James Campbell High School is a campus of firsts.
The Sabers arrived at No. 1 in the Star-Advertiser Football Top 10 this week, a first in the program’s history.
“We’re trying to stay focused. All that matters is finishing,” Campbell coach Darren Johnson said. “Kapolei is a great team. Coach (Darren) Hernandez is coming to play. They’re a very well-coached team.”
Campbell is well coached as well. All those decades, all those hours in the trenches. Coaches who laid the foundation. A single-wing offense in one era. The run-and-shoot in another.
When the Sabers host No. 7 Kapolei on Saturday at 3 p.m. the matchup of elite signal-callers will be at center stage. Campbell quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is 4-0 as a starter against the Hurricanes, but when the teams met last year, it was a narrow 30-27 win for the Sabers. Sagapolutele was 19-for-35, 314 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Tama Amisone was 27-for-43, 287 yards with one TD and three picks. The speedster also rushed for 72 yards and a TD.
The Sabers are one of three Open Division teams that are still unbeaten overall. Campbell opened OIA regular-season play with a convincing 50-7 win over the rising Governors of Farrington. Next up are the dangerous Kapolei Hurricanes, guided by Hernandez, the former Campbell coach and player.
“Campbell is No. 1 for a reason as they have been lighting up the scoreboard like a pinball machine. They have a great passing game and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is the real deal. He is the best pure passing quarterback in prep football,” Hernandez said. “Here at Kapolei, we are always the underdog in the Open Division and that’s fine because we haven’t proven anything. We are trying to build our program brick by brick every year to get to the point where we can compete with the big dogs.”
Amisone, who has committed to San Jose State and head coach Ken Niumatalolo, is in his senior season for Kapolei, arguably the most dynamic dual-threat quarterback in the state.
Kapolei’s scrappy, physical defense will be the newest test for Sagapolutele. It was an intriguing offseason for the 6-foot-4, 225-pound slinger. Once a Sabers playmaking receiver left for seemingly greener pastures, other programs took a closer look at Sagapolutele.
“My parents would never let me leave,” he said.
The rationale isn’t surprising. Former Kapolei players Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa and Diezel Kamoku transferred to Kahuku for their senior year and played crucial roles in a state-title run. Sagapolutele has many scholarship offers and has already committed to Cal.
There is, however, almost always, more. It is in the nature of the game, the industry and the soul of elite competitors to expand horizons. With the OIA transfer rule extended more than ever this year — players were allowed to transfer after two preseason games — the market responded.
Sagapolutele stayed home in Ewa Beach, and he can write this in stone: Campbell is the top-ranked football team in the state for the first time. It’s enough to make any former player wish he could still transfer back home.
Kailua
at Moanalua
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Na Menehune endured a tough 2023 season, but reversion to the mean is on display in ’24. Moanalua (4-1, 2-0 OIA D-II) can solidify its hold of first place with a road win. Kailua (1-4, 1-1) had all the momentum going into last week’s matchup with Radford, but the Rams’ stunning 24-13 win at Alex Kane Stadium is a major tremor in OIA D-I.
The conference has always been highly competitive and equally entertaining, essentially the “home district” throwback division ever since the Open Division became, in all practical terms, the equivalent of an open enrollment conglomeration. While there is plenty of room for both styles of football formatting, this leaves OIA D-I especially unique. The only transfers Radford usually receives are those incoming from mainland military bases.
“We are a better team than last year,” longtime Rams coach Fred Salanoa said. “We are still learning, still trying to get better each week.”
The rest of the state — the KIF, MIL and BIIF — send their best teams to the Division I championships. The level of provincial pride and tradition is an intense fervor that Open Division fans don’t always match.
In OIA D-I, longtime D-II powerhouse Pearl City is rebuilding and always pushing hard under longtime coach Robin Kami. The rest of the league is virtually a tossup with every matchup. Four teams will earn playoff berths among the other seven not named Pearl City. Moanalua is unbeaten in league play, but is also beatable. Na Menehune needed a last-second field goal by Andy Nguyen to squeeze past Waianae.
The latter is now 1-1 in league play, as are Aiea, Kailua, Leilehua, Nanakuli and, of course, Radford. Even Pearl City, led at the skill positions by a group of underclassmen, could right the ship and land a playoff berth.
