Four teams will get the unique experience of “Monday Night Football” when Pearl City and Waialua, as well as Kailua and Kapolei, attempt to finish off games started on Saturday but postponed due to weather.
The game at Alex Kane Stadium, should the weather hold up, is a big one as the Hurricanes, ranked eighth in the Star-Advertiser top 10, try to avoid going 0-2 in OIA Blue play while Kailua looks for its first 3-0 start since 2003.
With top-10 ballots due Monday at noon, the result of the game won’t be counted in the next rankings that will come out Monday evening.
That’s a pretty big deal when you consider the winner should likely find themselves positioned in the top eight, if not higher.
The top six will likely remain the same for the third straight week although there could be some shuffling among them. Defending state champion Mililani looked explosive on offense despite over 20 penalties that surely left coach Rod York frustrated at times. Saint Louis made its impressive season debut with a big win over Fagaitua (Samoa) and Kamehameha took care of business posting yet another shutout in a 41-0 win over Hilo.
The one game between two ranked teams that did finish on Saturday was Farrington crushing ‘Iolani 52-6. Do the Govs rise? Maybe so.
But after those six (Mililani, Saint Louis, Punahou, Kahuku, Farrington, Kamehameha), how does the top 10 shake out? Although ‘Iolani won its first two games impressively, its showing against its first Division I opponent left a lot to be desired. The offensive line play wasn’t bad and the defense made some stops up front, but the quarterback situation (five interceptions) and breakdowns in the secondary, expected to be a position of strength, make you wonder if the Raiders should fall out of the top 10 completely.
That leaves Kapolei, Kapaa and Kailua as the next logical choices for No. 7 based on the last rankings. What we did see in the first six minutes of the Kapolei/Kailua game was the Hurricanes go three-and-out. Kailua hurt itself with a couple of penalties on its first offensive drive but completed two big passes of 22 yards. QB Noah Auld found some room to throw against the Hurricanes defense and had the Surfriders inside the Kapolei 30 when play was stopped. Kailua also attempted a fake punt inside the Kapolei 40 that was successful, so you know the Surfriders are going all it.
Is it a sign of things to come? Hopefully the weather cooperates and we find out Monday night. But with three weeks nearly in the books, one thing is for certain. The top six teams in the state seem pretty much locked in. That seventh spot? That likely goes to whoever is victorious Monday night in Kailua. The Surfriders cracked the top 10 for the first time ever last week. Will they rise some more?
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