The coin toss before Hilo and Waiakea play will hold more interest than usual.
Will Hilo receive the opening kickoff?
If so, will the Warriors let Kahale Huddleston get his hands on the ball?
If so, can Huddleston take another one back?
All eyes will be on the Vikings senior, who has 14 touchdowns in three games, including four on kickoff returns, when the crosstown rivals meet at 1:20 p.m. Saturday at Ken Yamase Memorial Stadium. Last Friday in a 41-0 victory against Honokaa at Wong Stadium, Hilo (3-0, 2-0 BIIF Division I) only received one kickoff, to open the second half, but the Dragons’ attempt at squib kick didn’t work, and Huddleston ran it back 90 yards.
“At this point, it’s not really surprising they are executing it so well,” Hilo coach Kaeo Drummondo said. “If the blocks are there, it’s just a matter of him getting through there.
“It’s good to see the execution is continuing. It’s not just a fluke.”
Averaging more than 58 points a game while allowing just six points in two BIIF games, there are at least five other teams on the island who wished they had Hilo’s “problems.”
The four-time defending Division I champion Vikings did commit four turnovers against Honokaa, three on fumbles, and those who want to nit-pick could point out that the offense slowed down a tad when not centered around Huddleston.
“It’s not surprising that opposing defenses will try to take away No. 22,” Drummondo said. “We can’t fault them for it. We just need to be able capitalize in other areas.”
Hilo’s season is playing out much as it did last year, when the Vikings would pounce on opponents and jump out to big lead at halftime. With a running second-half clock, there is little rhythm to be found – that’s one reason Huddleston only has 15 carries in two BIIF contests.
Once again, no one is going to feel sorry for Hilo, but is does make a good week of practice all the more important.
“We really look forward to practice,” Drummondo said after last Friday’s win. “Our players know that’s when we are going to improve. We are not going to improve (in a game). Out here, we’re either going to execute or we’re not, and tonight we were sloppy.
“We have to execute better in practice. We want to see crisper execution and we want to be efficient.”
The Warriors (1-3, 0-2 BIIF) don’t want to hear about anybody else’s execution issues, not after they committed seven turnovers against Hawaii Prep last Saturday in a 14-13 loss, Waiakea’s third in a row.
The Warriors’ defense has hung tough the past two games, not allowing a touchdown against Ka Makani. Waiakea churned out 157 yards on the ground against HPA, but it will likely need some semblance of a passing game to keep up with Hilo, which will make its first trip to Waiakea’s field.
Friday
Honokaa at Konawaena
7:30 p.m.
After dominating two Division I teams, Konawaena (2-2, 2-0) dipped into their own division in the middle game of a three-game homestand that concludes next week with a big game against Hilo.
Standout senior quarterback Austin Ewing threw for three touchdowns in a half of work last Saturday against Keaau in a 50-0 victory, giving him eight scoring tosses on the season, while the Wildcats’ defense came through with two touchdowns of their own.
Konawaena only had allowed one offensive touchdown in two BIIF games.
Meanwhile, the Dragons’ offense has yet to get on track. After amassing 201 yards in a Week 1 win against Waiakea, Honokaa (2-1, 1-1) managed just 144 in the loss at Hilo.
Hawaii Prep at Kamehameha
7:30 p.m.
On paper, this is the first of two tuneups for Kamehameha (4-1, 2-0) before they turn their attention to consecutive home games against Hilo and Konawaena.
However, strange things tend to happen when these two D-II rivals meet.
Riding a four-game winnings streak, look for Kamehameha to try and get its multiple weapons going early and often out of its triple option attack as it takes on a short-handed defense. Ka Makani had a roster of just 26 players at Waiakea.
Despite winning, HPA (2-1, 1-1) was held to negative rushing yards and completed only four passes.
Saturday
Kealakehe at Keaau
5:30 p.m.
Both teams are winless, but the winner likely will find itself all alone in second place in Division I.
Both offenses have struggled. Keaau (0-2, 0-2) has managed only six points this season, while Kealakehe (0-4, 0-2) has been outscored 115-50 in their four contests.
It will be interesting to see how Kealakehe responds coming off a week in which its offensive coordinator resigned after an incident that occurred in the aftermath of Kamehameha’s 15-13 at the Waveriders Stadium on Sept. 1.
Eight-man
Kohala vs. Pahoa
5 p.m. at Keaau
There were signs that this could be a rebuilding season Kohala (0-2, 0-2), and so far that’s been the case. In two games, the Cowboys have been outscored 79-12, with both losses coming at home.
The Daggers have beaten both teams to defeat the Cowboys (Molokai and Ka’u), and last week Pahoa (3-0, 1-0) unveiled a new weapon as Duane Correa accounted for all four touchdowns in a victory against Maui’s Seabury Hall. Correa complements running back Keala Harris, who has seven touchdowns on the season.
Ka’u at Lanai
11 a.m.
The Trojans venture off island for the first time in a handful of years for a nonleague game against the Pine Lads.
Stuffed at home in its opener against Pahoa, Ka’u (1-1, 1-1) was back at full strength in a 36-6 win at Kohala, shoring up the edges defensively as senior Zachary Kai and freshman Isaiah Pilanca Emmsley carried the load offensively.
In its Maui Interscholastic League opener last week, Lanai (1-0) ripped Hana 54-2.