Campbell football head coach Amosa Amosa is happy to see his boys enjoying their time practicing on the upgraded field on campus.
All of last season, the Sabers practiced at parks near the school and did not have any home games. They started slow, finished relatively strong and wound up a disappointing 2-8. Four of the losses were by nine points or less, and they beat Kaiser 27-21 in the first round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association playoffs.
The Sabers ran into a buzzsaw named Kapolei on the road in the season opener Friday and lost 38-0. That doesn’t mean Campbell won’t be competitive this season. Quarterback Kawika Ulufale drove deep into the then-sixth-ranked Hurricanes territory a handful of times, but four turnovers took the Sabers out of the game.
Things will not get much easier, if at all, and Amosa knows this better than anyhone. The next four games are all on the road — against No. 8 Farrington (at Roosevelt’s Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium), at Kaiser, at Aiea, and at No. 1 Kahuku.
And then, there are three home games to close out the regular season – against Moanalua, No. 4 Waianae and Radford.
“As for the field, I’m just happy that our boys get to be on their home field and prepare for the season on the field,” Amosa said. “It’s a new field with a much better surface and grass to practice on and good for our players. Although I wish it was turf, we appreciate our school getting work done on the new field and having something nice for our players and all of our student-athletes at Campbell. I think the boys are just happy they get to use the field, given all the other places we used when we didn’t have the field.”
The Sabers did not play poorly against Kapolei, which is now ranked No. 5 in the Honolulu Star-Advetiser poll. The score was 3-0 until late in the second quarter and just 10-0 at halftime. Ulufale completed 22 of 35 passes and had a host of receivers catch the ball, including Zayne Barr-Rauschenburg with eight receptions and Markus Ramos with six. Tasi Faumui, a strong bull of a runner, gained 41 yards on 12 carries.
Amosa thought his defense did a good job against sophomore standout Taulia Tagovailoa, the Kapolei quarterback who is being coached by one of the best offensive minds in the country at any level, June Jones.
“We had good coverage,” Amosa said. “He was just putting the ball, my gosh, in places that only the receiver could get.”
Amosa pointed to a third-quarter interception thrown by Ulufale as the point where things started going downhill. In addition, Amosa took the blame for not calling “something like a quarterback sneak” when the Sabers had the ball at the Kapolei 1 in the first half and did not punch it in.
“But as they say, hindsight is 20-20,” he added.
Kahuku, the most decorated public school of all-time doesn’t, along with the second in Waianae don’t have new fields. Did you see the conditions of their fields? Or after it rains? There’s gotta be a push for both schools to get new fields.
Never knew Campbell and Farrington had to practice at neigborhood parks last year, thats pretty ghetto Im glad they both will have nice fields next year. Kahuku has drainage problems and I heard the Kemoeatu brothers wanted to donate to get a new stadium but wanted to change the name of the field after their names but the Administration didnt like that part, just a rumor fwiw.
If Big Red wants a new field they need to start losing. A 5 year losing record plus an increase in the crime rate in the school district will guarantee Big Red the best field in the whole State. What would be even better is if they lose every game for the next 5 years. The State would build us a REC center complete with a pool and everything.
@anywaaaaays… how I’d that ghetto when their fields were a construction site? Pearl City doin the same, their field is being renovated also… that’s kind of a ignorant comment.
Also, Waipahu, the team that has the third most OIA titles don’t have a new field. Like @88 said, I guess Kahuku along with Waianae and Waipahu all need to go on a downward spiral to get new fields.
@Alpha, I meant their circumstance of having to walk to and practice at the city park was ghetto or should I say messed up, not that the teams or schools themselves are ghetto, I believe Kahuku also walks over to the district park for practice so their field can stay green and not turn into hard mud but its been like that every year for the past 20 years.
ps. you added one too many a’s in my name.
Kahuku’s chances of having improvements done to their stadium: track & field, bleachers, press box, locker rooms, concessions, and public restrooms will probably not happen for a long time. Why? “It’s in a flood zone.” (Same excuse for decades) “There are NO capital improvement funds allocated.” (In other words; no mo’ money) “The area does not have political connections.” (I no tink so) “They are way out in the country; still rural area.” (What does that have to do?) The commuity has no clout when they lobby the politicians.” (I no tink so, again) Well, get the picture. Bureaucratic excuses.
Why they need new field? They just going run em, run em, run em again, and bust up the field back to its sandy conditions after 1 season anyway!
btw, I’m only kidding…lolz