Jensen McDaniel (6.7 yards per carry, five rushing touchdowns). Dual-threat quarterback Kalawaia Judd has balanced out the attack to date.
The Marauders were 0-2 at press time, having played the state’s toughest schedule so far against Farrington and Kahuku. This is the third straight home game for the Cougars, whose last home game is Sept. 19 versus Kahuku.
Kalani at Roosevelt, 8 p.m. Friday
A Falcon win would help set the tone the rest of the way. The team plays Radford High School Sept. 12 in a key game before taking on Kaimuki Sept. 20.
Passing has been among Kalani’s strengths to date, averaging 183 yards per game behind first-year quarterback Tyler Ching and Blaise Manabe. The pair has hooked up for three touchdowns already.
Roosevelt had a tough schedule, playing Pearl City and Radford back-to-back. Its 28-20 loss to the Rams was cause for optimism, as Roosevelt led going into the fourth quarter before conceding a pair of late scores.
Kalani won last year’s meeting between the teams 63-20, en route to earning an OIA White playoff berth.
Anuenue at Pearl City, 6 p.m. Friday
Although Na Koa was forced to forfeit their game with Radford Aug. 15 because of low numbers, they rallied nicely with a revamped roster in a loss to Kaimuki. Known more for their passing, the bright spot for Anuenue in its opener was the run game, which averaged 5.6 yards per attempt against a physical Bulldog front. Na Koa will need to do more of the same to have a chance in this one, to keep the quick-scoring Pearl City offense off of the field. Veteran quarterback Jordan Taamu is the catalyst for the Chargers (2-0), with four touchdown passes in two games. This is Pearl City’s last game prior to its OIA White showdown with Radford in two weeks.
Kaimuki versus Rad-ford, 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Kaiser
The Bulldogs are in a challenging stretch, beginning with last weekend’s game against defending OIA DII runner-up Pearl City. The Bulldogs travel to Nanakuli Sept. 13 for a critical road game. They looked impressive opening day in a win over Anuenue, rolling up 352 total yards of offense, including 280 on the ground. Running back Sean Noda has done a lot of the damage to date, averaging 10.7 yards per carry through two weeks of action.
Radford displayed its offensive balance in a week-one win over Roosevelt, producing 114 yards through the air and 108 on the ground. How well the Radford front seven can handle Kaimuki’s run game is vital. Radford yielded just 36 rushing yards in week one.
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