Waimea, King Kekaulike to wing it with old-school offenses

Nov. 25—When Kyle Linoz was a quarterback at Waimea back in the day, there were no state tournaments in football.

When Kyle Linoz was a quarterback at Waimea back in the day, there were no state tournaments in football.

The Oahu Prep Bowl was king. The KIF, MIL and BIIF had their own Neighbor Island Football Classic. One year, there was a MacFarms Bowl pitting Damien at Konawaena.

Waimea had a historic run with a coaching tree of legends starting with Tommy Rita. The wing-T offense never faded, even in times of struggle in a tough KIF. When the league was approved to have a D-I exemption, that allowed Kapaa to venture into a higher classification after winning the D-II state crown a year ago. The team that beat Kapaa once and lost in two other very close games this season was Waimea.

The wing-T is boss when Waimea (8-2 ) and King Kekaulike (5-6 ) clash for the D-II state title on Saturday afternoon at Mililani's John Kauinana Stadium. The west side community on Kauai is stirred up. So is the Upcountry Maui community.

"The response has been unbelievable. The community has always been great throughout the years, but I think our team's performance this year, it just rejuvenated our entire community, " said Linoz, who is a district overseer for the County of Kauai. "Our young men are so blessed to have their families and community come together at this time with their undying support."

King Kekaulike won a D-II state title in 2006 under then-coach J.W. Kenton. Most of the current players were just getting out of diapers.

"This has been long overdue for our community. They are very supportive and excited for what we have accomplished this year, " said Na Alii coach Tyson Valle, who played for the school when it first opened. "I hope these players have learned how to overcome adversity. The ups and downs this season have been a roller-coaster ride for everyone, but if we can just have a plan, work hard and do what we say we're going to do, maybe, just maybe we can have the positive outcome that we want on the field."

When the teams met in Pukalani for a nonconference game on Aug. 13, Waimea emerged with a 21-10 win.

"King Kekaulike actually reminds us a lot of ourselves, " Linoz said. "Their commitment to the run is awesome. They are really good at what they do. They are a well-coached team and super tough."

MENEHUNES OFFENSE The Honokaa defense knew what was coming. Couldn't stop that wing-T. Waimea's offense has yet to be certified as an endangered species. For this squad, maintaining an ages-old offense is a source of pride. Kaili Arakaki, who starts at cornerback, got major workload on offense and rushed for 102 yards against Honokaa. Aukai Emayo had 67, and when Emayo left the game with an injury, his teammates stepped in and did the job.

"(RB ) Aukai Emayo went down with a hip pointer. Kaili Arakaki stepped up along with Robbie Correa. They carried the load for us tonight, " Waimea coach Kyle Linoz said.

Waimea attempted two passes in the entire game, the same as it did in an opening-round win over Kaiser two weeks ago. Forty-four carries, two pass attempts. Timing, precision, explosion, 4 yards and a cloud of rubber granules. What helps is an offensive line that averages 251 pounds per man. The extra boost comes from tight ends Ethan Moniz (267 ) and Daniel Kaohelaulii-Kala (230 ), a total mismatch for small defensive backs.

"They clear the way, " Linoz said. "They are basically extra tackles for our jumbo package, our 3.5-yards-per-play offense."

Waimea's nonconference win at King Kekaulike three months ago was just an appetizer.

"King Kekaulike is a really good team, " Linoz said. "We both like to run the ball and we like to play defense. That's a stout team, Nanakuli, they just beat."

Coaches have deployed unbalanced lines and used linemen as fullbacks in power formations. Kahuku's double-tight end, full-back heavy sledgehammer /elephant offense brought home a state title in 2015.

This offense is about power and misdirection, deception and a wrecking-ball mentality. In two state-tournament games, Waimea has outscored foes 65-7.

MENEHUNES DEFENSE Waimea's defense limited Honokaa to 129 yards of total offense in the shutout win. Rhaziah Tacub-Taniguchi had a team-high seven tackles, while Brennen Fernandez, Zephan Niheu-Kamaka, Haweo Akeo and Josiah Banasihan were credited with four tackles each. Honokaa passers were a combined 8-for-21 with three interceptions for 57 yards. Waimea amassed five sacks.

