Week 7 is upon us. Here’s a look at individual numbers through the first six weeks. After all, not all stats are created equally. (Players listed in no particular order.)
QUARTERBACKS
Kahoali‘i Karratti, Konawaena
81-for-147 (.551)
1,709 yards
26 TD
3 INT
Yards per attempt: 11.62
Passer rating: 207.04
The skinny: His passer rating is second in the state, but it’s tough to gauge his performance when the BIIF has some of the smallest programs in the islands. He’s sat large portions of games as the Wildcats have routed foes. Last week, he passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns with no picks against HPA. The one true measuring stick was the season opener against ‘Iolani: 12-25-1-217, 2 TD. He did that without the benefit of having RB John Kamoku, who got hurt in the first quarter, and ‘Iolani pulled out a 43-40 win.
Larry “Tui” Tuileta, Punahou
86-for-130 (.662)
1,600 yards
18 TD
1 INT
YPA: 12.31
PR: 213.69
The skinny: 192 yards, four touchdowns, no picks in a win over Pac-Five. Tui has also done this against a slew of Top 10 competition and his completion percentage, once below .500, is phenomenal. It’s been weeks since he has been consistently harassed, and it’s a testament to the balance of the offense at every position. Is there another QB who would do as well in Tuileta’s situation?
Kawai Mook-Garcia, Saint Louis
19-for-29 (.625)
256 yards
4 TD
1 INT
YPA: 7.5
PR: 178.29
The skinny: A one-game suspension and an ankle injury have kept the senior off the field, but when he is taking snaps, he has been efficient. Getting playing time will be a challenge now that sophomore Ryder Kuhns has established himself as a solid passer, but Mook-Garcia has more experience and nimble feet. Saint Louis rotated three QBs last week against Damien.
Reece Foy, ‘Iolani
111-for-172 (.645)
1,323 yards
19 TD
2 INT
YPA: 7.69
PR: 163.27
The skinny: Foy has faced some of the toughest defenses in the state, including a few Top 10 teams. He passed for 219 yards, three touchdowns and no picks in a loss to Kamehameha, which ended on a mental error by Foy. So he’s human, after all. Even Waipahu and Pac-Five, which haven’t been ranked, have stout defensive units. Despite unrelenting pass rushes, Foy has thrown only two picks and has even rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns. His scrambling ability sets him apart; he may not be the top QB in the state so far, but he’s close, and I wouldn’t put any other QB in his situation and expect the same stellar numbers.
Viliami Livai, Kahuku
22-for-46 (.478)
400 yards
4 TD
2 INT
YPA: 8.7
PR: 140.87
The skinny: For the second week in a row, Lasi has tossed eight passes and completed four. He hasn’t had a game with more than 11 pass attempts, which means the ground attack is doing most of the work. (See Kekoa Kaluhiokalani for comparison.) The Red Raiders have not messed around with four-wide sets, rarely throw to the tight end now, and even backup Kawe Johnson hasn’t been seen very often running the option. If Big Red has an aerial scheme, it ain’t being seen, at least not to the masses. Livai has a fairly strong arm, but at this point, his stats are almost completely unreadable. In other words, he’s a handoff machine until the Red Raiders have to throw the ball. It’s hard to argue with success; the defending champs are unbeaten going into this week’s matchup with rival Farrington.
Syles Choy, Damien
69-for-128 (.480)
840 yards
7 TD
4 INT
YPA: 6.56
PR: 120.83
The skinny: After opening the season with three wins, the Monarchs have fallen in the past three, including losses to highly-ranked Punahou and Saint Louis. He has five rushing touchdowns, which rank near the top among QBs statewide.
Micah Kaneshiro, Moanalua
71-for-136 (.522)
1,091 yards
19 TD
12 INT
YPA: 8.02
PR: 148.05
The skinny: Ups and downs early in the season didn’t stop Na Menehune from extending the junior a long leash. The quest for a balanced offense has been a successful experiment. He threw a career-high five touchdown passes against McKinley, but also got picked four times in the 42-13 win. The upside is high. Kaneshiro has a multitude of receivers and backs to make use of. I’m just waiting for a few more swing passes and circle routes by big, fast guys like Ishmil Scott.
