Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

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Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by HS Football Fanatic »

Aloha all,

I just thought I'd create a thread for those who would like to see Kahuku win the '16 Open Div state title. Having done so, I'd like to say three things up-front:
1. I'm not a Kahuku alumnus, therefore...
2. This is essentially a "marriage of convenience."
3. Seeing as I'm not a Kahuku alumnus, I can't guarantee that I won't "switch horses" as the season (and postseason) progresses. As someone who is not a Kahuku alumnus, I have no moral obligation to be loyal to Kahuku. But, at the moment, I don't anticipate having to switch horses. I do suspect that Kahuku will make it to the title game, but of course, you never know. If Kahuku doesn't make it to the title game, then I will obviously have to switch horses. But unless and until that happens, I would appreciate posts that would boost my hopes that Kahuku will be Open Div state champ. I've jumped onto the Kahuku bandwagon, and I don't plan to get off unless they don't make it to the title game. If that makes me a fair-weather friend, I apologize, but it is what it is. I hope Kahuku alumni won't be offended by all that I've shared; I felt that I should be transparent and up-front.

Thanks.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by Neighbor »

I think Punahou will give Kahuku a tougher game than Saint Louis would. It would be interesting if Punahou beat Kahuku in the semis (if that's how the matchups fall) and we get Pun-StL for championship.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

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Neighbor wrote:I think Punahou will give Kahuku a tougher game than Saint Louis would. It would be interesting if Punahou beat Kahuku in the semis (if that's how the matchups fall) and we get Pun-StL for championship.
@Neighbor: Seeing as this Open Div tourney is the first, I thought the match-ups would be arranged so that Kahuku and Punahou wouldn't meet until the title game. I.e., I would think that Kahuku and Punahou would be in different brackets. I agree that Punahou would be a tougher game than St Louis. And, Punahou might very well beat Kahuku.
Would anyone else like to share reasons to believe that Kahuku might be more likely to beat Punahou?

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by bigD »

HS Football Fanatic wrote:
Neighbor wrote:I think Punahou will give Kahuku a tougher game than Saint Louis would. It would be interesting if Punahou beat Kahuku in the semis (if that's how the matchups fall) and we get Pun-StL for championship.
@Neighbor: Seeing as this Open Div tourney is the first, I thought the match-ups would be arranged so that Kahuku and Punahou wouldn't meet until the title game. I.e., I would think that Kahuku and Punahou would be in different brackets. I agree that Punahou would be a tougher game than St Louis. And, Punahou might very well beat Kahuku.
Would anyone else like to share reasons to believe that Kahuku might be more likely to beat Punahou?
Kahuku is favored because the can beat any team in all 3 phases of the game.
1.) Offensively the running game has been outstanding and probably the most talented I've ever seen in years. Two powerful fullbacks in Kefu and Lombard and two very quick and physical rbs in brown and vakapuna. The scary thing about the running game is that Kesi seems to be rotating back on offense as they head into the playoffs. Unlike last year he is heathy and seems to be more physical and faster this year.
2.) special teams is outstanding!! They can score on kickoffs, kick returns, punt returns, punt ect. They have a kicker who seems to never miss and usually leaves opponents unable to return the ball on kickoffs. This could possibly be the difference when they play the elite teams in punahou, St. Louis and Kapolei.
3.)Defense, This is the best group in the state with Probably the best two corners in the state. Very physical and athletic just like last year. It's gonna be hard for any team to win especially if they plan on out scoring this team. A great defense with an offense that chews up the clock seems to be the plan going forward.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

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bigD wrote:
HS Football Fanatic wrote:
Neighbor wrote:I think Punahou will give Kahuku a tougher game than Saint Louis would. It would be interesting if Punahou beat Kahuku in the semis (if that's how the matchups fall) and we get Pun-StL for championship.
@Neighbor: Seeing as this Open Div tourney is the first, I thought the match-ups would be arranged so that Kahuku and Punahou wouldn't meet until the title game. I.e., I would think that Kahuku and Punahou would be in different brackets. I agree that Punahou would be a tougher game than St Louis. And, Punahou might very well beat Kahuku.
Would anyone else like to share reasons to believe that Kahuku might be more likely to beat Punahou?
Kahuku is favored because the can beat any team in all 3 phases of the game.
1.) Offensively the running game has been outstanding and probably the most talented I've ever seen in years. Two powerful fullbacks in Kefu and Lombard and two very quick and physical rbs in brown and vakapuna. The scary thing about the running game is that Kesi seems to be rotating back on offense as they head into the playoffs. Unlike last year he is heathy and seems to be more physical and faster this year.
2.) special teams is outstanding!! They can score on kickoffs, kick returns, punt returns, punt ect. They have a kicker who seems to never miss and usually leaves opponents unable to return the ball on kickoffs. This could possibly be the difference when they play the elite teams in punahou, St. Louis and Kapolei.
3.)Defense, This is the best group in the state with Probably the best two corners in the state. Very physical and athletic just like last year. It's gonna be hard for any team to win especially if they plan on out scoring this team. A great defense with an offense that chews up the clock seems to be the plan going forward.
@bigD: Thank-you for your post. This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I mean, I know Kahuku is ranked #1, but Punahou is ranked right behind at #2, and I wasn't certain as to how much space there is between the two teams. The info you provided is substantive, specific stuff that gives a guy perceptible reasons to hope for a Kahuku championship; not some amorphous, "We'll, they're ranked #1, they must be pretty good, I hope they win it" kind of stuff. Of course, there are no guarantees of victory, but that's true for every team. Again, I've jumped onto the Kahuku bandwagon, and though I'm not a Kahuku alumnus, I'd be more than happy to see them win the Open Div state title. So, thanks again for your response. Your post really got down to brass tacks.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by Neighbor »

