Pupule Pigskin Picks, Week 5 (Sept. 12-13)

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HRC Paul
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Pupule Pigskin Picks, Week 5 (Sept. 12-13)

Post by HRC Paul »

A not-so-smokin' 11-6 last week. Ugh.

Overall mark is now 50-25 (.667). It's a long way to respect, which would be .800.

Maybe I should count Waialua's win over Kalani, but that was a forfeit. Can't do it. Here's a Pupule view of this weekend's games.

Friday's games
Kapolei at Leilehua: The Hurricanes have DT Luke Spencer back. LB/DE Chad Lopati might also return, but they'd like him to keep healing up (partially torn meniscus) for another two weeks. Even with Lopati, who was having a great season until the injury, the 'Canes would be hard pressed to stifle Leilehua's hybrid offense. Pupule says: Mighty Mules prevail at home, 24-12.

Nanakuli at Waipahu: Marauders are steaming hot after losing at Mililani. The Golden Hawks are a run-first team, too. This could be a defensive battle, but Troy Matautia's versatility gives Waipahu the edge. Pupule says: Marauders 41, Golden Hawks 23.

Moanalua at Campbell: Lalo Respicio will be back at QB for the Sabers, which spells trouble for all foes. Moanalua QB Adam Francisco is a dual threat, but the Sabers are always tough at home. Pupule says: Campbell 36, Moanalua 27.

Kaimuki at Kailua: Surfriders have been close, close, close. Kaimuki is tough, but not deep. Matchup of former Kailua coach Darren Johnson against his former team provides some drama, but this comes down to execution -- and discipline -- in the final quarter. Pupule says: Kaimuki 30, Kailua 27.

Word of Life at Iolani: The Firebrands have the ground attack -- and size up front -- to score on the Raiders, but the Iolani always finds a way to rally. If P.J. Minaya could throw for 511 yards and seven TDs on WLA, what could Jarrett Arakawa do? Pupule says: Raiders rally past Firebrands, 51-41.

Roosevelt at Castle: Knights are feeling spunky after some losses to the Red East elite. Roosevelt has a playmaker in Alex Fowler, but he doesn't see the ball much. Castle's Shaydon Kehano gets plenty of touches as a WR and returner. Pupule says: Black Knights 31, Rough Riders 21.

Waialua vs Kalaheo, Kailua High School: The Mustangs aren't deep and, occasionally, they don't score a lot. They do know how to win, however. Pupule says: Kalaheo 27, Waialua 14.

Kalani at Kaiser: The Falcons have enough players (22) this week to avoid a forfeit. Go early and check out the JV game. That's where Kalani's future is; they have 40 players there. Pupule says: Cougars 35, Falcons 10.

Maui vs. Baldwin, War Memorial Stadium: Bears aren't polished yet, but they are deeper and better. Sabers are learning a new system under Coach Fong. Pupule says: Baldwin 40, Maui 14.

Hawaii Prep at Kamehameha-Hawaii: The rebuilding Warriors had the state's toughest nonconference schedule for D-II teams (Kapolei, at Baldwin, Bonita Vista). Between KS-Hawaii, HPA, Kohala (3-0) and Konawaena (4-0), Division II will be highly competitive and entertaining on the Big Island this season. Pupule says: Warriors 21, Ka Makani 15.

Keaau at Honokaa: The Cougars have awaken, but the Dragons will be ready. Pupule says: Honokaa 26, Keaau 21.

Saturday's games
Punahou vs. Saint Louis: Some folks think this will be an Arena League final score. I beg to differ. They will be well-prepared to face each other. Saint Louis had two weeks to get ready for Punahou's passing game. I expect to see Punahou use Dalton Hilliard, Kimo Makaula and Robby Toma on both sides of the ball. If Cayman Shutter doesn't make the start at QB (shoulder), Makaula probably won't see action on defense. Another adjustment would be the nation's top linebacker, Manti Te'o, lining up at fullback, as he did often last year.

All of that may not be enough to counter Saint Louis' potent passing game. Jeremy Higgins is throwing the ball deep with effectiveness -- more than I expected from the junior. That means good times for acrobatic Lucas Gonsalves and burner Billy Stutzmann. The difference could be Saint Louis' running game. If Austin Wakinekona (15 carries, 113 yards in two games) can go full tilt, the Crusaders may have the edge. Pupule says: Buffanblu 35, Crusaders 31.

Damien vs. Pac-Five: Another ticket worth buying. Wally Aina's Monarchs want to crack people at the line of scrimmage. The Wolfpack of Kip Botelho will be happy to throw the ball over you. A pick 'em game. Pupule says: Wolfpack 44, Monarchs 41.

Farrington vs. McKinley, Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium: Tigers are proud and talented, but not deep. Governors have depth, defense and a West Coast offense that keeps improving. Pupule says: Govs 26, Tigers 14.

Pearl City at Mililani: Trojans have some momentum, but the Chargers can air it out this year -- 243 passing yards and 28 points against Waianae. Sky Kaapuni is probably the most underrated receiver in the state. Pupule says: Trojans escape, 30-24.