Ryder Kuhns, Saint Louis
87-for-138 (.630) (correction 9/26)
1,109 yards (correction 9/26)
11 TD
4 INT (correction 9/26)
YPA: 8.04 (correction 9/26)
PR: 151.06 (correction 9/26)
The skinny: In a pure run-and-shoot offense, anything below 60-percent accuracy normally leads to problems. For a sophomore, Kuhns is doing very well at 62 percent, and though there are still some issues with forcing the ball into windows, he’s only going to get better with more game snaps, more reps, more experience. So that puts the Crusaders in an interesting scenario: keep playing Kuhns full time, or split it up with senior Kawai Mook-Garcia?
Kaimi Paredes, Waipahu
30-for-71 (.423)
622 yards
6 TD
3 INT
YPA: 8.76
PR: 135.28
The skinny: The shifty senior rushed for a season-high 65 yards out of the double-slot option attack, but split time with Kai Mercado-Aiona. He passed just five times with three completions for 76 yards, no touchdowns, no picks in the win at Aiea two weeks ago. An option attack requires a QB with fresh legs, so the platoon system may be here to stay. Paredes is a playmaker who could easily be superb weapon as a slotback in this offense. As a QB, he has 306 rushing yards, three touchdowns.
Montana Liana, Farrington
45-for-90 (.500)
539 yards
6 TD
3 INT
YPA: 5.99
PR: 115.64
The skinny: Last week’s bye was well-timed for the Govs, who meet rival Kahuku this week. Liana is only a sophomore and he has blended into the West Coast offense effectively. Everything is predicated by the ground game, and as long as Liana’s turnover count is low, the Govs will be happy. Fumbles on wet fields in recent games have been a concern.
Cody Lui-Yuen, Radford
88-for-165 (.533)
1,511 yards
18 TD
8 INT
YPA: 9.16
PR: 156.56
The skinny: In the win over Kalani, there were times when Lui-Yuen looked young, forcing a couple of passes that got picked, and there were moments when he was sensational. He finished with 320 yards and two touchdowns on 19-for-29 passing. Major upside for this 6-3, 205-pound junior.
Alzon Kahana, Kapolei
33-for-70 (.471)
502 yards
3 TD
3 INT
YPA: 7.17
PR: 112.95
The skinny: New offensive system has meant extreme ups and downs for the Hurricanes and their young QB. Somehow, he has managed to avoid high turnovers (only three picks) and has been fairly effective when he can step into his throws (7.17 yards per attempt). I’ve seen the ‘Canes just once, against Waipahu, and Kahana had defenders on his heels quite a bit (eight sacks). If they can eke out a playoff berth, I still think Kahana is capable of making enough plays. He just needs time in the pocket. Note: He has rushed for 75 yards (4.2 per carry) in the last two games.
Isaiah Hernandez-Fonoti, Aiea
64-for-117 (.547)
776 yards
6 TD
8 INT
YPA: 6.63
PR: 113.66
The skinny: He’s big (6-0, 190) for a QB and capable of making big plays, but the system is geared to let Aiea’s defense lead the way. In other words, when his pass attempts are low, Aiea tends to win more, as it did against Leilehua when Hernandez-Fonoti was 6-for-10. When they have to play catch-up, the results are mixed. He was 12-for-24 for 130 yards, no touchdowns and three picks in last week’s loss to Waianae. He’s also splitting snaps with Shaenan Hernandez-Fonoti.