Well, it'll be interesting to see how the matchups fall and who can actually do something against Kahuku. Teams are gonna have to pass against them. I guess it'll come down to which QB is willing to stand tall in the pocket because it seems QBs panick real quickly when the Red Raider d-line comes barreling at them once the ball is snapped

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

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Kahuku's defense is their typical solid d-line and lb's. I think what makes this years defense special is their defensive backs. As a unit Kekaula Kaniho, Stoke Nihipali-Botelho, Kesi Ah-Hoy, and Codie Sauvao are as good a unit as any in the history of Hawaii high school football even with the loss of Keala Santiago to graduation. They are lucky that none of them have suffered any serious injuries as they also play special teams. Freshman Kaonohi Kaniho is the only other defensive back listed on their roster. Big job to fill next year as all four are seniors.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

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BowTow wrote:Kahuku's defense is their typical solid d-line and lb's. I think what makes this years defense special is their defensive backs. As a unit Kekaula Kaniho, Stoke Nihipali-Botelho, Kesi Ah-Hoy, and Codie Sauvao are as good a unit as any in the history of Hawaii high school football even with the loss of Keala Santiago to graduation. They are lucky that none of them have suffered any serious injuries as they also play special teams. Freshman Kaonohi Kaniho is the only other defensive back listed on their roster. Big job to fill next year as all four are seniors.
@BowTow:
1. I heard that St Louis assistant-coach Ron Lee said Farrington's DBs are the best in the state. I don't know how he can say that. I, for one, think Kahuku has the best DBs, and it sounds like you agree.
2. It's Kahuku's solid secondary that has me thinking they can beat pass-oriented teams like St Louis and Punahou.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by Dog 96707 »

LOL!!! Kahuku DBs are the best in the state, hands down. I love watching them play, I want to see them go against the punahou WRs.....that would be a great match up. If punahou takes care of business next week, we might see that game finally happen.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

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Dog 96707 wrote:LOL!!! Kahuku DBs are the best in the state, hands down. I love watching them play, I want to see them go against the punahou WRs.....that would be a great match up. If punahou takes care of business next week, we might see that game finally happen.
@Dog 96707: What would really help Kahuku's DBs is if Kahuku's front-seven chased the pants off Punahou QB Kapule, make him run for his life. Then hopefully he'd make bad throws, which might result in incompletions or INTs. Kahuku's DC--does Tata double as that?--needs to look at the blocking scheme that St Louis' D-line used in their last game against Punahou. Kahuku's D is better than St Louis' D, overall. If Kahuku's D can hold Punahou to 14 pts as St Louis did, that might enable Kahuku's O to win the game. I'm assuming Kahuku's O can score more than 14 pts on Punahou. And, who knows? Perhaps Kahuku's D might score a few points, on pick-sixes, fumble returns, or safeties. And then, of course, what about Kahuku's special teams? Might they return a kick for a score? We also know that Kahuku has an adequate FG kicker. Hopefully all of this that we've mentioned will add-up to a win. All Kahuku needs is 1 point more than Punahou; just 1 point more.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by Neighbor »

Image

I wonder if they split it up just so that we wouldn't see Farrington vs Kapolei again

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by reignjah11 »

If they are gonna seed teams then get rid of the rule where the runners up of each league have to be in the opposite bracket. Makes no sense that kahuku is #1 but is on the same side as St. Louis who would be the 3 seed. Just rank them 1 through 6 and set brackets on that.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by Neighbor »

Huh? Kahuku and Saint Louis aren't on the same side of the bracket.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by reignjah11 »

My bad, meant punahou.

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Re: Kahuku for '16 Open Div state champ

Post by Neighbor »

Brutal. Don't wanna put blame on refs, but Farrington got gipped at the end of that one.

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