DIVISION I

Kahuku play foiled, despite a nice design

In the semifinal against Leilehua, Kahuku showed much more of an inclination to target tight end Lamone Williams (91), a 6-foot-2, 245-pound sophomore.

On this play, however, the Red Raiders were unable to get the ball to Williams, who was wide open down the middle of the field. A quick pass rush and lack of protection on the left side cut the play short, but with a simple adjustment, this play could be pivotal in Friday’s title game.

The Red Raiders, down 10-7 in the second overtime, lined up in an I formation with Williams at his usual place on the right side.

» Fullback Sterling Moe (2) leaves the pocket immediately, selling pass protection before heading to the left flat on a short pass route.

» Quarterback Viliami Livai (8) fakes a handoff to running back Aofaga Wily (9) to the right.

» Livai rolls left as Moe runs his route, but with Leilehua’s safeties playing extremely wide, Williams is in a wide-open canyon as he goes on a post pattern.

» Facing immediate pass-rush pressure from Leilehua linebacker Reece Acohido (20), Livai has no choice but to unload the ball, and his pass to Moe is too high.

If Moe stays in protection and provides Livai with an extra second or two, will any defense remember to cover Williams on a short or deep route?

Kahuku recognized immediately and went to the middle of the field on the next play, a strike from Livai to Kawehena Johnson on a post route for a key first down. That set up a game-winning touchdown for the Red Raiders.

If they run off-tackle with consistency, they could have more of the same on Friday.

Punahou’s deception works for a touchdown

In similar circumstances, some coaches burn a timeout.

Punahou opts to stay in no-huddle mode, not making any substitutions and keeping the defense in the same personnel set. Here, deep in Baldwin territory, the Buffanblu ran a stretch play to running back Steven Lakalaka on second down. Baldwin linebacker Jordan Hoiem (20) stopped Lakalaka at the 3-yard line, but the Buffanblu offense stayed focused.

Punahou read the signals from their coaches on the sideline and lined up in a pistol set, using an offset-I formation, or POI.

» Quarterback Larry Tuileta (14) fakes a handoff to Lakalaka going left.

» H-back Jacob Ioane (86) runs an out pattern left, drawing coverage from Bears cornerback Jacob Kealoha (25).

» Baldwin drops into zone coverage with three linebackers floating at the goal line and man coverage on all three Punahou receivers

» However, Buffanblu tight end Kotoni Sekona (28) slips behind coverage, completely unnoticed, and pulls in an easy touchdown pass from Tuileta.

For much of the season, defenses paid attention to Lakalaka, go-to receiver Malik Johnson and even the possibility of a sprint option by Tuileta. Now, the tight end becomes a key piece on the chess board.

Checkmate?

DIVISION II

‘Iolani uses its quickness to get some yardage

On paper, other teams may have simpler ways of picking up good yardage to set up a second-and-2 situation. At ‘Iolani, where linemen are smaller, but quicker and often smarter, every scheme seems to have an edge in numbers at the point of attack.

In this play, there were four Raiders on the perimeter to block three Kapaa Warriors.

» Kapaa’s defensive backs and linebackers are 5 yards from the line of scrimmage.

» Nishioka (23) takes the screen pass, slotback Dane Arakawa (8) takes out the cornerback covering Nishioka.

» Left guard Matt Noguchi (66) and center (65) Spencer Kiehm release from their initial pass-pro blocks to seal off a linebacker at the next level.

» After pushing the defensive end out, left tackle Micah Freitas-Garrido (50) seals off the defensive tackle in pursuit.

» With these blockers pinning Kapaa’s defenders inside, Nishioka bounces to the sideline and picks up eight yards.

The steady, no-huddle drive culminated with ‘Iolani’s first touchdown of the game, sparking a second-half rally and a 17-13 semifinal win.

Despite run and shoot, Waipahu plays conservative

The Marauders opened the season with a run-and-shoot attack under first-year head coach Eric Keola. They morphed into a multiple-set team, featuring a smashmouth I formation.

When the time is right, they’re willing to open things up. With a stellar defense, the Waipahu offense takes few risks.

» With Pearl City in zone coverage, Waipahu lines up in trips right on the near side — completely different from what most teams do. This catches the defense off guard and, more importantly, outnumbered on that side of the field.

» The two inside receivers go to work, blocking for wide receiver Dylan Pakau (23) as he takes the quick screen pass from Drake Yoshioka (13).

» Slotback Matapua Tulafale (3) is outsized by the linebacker (44), but creates enough of a diversion to be effective.

» Inside receiver James Nunuha III (22) also delivers a key block on a defensive back.

» Needing 12 yards, Pakau seems cornered and short by five yards. However, right tackle Ricky Sigrah (72) doesn’t give up on the play. The 5-foot-5, 200-pound senior hustles in and single-handedly knocks three defenders out of the reach of Pakau, who gets a second burst and finishes with an 11-yard gain.

It was a safe call, great teamwork and set up a huge pickup on the next play, when Pakau’s 20-yard catch gave Waipahu a first down on fourth and 11.

Waipahu scored the game’s only touchdown a few plays later. On Pakau’s crucial first-down play, Pearl City brought coverage much tighter to the trips side (left), but Pakau lined up alone on the other side and had a wide-open area for a deep post pattern — largely because of the screen play just seconds earlier.