Justin Jenks, Leilehua
108-for-166 (.651)
1,005 yards
9 TD
5 INT
YPA: 6.05
PR: 127.78
The skinny: He shares snaps with Levi Castanares (see below), so no doubt the pressure to perform is undeniable. He followed up a 275-yard, three TD, zero pick performance against Kapolei with a 302-yard, three TD, three-pick showing in the overtime loss to Campbell. Jenks is only a junior, but from day one he showed good composure and poise. Until Campbell, he had thrown only two interceptions.
Denzel Kalahiki-Gasper, McKinley
59-for-123 (.480)
650 yards
4 TD
10 INT
YPA: 5.28
PR: 86.83
The skinny: The raw talent is there, but this junior (6-1, 180) will need a little more time. He didn’t throw a pick against Moanalua (13-24-101) despite a persistent pass rush. Upside is nice.
Makana Lyman, Kaiser
94-for-169 (.556)
1,362 yards
12 TD
3 INT
YPA: 8.06
PR: 129.38
The skinny: Skip one year of football, come back and throw only three picks in seven games? And 12 touchdowns, and nearly 1,400 yards? Baseball is Lyman’s primary sport, but he is clearly on the map.
Makoa Camanse-Stevens, Kamehameha
67-for-132 (.508)
907 yards
10 TD
0 INT
YPA: 6.87
PR: 133.48
The skinny: High efficiency continues for the Warriors’ senior quarterback. He had 192 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus 32 rushing yards and another score in the win over ‘Iolani. He’s not going to pass for 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, but as a game manager with a strong arm, he’s at the top. Kamehameha will run and run if you let them, but I don’t think there’s another manager type who can flip the switch and hit 10 passes in a row (as he did against ‘Iolani).
Jarin Morikawa, Mililani
137-for-246 (.557)
1,370 yards
16 TD
6 INT
YPA: 5.57
PR: 119.06
The skinny: Again, his statistics are not quite as eye-popping as last year’s, but his leadership and knowledge are major reasons why the Trojans have been so successful. In lieu of a powerful ground game, Morikawa’s short dishes are high-percentage plays. That doesn’t reflect well in YPA and passer rating numbers, but the Trojans are 5-1 with Morikawa averaging 41 pass attempts per game. His 330-yard, four-touchdown, zero-pick game last week against Kapolei was his best as a passer this fall.
Justin Tago-Su‘e, Campbell
81-for-171 (.474)
951 yards
10 TD
7 INT
YPA: 5.57
PR: 105.2
The skinny: In an odd way, Tago-Su‘e’s stats are similar to Morikawa’s. High pass-attempt numbers, low YPA average. But until last week, he had thrown only four picks, and despite three interceptions, the Sabers beat Leilehua in overtime. His 12 attempts were by far the lowest of the season, a result of RB Paul-Andrew Rhoden’s big output. Tago-Su‘e isn’t an elite passer (yet), but he’s good enough to keep any defense honest. He still shares snaps with Isaac Hurd, a good, big athlete. It would be intriguing to see Hurd on the field with Tago-Su‘e, perhaps as an H-back who can throw an occasional pass on misdirection/counter plays.
Kekoa Kaluhiokalani, Waianae
70-for-124 (.565)
832 yards
7 TD
7 INT
YPA: 6.71
PR: 120.15
The skinny: The Seariders have found their sweet spot. In the first four games, Kaluhiokalani averaged 24 pass attempts per game, and Waianae was 1-3. In the past three games, less than 10 attempts per game and the Seariders are 3-0. With the onus now on the offensive line and running game, life is easier for the 6-foot, 185-pound senior. He has thrown just one pick during this win streak.
Jordan Cristobal, Kealakehe
42-for-69 (.609)
596 yards
6 TD
3 INT
YPA: 8.64
PR: 153.43
The skinny: A 34-22 win at Keaau was a second-straight showing of power football rather than balanced offense for the Waveriders. Cristobal, who had a season-high 216 passing yards in Week 3 against El Capitan (Calif.), has thrown just 13 passes in wins over Hilo and Keaau. He has almost as many rushes (66) as pass attempts (69), and that trend is certain to continue as Kealakehe relies on a mammoth offensive line.