Going against Honokaa's spread option required discipline. Going up against another wing-T offense—this may be a first in Hawaii in at least a decade, if not several. King Kekaulike was a bit less extreme than Waimea, throwing the ball a whopping four times in its win over Nanakuli.

Two teams running fairly similar offenses, with their defensive units seeing the nuances daily, leaves the door open for some new wrinkles. WR Kamakalei Stone had one of Waimea's two completions last week, a 34-yard gain. What they haven't done and shown yet leaves a lot to the imagination.

MENEHUNES SPECIAL TEAMS Haweo Akeo's 38-yard field goal gave Waimea a 10-0 lead in the third quarter last week, virtually sealing victory. The senior starts at safety, but also had a big reception during the game's only scoring drive in Waimea's 6-0 win over Kauai to seal a state-tournament berth.

Zyden Vea might be the only QB in the state championships who doubles as a long snapper. An athlete like Ka 'ili Arakaki as a holder is always a good place to be for an opportunistic coach.

Robbie Correa and Rhaz Taniguchi-Tacub have each blocked a punt.

NA ALII OFFENSE Like Waimea's, King Kekaulike's wing-T attack had the benefit of facing Division I-level defenses all season long. The good news is that Na Alii scored at least 24 points in every game against D-II opponents before beating Nanakuli 20-0.

Ahe Sumibcay came through big with a 71-yard TD run to set the tone against the OIA champions. Kalani Puu, the fullback, finished with 62 yards on nine carries, while Kaleopono Wong and Tysin Zackious set the table against a tough defensive unit. Wong (847 yards, 12 TDs ) and Zackious (831, seven ) could be in for more attention from Waimea.

Facing a Waimea defense that sees the wing-T daily is a unique challenge. Unlike Waimea, which uses a double-tight end look, King Kekaulike lines up with a wide receiver (Tobias Vazquez ), who has yet to complain that he is a meat-eater in a vegetarian restaurant. Na Alii threw the ball four times in the Nanakuli game. Kamakalei Stone and Kaleo Gallen got the catches, which may indicate Vazquez is the best blocking receiver on the team.

NA ALII DEFENSE To go all in with the wing-T offense in the final stage of the 2021 season, and again in the offseason, Na Alii had to go all in with defense. They limited a potent Nanakuli offense to 65 passing yards, and the Golden Hawks finished with 51 net rushing yards (1.9 per carry ). Jacob Poouahi led King Kekaulike with 9.5 tackles and Noah Chun finished with 6.5.

With Kaleo Gallen (4.5 tackles ) and Kingston Kapu (four ), plus a stunning four fumble recoveries—two by sophomore defensive lineman Keyz Amuro—King Kekaulike's heart and soul is defense.

The team grew closer following the death of longtime assistant coach Clarence Rivers.

"He was with the program since the school opened. He coached many different positions, was an offensive coordinator, interim head coach. He coached in Japan, Guam, the mainland. He found his home at King Kekaulike, " head coach Tyson Valle said. "He was my coach when I played. He coached up to his last day a couple of weeks ago before our Maui High game. We saw at practice. He helps us, mentors us coaches, walked away. He was battling cancer, but he never told anybody, not the extent of it. He loved the kids, always cracking jokes with them, always coaching. He was an amazing man."

The perseverance of Valle, Rivers and the coaching staff was crucial in rebuilding the program.

"When we started five years ago, we had 27 kids, no JV, no Big Boys (team ). We were just hoping we didn't forfeit any games, " Valle said. "We finished the season with 27. The program had no concept of weight room. We had to get behind the kids. We were their biggest fans all season. How do you tell a kid when you're losing 45-0, let's keep going. We're looking for anything positive every day, every week, to keep their spirits up."

NA ALII SPECIAL TEAMS Na Alii missed their first PAT attempt and didn't try another last week. Kaleo Gallen is 8-for-11 on PATs with one field goal since taking over the role early in the season.