Waialua Looking For A Complete Game Against Radford

Among Waialua’s remaining games, Saturday’s home date against Radford is the most intriguing. Below is a look at the matchup.

What to watch — Radford is the pole-sitter in the OIA White Conference so far, although it’s still early in the 2012 season. The Rams need a win here to stay atop the heap. Waialua, meanwhile, is still looking for its first win after being idle last weekend. The good news is Waialua will get to play three of their five remaining games at home.

Radford’s Key to winning — Move the ball on offense. The Rams have been one of the most prolific offensive teams, averaging a whopping 39 points per game. That stretch included an impressive 21-17 road win at Crescent Valley of Oregon Aug. 31. While Radford has done much of its damage through the air with 251 passing yards per game, they are hardly one- dimensional. The Rams also are averaging 156 rush- ing yards a game. Even so, Radford’s forte is a pass- first mindset. The catalyst so far has been quarterback Cody Lui-Yuen, whose decision-making has been stellar. Only a junior, Lui- Yuen has thrown for six touchdowns with only a single interception. His playmaking receivers — Jameson Pasigan (28.5 yards per catch, three TDs), Julian Brown (two TDs) and Mason Manuma — all are averaging better than 13 yards per catch. The Rams also are solid defensively, as they are giving up just over a touchdown per game.

Waialua’s Key to winning — Against a scoring machine like Radford, Waialua’s best defense might be its own offense, as possession of the ball could go a long way toward turning the game in its favor. The more the offense is on the field, the less time Radford has to score. To date, Waialua’s defense has been on the field too much, but the good news is that its offense has been able to put up points. Quarterback -Taleon Lele has thrown for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the offense. His favorite target has been Thomas Pule, who is averaging 13.8 yards per reception to go with three touchdown catches. Fellow receivers Caelan Alejandro, Mila Lele and Xavier Repollo also are working on solid seasons.