Kahaku Iaea, Kailua
52-for-112 (.464)
582 yards
7 TD
6 INT
YPA: 5.2
PR: 99.99
The skinny: Like several other teams (Waianae, Kealakehe, Farrington, etc.), the Surfriders have tilted the run-pass ratio in favor of the ground game with success. In his first three games, Iaea was below 50-percent accuracy while averaging more than 26 attempts per game. In the past two: 16.5 attempts with a 58-percent completion rate.
Kiko Kohler-Fonohema, Lahainaluna
The skinny: He stays on the list even though I’m now missing stats for two games (vs. Keaau, vs. Maui). In the Lunas’ modified Wing T, he runs for more yardage than he passes. It’s all about misdirection and deception, and Kohler-Fonohema has become a master. But his best position might not even be on offense. As a starting safety, he helps a Lunas defense that has not permitted a point yet.
Keha Wong, Keaau
The skinny: Another slinger I’m lacking stats on. He passed for 312 yards and four touchdowns (one pick) against Waiakea, but had just 162 (10-for-21) with no touchdowns and two picks in the loss to Kealakehe.
Fresno Masaniai, Kapaa
The skinny: A week after passing for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Kauai, he had 163 with one touchdown and two picks in a loss at Waimea. Need more stats on Masaniai.
Keelan Ewaliko, Baldwin
17-for-35 (.486)
189 yards
3 TD
0 INT
YPA: 5.4
PR: 122.22
The skinny: He’s been back for two games now, leading the Bears to lopsided wins over Kamehameha-Maui and King Kekaulike. What makes Ewaliko special (yes, special) isn’t his passing game. He understands situations and aims for consistency, moving the chains, taking what the defense gives. And when the defense gives, he’s happy to take by using his legs. He’s already got 205 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Levi Castanares, Leilehua
36-for-63 (.571)
418 yards
3 TD
2 INT
YPA: 6.63
PR: 122.24
The skinny: As a backup, Castanares has done quite well. What could he do in a full-time role? That question remains, but as long as Jenks is the lead QB, Castanares gives Leilehua reliable depth at the position. Not every team can say that.
Chazz Troutman, Nanakuli
31-for-64 (.484)
271 yards
5 TD
5 INT
YPA: 4.23
PR: 94.16
The skinny: He’s in the mold of Ewaliko and other runner-passers of the past, a dual threat who can carry his team to victory while posting ordinary passing numbers. He has yet to pass for more than 93 yards and hasn’t completed more than eight passes since the opener against Anuenue. (I’m missing Nanakuli-Kalaheo stats, if anyone has those.) But on the loose, he’s as dangerous a runner as any QB. Troutman has 447 yards and five touchdowns as a rusher, and last week’s bye is probably a refreshing rest for him and his offense.
Noah Brum, Kalani
80-for-147 (.544)
1,062 yards
8 TD
5 INT
YPA: 7.22
PR: 126.26
The skinny: Brum is one of many interesting junior slingers this fall, a good arm out there in the line of fire. He’s still learning how to pick up blitzes, and his footwork in the pocket will get better. Once he learns to buy a little more time without losing field vision, he’ll approach elite level. Like Lui-Yuen at Radford and Kaneshiro at Moanalua, Kalani has given their young passer a long leash and he has responded with only five picks in 147 attempts as a first-year starter.
Brock Teixeira, Pearl City
62-for-139 (.446)
1,215 yards
17 TD
4 INT
YPA: 8.74
PR: 152.63
The skinny: His average/below-average completion percentage and high touchdown count — and high yards-per-attempt average — bring to mind Konawaena’s launcher, Karratti. Like Karratti, Teixeira has a glut of talented receivers. Perhaps the most impressive number: zero picks in his last three games. Note: he didn’t play in the first two games against Kapolei and Radford.
Next: Adding Machine, RBs
Paul Honda, Star-Advertiser
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