KAILUA-KONA — It’s the final week of the regular season, and while none of the games have postseason implications, there is still a certain amount of intrigue as some teams wrap up their campaigns, and others look forward to postseason
KAILUA-KONA — It’s the final week of the regular season, and while none of the games have postseason implications, there is still a certain amount of intrigue as some teams wrap up their campaigns, and others look forward to postseason play.
Here are coach Sam Papalii’s thoughts on what is going on around the league and a bit on college football.
1. Now that the championship matchups are set, what do you think?
First of all, congratulations to the Waiakea Warriors for pulling off their biggest win since 2001. That was the last time the Warriors qualified for the state playoffs, under former head coach Ed Rocha. It was no easy task to keep perennial contender Kealakehe out of the title game for the first time in 15 years.
That being said, the Division I title is Hilo’s to lose. The Vikings are heavy favorites to take home their fourth title in a row, but can’t underestimate a surging and hard-running Waiakea team. However, Hilo has the mental advantage, having won convincingly 42-7 when the teams met on Sept. 30.
Division II played out as expected, with Konawaena and Kamehameha-Hawaii taking the title game spots to little surprise. Last week, the Wildcats managed to lock up home field and proved that it would be a monumental task for the Warriors to spring an upset.
2. The last week of the season has no playoff implications. What do you feel is the most effective way to balance keeping players healthy and keeping players sharp.
Teams need to adhere to the mantra of “business as usual” for this time of the year. As a season winds down we always decreased fully padded practices and had fewer full-speed physical contact periods. Top half — or “shells” as we called it (helmets, shoulder pads, shorts) — become the norm. Your team is taught in preseason that you can play full speed and still stay off the ground. It has to be a coached priority in order for it to become an ingrained habit.
Coaches whistles are important as players learn to stop on the whistle. Less full-speed physical contact, more repetitions focused on concepts, game plans and adjustments, as well as every day drill work on fundamentals like tackling and blocking.
And you never want to enter the postseason on a losing note. I expect all four playoff teams to be gunning for victories to close out the season.
3. Despite the lack of playoff implications, what is the most intriguing matchup, and why.
I think it is Kamehameha-Hawaii vs. Hilo. The Warriors are coming off a big loss to Konawaena, while the Vikings are looking to close out an unbeaten regular season.
Talk about a back-loaded schedule for Kamehameha. First Konawaena, then Hilo! But this game is important for a variety of reasons for the Warriors. Winning is important for momentum, mindset and belief moving forward to next week’s title game. And unlike Division I, DII has just one state qualifying slot available.
The question will be if the Warriors can hold up in a physical matchup against Hilo. Staying healthy is a big concern for coach Dan Lyons, but so is building that momentum. It will be a tough balancing act.
For Hilo, the matchup is something coach Kaeo Drummundo and staff probably want before heading into the BIIF championship and eventually the state tournament.
It’s also another opportunity for their young QB Kyan Miyasato to get more big game experience against a tough Kamehameha defense.
Last week, the Warriors sacked Konawaena QB Austin Ewing seven times. Hilo’s offensive brain trust must work within their system to find ways to grow the quarterback’s success ratio. I always looked forward to playing opponents that would bring out the best in our coaches and players. This type of game should be beneficial to both teams, and hopefully they stay healthy after the hard fought contest.
4. Transitioning to the college game, it has been a crazy year so far, but who’s your top team right now and why?
Roll Tide! My team is Alabama, they know all about success and are No. 1 for a reason.
They have the formula right now — playing championship defense and using a stable of running backs running behind an offensive line that has stepped it up. Not to mention freshman QB Jalen Hurts is a legitimate dual-threat weapon.
Nick Saban is the best coach in college, and he has an army of top notch assistant coaches and analysts support staff at his disposal. It will be hard for anyone to stop the rolling Tide.
5. How do you feel about Hawaii football getting some key wins and knocking off your alma mater San Jose State last week?
It’s great to see the progress made by the Rainbow Warriors. After early season double-digit losses to California, Michigan, and Arizona, the two Mountain West wins over Nevada and San Jose State are huge. My Spartans are struggling at 1-5, and head coach Ron Caragher is on the “hot seat” in this his fourth season, all losing ones so far.
A tough battle against one of my college coaching stops, UNLV, this week at Aloha stadium will be a good indicator of where Warriors really stand at this time.
Upcoming road games against Air Force and San Diego State will have the UH as underdogs. It is realistic that the Warriors could be 4-2 in Mountain West play after next four games, and possibly in contention for a bowl game. However, that must start with a win over UNLV.
