Some will never get used to high school football in July, but there they were Thursday. Kahuku and Leilehua tangling at Hugh Yoshida Stadium in Wahiawa. They’re not in pads yet, but they will be soon — less than two weeks from now.
If there was any doubt how popular prep football is on Oahu, you just had to be there for the 7-on-7; well, maybe we have to specify how popular Kahuku is … The parking lot overflowing and one side of the stadium bleachers filled with hundreds of people, mostly from the North Shore. I’d been to the California Avenue school for regular season games with smaller crowds.
Still, football took a back seat to futbol on this day.
"Can we start varsity 15 minutes early? There’s a soccer game after," an administrator asks Kahuku coach Reggie Torres. Torres responds with a smile and no-big-deal shrug.
After all, it’s just July. Still mid-July.
But ask Torres about talk of a budding dynasty for his back-to-back state champs (and remember, it really should be three in a row), and his demeanor turns more serious.
I’m told Kahuku merely reloads now. After getting a look at their skill-position players that are bigger than many other schools’ linemen, I concur.
Torres is having none of it.
"We don’t focus on that at all," he said. "Every season is a new season."
The Red Raiders have won seven of the 14 Division I crowns in the Hawaii state championship era, so they still have a way to go to match the Saint Louis legacy of 13 Prep Bowls and the first state title.
Kahuku has to replace Players of the Year in running back Aofaga Wily and all-around sparkplug Kawe Johnson.
As often is the case, some family relations figure in. Quarterback Tuli Wily-Matagi, a cousin of Aofaga back from California, looks the part at 6-3 and a sturdy 210.
Darren Johnson, Kawe’s father, is back to help coach offense again, along with Colt Brennan.
"I like how he is with the quarterbacks," Torres said of Brennan. "He’s a calming influence, keeps it light."
As if Kahuku needed more help — now it’s got a Heisman finalist. But it is Brennan’s neighborhood team; he recently bought a home in Kaaawa.
Oh, and don’t forget defense; the Red Raiders feature the state’s top college prospect, end Lamone Williams.
» With the announcement this week of the pairings for the Diamond Head Classic, the interesting possibility of the president attending the tournament resurfaced.
Last year, when it was announced that Oregon State would be in this December’s field, someone wondered aloud if coach Craig Robinson would still have his job in 2013-14. Normally that’d be a good question since he has just one winning season in five years with the Beavers. But then again, he is the president’s brother-in-law.
Oregon State drew Akron in the first round. Smart choice by the organizers, since if Barack Obama is even rumored to show up at the Stan Sheriff Center, you’re going to sell a lot of tickets regardless of the teams’ marquee value, or lack thereof.
University of Hawaii athletic director Ben Jay said he sees the possibility as an opportunity.
"I am anticipating that the president will come for the game," he said. "I have already started talking to local agencies for what to do. Obviously we won’t talk about specific security measures, but I’ve met with the chief of police and the FBI and my next call is to the Secret Service."
» The 60 voters who gave Collin Klein their first-place nod for the Heisman Trophy probably feel pretty good about it right now.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783.