A win by Kailua, which averages 283 pounds per man on the offensive line, would completely obliterate any edge for any team in the division. Chances are there will be at least two teams tied for the final playoff berth. There have been years when three teams shared that last spot, and tiebreaker formulas aren’t the fun way to end a season or a prep career.
For Coach Andrew Manley’s squad, a willingness to trust its ground game — Kalino Judalena was a workhorse with 92 hard-earned yards on 23 carries against Waianae — is vital. Kailua’s defense has been up and down against the run. Waipahu rushed for 99 yards on 34 attempts. Leilehua racked up 130 rushing yards on 37 tries. Radford tallied 190 rushing yards on 26 carries.
No. 4 Saint Louis
at No. 7 Punahou
Saturday, 3 p.m.
This is a hugely critical game for the Buffanblu. At 0-1 in ILH Open Division play, Punahou (2-3 overall) is facing a must-win predicament. Another loss would almost eliminate the Buffanblu’s postseason chances. Saint Louis (3-2, 1-0) has outscored opponents 110-14 during a three-game win streak. The Crusaders, under first-year head coach Tupu Alualu, are a kick here and a play there away from being 5-0. The early losses at Kahuku (14-13) and Mililani (16-14) clearly provide more fuel than close wins would have.
No. 10 Damien
vs. ‘Iolani
Saturday, 7 p.m., Skippa Diaz Stadium
The Monarchs can seize front-runner control of the ILH D-I race. Damien (4-1, 2-0) turned the tide against longtime D-I and D-II powerhouse ‘Iolani last year. Damien lost at ‘Iolani, 63-56, then routed the Raiders, 69-35. When they played for the ILH D-I title and a state berth, Damien edged ‘Iolani, 42-37.
In those three battles between Sept. 22 and Nov. 3, then-sophomore AJ Tuifua completed 53 of 80 attempts for 929 yards and 17 touchdowns with two interceptions. Tuifua’s passer rating in the 2023 series: 228.92. Those statistics don’t directly reflect the effectiveness of Tuifua, now a 6-2, 240-pound junior, as a runner. He had 83 rushing yards on 12 carries with one TD in the ‘Iolani games.
The presence of RB Sylas Alaimalo is immense. His pass-catching skills are supreme — the sideline toe-tap reception against Nanakuli three weeks ago remains elite. In three games against ‘Iolani last year, Alaimalo rushed for 236 yards and a touchdown, 216 yards and six TDs, and 228 yards and two more TDs. That’s a total of 680 rushing yards at 9.7 per carry.
‘Iolani (3-3, 1-0) has dotted its nonconference schedule with tough competition (Palos Verdes, Punahou) and has posted wins over Punahou I-AA and Kamehameha I-AA. CJ Villanueva has 1,182 passing yards with 12 TDs and just one pick in 165 attempts. Villanueva’s precision with receivers Keon Preusser, Kekama Kane and Tyger Hayashi keeps the pressure off primary rusher Jones Vierra.
No. 8 Farrington
at No. 1 Kahuku
Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
After averaging 39.3 points per game in the first three weeks of the season, the Governors have struggled offensively against Open Division powerhouses Saint Louis and Campbell, scoring a combined 14 points in the two games. Getting back to the core — a strong ground attack featuring Kingston Samuelu — and limiting turnovers through the air will give Farrington’s stellar defensive unit a chance to impose its will.
Farrington (3-2, 0-1 OIA Open) enjoys no favors from the schedule maker with another road game to start the regular season, but there’s enough time to regroup and make a run for one of the division’s playoff berths.
Kahuku (3-2, 0-0) is hangry after taking a 38-7 loss from the nation’s top team, Mater Dei (Calif.), last week. Despite the struggle that night, the offense showed signs of evolving from beginning to end as QB Troy Mariteragi found his spots. The return of Kaimana Carvalho from injury didn’t hurt, either.
Extra points
According to in-house prep sports historian Jerry Campany, before Campbell took the No. 1 ranking this week, Kahuku was at the top for 41 consecutive weeks, in season, since taking the spot from Kamehameha in week 10 of 2021. … In all, since 2001, Kahuku has spent 155 weeks at No. 1, followed by Saint Louis (106), Punahou (50), Kamehameha (20), Mililani (six), Farrington (five), Leilehua (one) and Campbell (one).
