To be sure, there is an ache in Darren Hernandez’s heart. In his soul. You lose a beloved mentor, that’s part of life. But it still hurts, not losing football games, not really. He stepped onto the field at Kapolei with his mind on his football team and its game with No. 2-ranked Mililani. But in his gut, Skippa Diaz was on his mind and on his hands. Hernandez carefully wrapped each digit of each hand with tape, a la […]
It’s warm. It’s muggy. No breeze. For the Kapolei Hurricanes, it’s no big deal. This is their home turf. They embrace the humidity and sweltering conditions. But I think the visiting Mililani Trojans and their explosive offense won’t mind one bit. By 6 p.m. (or so) kickoff, the temperature will cool a bit. Can Kapolei (0-2, 0-2 OIA) pull off an upset? Sure. The bigger question is, can the ‘Canes maneuver into the playoffs with the best seeding possible? Mililani […]
Coach Darren Hernandez chats after Kapolei’s 28-26 loss to Farrington at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium.
Video: Paul Honda. Kapolei (0-1) vs. Farrington (1-0), Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2014. Ranan Mamiya rushes for 128 yards and two TDs, and returns a kick 89 yards for another TD in Farrington’s win. Kapolei’s Alton Julius throws for three TDs.
It’s not very typical for an 0-2 team to have reason for optimism, but that’s where the Kapolei Hurricanes are. Sure, the ninth-ranked ‘Canes lost 28-26 to No. 6 Farrington on Saturday, but after two games — the other being at Kahuku — they’ve gotten plenty of big plays from their defense and offense. That includes first-year starting quarterback Alton Julius, who threw three touchdown passes without a pick against Farrington. “He’s very good, so we’re excited about how good […]
4:43 p.m. Saturdays are a beautiful thing in prep football. Why? JV kickoffs at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium are at 3 p.m. If this were Friday game, it would be the usual 6 p.m. JV kickoff with a late varsity game to follow. Daytime football. Most excellent. A lot of folks have been looking forward to this game. Kapolei will bring its hard-nosed, run-first attack. The Kahuku smashmouth flavor is courtesy of new offensive coordinator Darren Johnson, who featured the I-formation […]
Extended version No. 10 Kapolei visits No. 5 Kahuku at Carleton Weimer Field. Because of inclement weather last week, this is the first game of the season for both teams, and it’s also the debut of Red Raiders coach Lee Leslie.
No mistaking it, Kahuku is still a run-first team. Forty carries for 222 yards on the ground say it all, especially against a big, physical Kapolei defense in a tough 33-19 nonconference win. But it was the way the Red Raiders amassed their yardage that was different. Counters. Options, which weren’t altogether different, except that quarterback Tuli Wily-Matagi was able to stop on a dime before pitching and fire spirals for first downs Over time, the variations of Kahuku’s offense […]