KAILUA-KONA — The state semifinals have come to the Big Island as Konawaena hosts MIL champion Lahainaluna at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Here are coach Sam Papalii’s thoughts on the Division II semifinal matchup, including important keys to the game:
How should Konawaena feel heading into the matchup?
There’s no reason they should not feel confident. In my opinion they should have been the top seed in the Division II tournament. I would have had the Wildcats at No. 1, followed by ILH champ Damien as the No. 2 seed, while KIF champ Kapaa and Lahainaluna would follow as the third and fourth seeds, respectively.
As we have witnessed with Hilo’s loss to unseeded Leilehua last week, anything can happen in the playoffs, although playing at home is a big advantage for Konawaena, where they have been wildly successful of late.
Lahainaluna comes to town with a lot of confidence and momentum having dominated OIA DII opponent Waipahu 52-14 on Maui. The team also has a little bit of history on their side, having beat the Wildcats in the DII playoffs in 2011.
What’s the key to stopping Lahainaluna’s running attack?
I’ll call it the “Big Five” musts for all 11 players on defense: They must know and understand the call, recognize formations as well as motions and shifts, get aligned properly, read specific keys, and execute their responsibilities
All competent defenses I’ve been around always have a pattern of specific assignments to defeat the run. Basic elements of stopping the run involve working on inside-to-outside pursuit patterns, having hard secondary run support and building a fence to contain runs.
Against Lahainaluna, the Wildcats must be prepared to stop the triple option, which means extra attention to detail with responsibilities. Who takes the first option (dive), second option (QB) and the third option (pitch player). The Lunas also run the zone read very effectively.
Recently, the Lunas have run to the perimeter using a full house backfield and pulling the guard to block. To prevent this, among other things, Konawaena’s defensive ends must not get hooked, and set the edge. The force-contain defender — a safety, corner, or outside linebacker — must turn the sweep back to the pursuing teammates.
How important will getting off to a fast start be for Konawaena. If Lunas are chasing, does it put the Wildcats in the driver’s seat?
Head coach and offensive coordinator Brad Uemoto would like nothing better than to have his offense and team jump out to a quick start. But despite its explosive offensive weapons, Konawaena’s fast starts have been few and far between. With some extra time off, maybe the DII state semifinals will be the time where the Wildcats come out of the gate quick.
I don’t think Lahainaluna has seen a passing offense the caliber of the Wildcats this year. If QB Austin Ewing and company can come out of the gate hitting on all cylinders, the Wildcats will be hard to deny.
Lahainaluna is predominantly a run team and they would prefer to ground and pound. If they were to fall behind early, they are not built to play catch up against a high scoring opponent.
That being said, the Lunas did post 52 points against Waipahu and the multi-faceted attack could create problems for an undersized Wildcat defense. When the Lunas decide to throw the ball, they employ the shotgun spread, trips, and empty formations. And with the efficient running game, the team is also capable of capitalizing on play action flood routes.
Where do you feel Konawaena will find the most success on offense?
Just like they have all year, expect the Wildcats to continue thrive on offense with a dynamic passing attack led by Ewing and a talented group of receivers, headlined senior by Kamakana Ching. Timely big runs from Micah Laban are also a staple of coach Uemoto’s offense.
Historically, how big of a moment would it be for Big Island football if Konawaena gets the victory on Saturday.
It would be an unprecedented moment in BIIF history! No BIIF football team has played in a state championship game, let alone won a title. So yes, this is huge for the BIIF, for Konawaena, and the Big Island community as a whole.
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Sam Papalii is a long-time Hawaii high school coach. He also has multiple stops as an assistant at big name college programs around the nation on his resume and is a Saint Louis (Oahu) grad.