OAHU STANDINGS
ILH
Open Conf. Pct. PF PA Overall Pct. PF PA
Saint Louis 1-0 1.000 37 7 3-2 .600 137 44
Kamehameha 1-1 .500 28 54 4-2 .667 120 124
Punahou 0-1 .000 17 21 2-3 .400 128 100
Division I
Damien 2-0 1.000 84 25 4-1 .800 189 105
‘Iolani 1-0 1.000 22 12 3-3 .500 164 136
Division II
Pac-Five 2-0 1.000 81 17 4-0 1.000 157 37
Punahou I-AA 0-1 .000 0 36 0-1 .000 35 121
Kamehameha I-AA 0-2 .000 27 57 1-2 .333 61 74
Saint Louis I-AA 0-2 .000 27 94 0-2 .000 27 94
OIA OPEN
Conf. Pct. PF PA Overall Pct. PF PA
Campbell 1-0 1.000 50 7 3-0 1.000 166 59
Mililani 0-0 .000 0 0 4-0 1.000 98 47
Kapolei 0-0 .000 0 0 3-0 1.000 105 35
Kahuku 0-0 .000 0 0 3-2 .600 107 91
Waipahu 0-0 .000 0 0 2-2 .500 90 112
Farrington 0-1 .000 7 50 3-2 .600 132 100
OIA DIVISON I
Team Conf. Pct. PF PA Overall Pct. PF PA
Moanalua 2-0 1.000 55 43 4-1 .800 172 76
Aiea 1-1 .500 40 40 3-1 .750 115 69
Radford 1-1 .500 46 44 2-2 .500 105 85
Leilehua 1-1 .500 63 41 2-3 .400 122 113
Nanakuli 1-1 .500 66 54 2-4 .333 135 164
Waianae 1-1 .500 65 32 1-3 .250 85 80
Kailua 1-1 .500 46 54 1-4 .200 94 167
Pearl City 0-2 .000 30103 0-4 .000 56 220
OIA DIVISION II
Team Conf. Pct. PF PA Overall Pct. PF PA
Roosevelt 2-0 1.000 93 12 3-1 .750 134 50
Castle 2-0 1.000 63 60 3-2 .600 103 166
Kalaheo 1-1 .500 93 48 2-1 .667 133 54
Kaiser 1-1 .500 55 43 2-1 .667 111 50
Waialua 1-1 .500 73 55 2-2 .500 122 110
Kalani 1-1 .500 55 96 1-3 .250 72 175
Kaimuki 0-2 .000 20 64 0-2 .000 20 64
McKinley 0-2 .000 30104 0-4 .000 43 202
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
TODAY
BIIF D-II
Hawaii Prep at Pahoa
MIL 8-man
Lanai vs. Seabury Hall, War
Memorial
FRIDAY
BIIF
Konawaena at Keaau
BIIF D-II
Ka‘u at Honokaa
ILH D-II
Punahou I-AA at Kamehameha
I-AA, 6 p.m.
MIL
Baldwin at Lahainaluna
MIL 8-man
Kulanihakoi at Hana
OIA
Kailua at Moanalua, 7:30 p.m.
Leilehua at Nanakuli, 7:30 p.m.
Pearl City at Radford, 7:30 p.m.
OIA D-II
McKinley at Waialua
Kalani at Kaiser
Castle vs. Kaimuki, 7:30 p.m.,
Skippa Diaz Stadium
SATURDAY
BIIF
Hilo at Waiakea, 1 p.m.
BIIF D-II
Kamehameha-Hawaii at Kohala,
2 p.m.
ILH
No. 4 Saint Louis at No. 7 Punahou, 3 p.m.
ILH D-I
No. 10 Damien vs. ‘Iolani, 7 p.m.,
Farrington’s Skippa Diaz Stadium
KIF
Kapaa at Kauai, Vidinha Stadium
MIL
Molokai at Kamehameha-Maui,
7 p.m.
OIA
No. 5 Kapolei at No. 1 Campbell,
3:30 p.m.
No. 8 Farrington at No. 1 Kahuku,
6:30 p.m.
OIA D-I
Waianae vs. Aiea, 6:30 p.m., Radford’s John Velasco Stadium
OIA D-II
Roosevelt vs. Kalaheo, 3 p.m.,
Kailua’s Alex Kane Stadium