Anuenue at Aiea: Na Koa are playing tough with a lot of new, young starters. Aiea limited Kalaheo to just one touchdown last week. Pupule says: Na Alii 22, Na Koa 16.

Lahainaluna at Kamehameha-Maui: Lunas have an MIL D-II title to defend, but it won't be easy with the long drive from West Maui to Upcountry Maui. Pupule says: Lunas 25, Warriors 13.

Konawaena at Kohala: The Cowboys have a playmaker in Thysyn Garcia and have a good chance to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season. The 'Cats know how to travel and win, though. They did it two weeks ago in a victory over Waiakea. This trip will be shorter. Pupule says: Konawaena pulls away late for a 40-21 win.

Kealakehe at Hilo: The Waveriders have a tough test against a team that lost at home to Honokaa last week. The long drive is another obstacle. Pupule says: Kealakehe 28, Hilo 25.

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Re: Pupule Pigskin Picks, Week 5 (Sept. 12-13)

Post by bigislandkurt »

Right on Bradduh PP.

eh, the BIIF bringing down your average!

A couple of disagreements..... :D

I'm actually taking HPA over Kamehameha. 13-7
Keaau comes up big on the road. They beat Honoka'a. 35-17
Hilo will not score that many points on Kealakehe. Waveriders 27-12

And for Oahu..........St. Louis over the Buffnblu. 28-24

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Re: Pupule Pigskin Picks, Week 5 (Sept. 12-13)

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bigislandkurt wrote:I'm actually taking HPA over Kamehameha. 13-7
Keaau comes up big on the road. They beat Honoka'a. 35-17
Kurt, you were all aces on HPA. They won 27-20. Pretty impressive win after a 70-mile drive.

But Honokaa (home team) edged Keaau 17-16. I still feel that a long drive on a Friday night after a long school week ... on a slow, squeaky school bus up and down gulches and coastline ... it's worth at least 6 points, sometimes 12 to 14. Keaau's drive was 55 miles.

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Re: Pupule Pigskin Picks, Week 5 (Sept. 12-13)

Post by bigislandkurt »

Keaau trying to say that the REFs made bad calls.......again. They were up 16-6 in the first half.

Kamehameha made a comeback after being down 20-0 and tied it 20-20. HPA blocked a punt and got the ball inside the KAM 5. Punched it in that that was all she wrote!

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Re: Pupule Pigskin Picks, Week 5 (Sept. 12-13)

Post by Lunas1831 »

Nice win Lunas. Great adjustments by the staff.
kamehameha-maui came out and executed a great 1st half gameplan., had Lunas
on the ropes early.

*****Is #44 for Lahainaluna; Lakey casco ?
Cause they went to #44 one too many times (a little too obvious at times), need to change-it/off-speed; at times, #45 or #24 straight up the gut, that's a missing piece to the groundgame a power fullback has yet to emerge. This offense is about leverage & STEALTH! it's designed to be sneaky, no sense to let the cat out of the bag.
Will work against Kamehameha-Maui or Saint Anthony.
Not against Konawaena, Iolani, Radford or Ewa Beach' Campbell High da best DII team in the state right now.

Lahaina should:
Throw on 1st down, that would open things up ASAP all game long.
Install an I-formation package inside of the 10, with a little play-action, no sense going 8-10 yards left to right, when the goal is directly IN front of you just 6 feet away.
With beefy offensive line, that O-look can be accomodated.

Final score LHS 28-21

Junior Varsity score:
Lahainaluna:18
Kamehameha-maui:13

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Re: Pupule Pigskin Picks, Week 5 (Sept. 12-13)

Post by bigislandkurt »

Pupule.....that Hilo score with Kealakehe is deceiving. The only bright spots for Hilo was their kicker and the amazing play of Chan Spikes. Aside from that, Hilo is not a good team at all. Coaching was really bad for Hilo, but I like to believe that Coach Kalani Siliga will eventually get things together for the once storied program. The refereeing of this game continued to bolster my opinion of we having the worst in the state. Although the score was 14-10 at halftime, it should have been like 38-0 at halftime. That's right. the refs through 8 flags on Kealakehe, none on Hilo. Two flags brought back TD's, including an 85 yard jaunt for TD from Ursua.

And uh......oooooooooh ouch! Looks like the crusaders put a thumpin' of the buffnblu.
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Re: Pupule Pigskin Picks, Week 5 (Sept. 12-13)

Post by HRC Paul »

Well, opinions on officiating are highly subjective. The crew on the Big Island gets older and older, works Pop Warner by day and high school by night ... and where is the younger generation?

Anytime I hear about bogus calls, I always want to see some video footage to verify each and every questionable call. Nothing like evidence to back it up, but I also wouldn't doubt that bad calls are made every week.

What's tricky is that the west side and east side officials on the Big Island are almost always in opposite corners in all sports. They don't train or test together, so you get different interpretations of this rule and that. Some refs won't even improve over a span of 20 or 30 years. Not a single clinic.

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