Hardly any coaches enjoy this early school-year thing. It limits two-a-days and means the time between distributing helmets and full pads (late July) and the first scrimmage is a matter of just three or four days.

And then, a week later, ka-boom! It’s time to play preseason/nonleague games. As early as this week, at least two coaches said they were still not settled on rosters. They were still going through the process of trimming rosters.

That’s why, even as old-school rivals Farrington and Waianae clang and bang heads, as Saint Louis makes a rare off-island trip to Baldwin, just about every team is still going through personnel evaluation. Third-stringers may get as much action as some first-stringers.

Then again, any chance to watch the process — and the strong arm of Saint Louis quarterback Ryder Kuhns — this early is a blessing for prep football fans. Here’s a look at Week 1.

No. 4 Farrington at No. 9 Waianae

Two smashmouth teams with an itch to air it out. The Govs return Montana Liana at quarterback, but it remains to be seen if coach Randall Okimoto and his staff are prepared to really balance the offense — Okimoto wants a 60-40 run-pass ratio.

Farrington’s defense, with anchors like Breiden Fehoko and Moto Heimuli up front, and versatile Manly Williams everywhere else, will be stretched to an extent. Waianae still has its Wing-T offense featuring elusive Jemery Willes, but the penchant for four-wide, shotgun playcalling might work well with third-year starter Kekoa Kaluhiokalani in the pocket. That is, if he has at least one playmaker to rely on.

No. 5 Kamehameha at Castle

The Doug Cosbie era begins with a road game on Castle’s new synthetic turf field. Like Waianae, this will be the Knights’ first home game in two seasons.

Questions abound for both teams. High expectations — the No. 5 ranking from coaches and media in the Star-Advertiser Preseason Top 10 — of Kamehameha might have more to do with Cosbie, the former Dallas Cowboys tight end and longtime college coach, than anything else.

Running back Kaulana Apelu is among a talented corps of returnees, but the graduation of quarterback Makoa Camanse-Stevens and the implementation of a brand-new system will require time and reps.

No. 6 Mililani at Moanalua

These squads met last year in August and the Trojans won 31-21. This time, they meet on the grass in Salt Lake, and whoever takes advantage of the mauka wind will be the wiser. Mililani has immense talent, including some gifted transfers, but there are voids to be filled. One of them will be at quarterback, where prolific Jarin Morikawa once stood and delivered with composure.

Defensively, the men of Troy are stout with linebacker Dayton Furuta and a formidable front led by Rex Manu.

Moanalua lost all-state lineman Scott Pagano to graduation (Clemson), but offensive weapons are back. Micah Kaneshiro will keep slinging downfield to Donald Lambert, a receiver who is probably on every defensive coordinator’s radar this year, but sneaky-fast Chad Aragon could benefit the most.

McKinley at Roosevelt, Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium

This is an early opportunity to see the force of nature that is McKinley linebacker/running back Mathias Tuitele-Iafeta. Another big playmaker, Tyrell Tuiasosopo, is still recovering from a foot injury suffered during summer pass league.

Roosevelt continues to rebuild under coach Jeff Azuma. One good sign is that the JV team has numbers: 50 strong.

St. Francis at Maui, War Memorial Stadium

Coach Mike Ulufale leads the Saints in their varsity debut. It will be memorable playing a Division I program in cavernous War Memorial.

Kailua at Aiea

With the graduation of quarterback Kahaku Iaea, the Surfriders have Noah Auld, a three-sport athlete, calling signals now. In Aiea, they’ll meet a team with similar physical play and size. Na Alii are deep with athletes in the 5-foot-10, 210-pound range, but finding a playmaker on offense is among the tasks at hand.

Pearl City at Kapolei

The Chargers make the trip west in coach Robin Kami’s debut as varsity head coach. The Hurricanes have size up front with offensive linemen Micah Kapoi and William Auwae, and a proven stopper at middle linebacker in tenacious Micah Paris.

Kaimuki at Waialua

The Bulldogs remain in the OIA Red Conference despite dwindling enrollment — the east-side district line nearly encroaches nearby Kapahulu Avenue and students living next to Rainbow Drive In now attend Kalani. Coach Clint Onigama’s squad preferred to stay in the Red — rather than trade spots with Kaiser (OIA White) — so he moved up a number of JV players.

Waialua, meanwhile, is having some trouble with numbers. The hope was that the start of school on Tuesday would result in some add-ons.

Campbell at Kaiser

The Sabers were very impressive in a scrimmage at Kahuku last week, using an explosive defensive line to thwart the Red Raiders. Kaiser’s dream of playing in D-I this fall never materialized, so this is as close as the Cougars will get to that level of competition.

The Sabers have an experienced quarterback in Isaac Hurd, who won’t hesitate to pick up big yardage with his legs. Kaiser has a duel at the position between transfer Lii Karratti and JV product Kahi Neves.

Nanakuli vs. Kapaa, Vidinha Stadium

This could be the most exciting matchup of the weekend. The Golden Hawks are coming off an unprecedented run to the D-II state semifinals, but have moved Chazz Troutman away from the pocket to put his playmaking skills as a receiver and runner to use.

Kapaa, with coach Kelii Morgado’s flexible approach to strategy, were a run-heavy unit last year. Lineman Maka Ah Loo is one of the state’s top blockers.

Saturday’s games

No. 3 Saint Louis at Baldwin, War Memorial Stadium

Kuhns was productive in part-time play as a starter last year, and though Jeremy Tabuyo — and his sub-4.4 speed — are gone, the Crusaders have fast-moving targets aplenty. Devon Stubblefield gets his opportunity to have a Tabuyo-like season, and Adam Noga has a real shot at a huge season out of the backfield if he can stay healthy.

The Bears lost linebacker Jordan Hoiem (retired) and offensive force Keelan Ewaliko. New coach Keneke Pacheco was an assistant under former coach A.J. Roloos, who stepped down this summer.

Kalani vs. No. 8 ‘Iolani, Aloha Stadium

The Raiders are in reload mode, though the graduation of quarterback Reece Foy and wide receiver Tanner Nishioka make it appear they’re more in a rebuilding stage. Their quest for a seventh D-II state title in a row doesn’t really begin until the ILH regular season, but facing a tough Falcons squad on Saturday is a big test.

Kalani has numbers and more size than it’s had in recent memory. The imprint left by assistant coaches Ron Lee and Cal Lee is undeniable, but in ‘Iolani, the Falcons face a team that practices against the run-and-shoot offense daily. Tough test, indeed.

Radford vs. Pac-Five, Aloha Stadium

Coach Fred Salanoa’s Rams are relatively young and unproven, but talent still abounds. Quarterback Cody Lui-Yuen is back for his third season as a starter. Pac-Five lost its most productive offensive player, Keoni Tom-Millare, to graduation.

Damien at Kamehameha-Maui

The Monarchs are off-island for a football game, something that hasn’t happened in at least nine years. It’s been a rough offseason for coach Eddie Klaneski’s squad with five players transferring out, plus a few more out of action for a few games because of academic probation. Still, the Monarchs usually find success in preseason, winning roughly half of their games in nonleague competition. In 2008, they went 3-0 against McKinley, Pearl City and Kailua.

Anuenue at Waimea, Hanapepe Stadium

Na Koa are in rebuilding mode, but coach Kealoha Wengler’s team always finds a way to compete despite regularly suiting up just two dozen or so players. The double-wing offense produced big numbers for Kainalu Kaleo (1,453 yards, 16 touchdowns) and Anuenue Tui (844 yards, seven TDs), but both have graduated.

Waiakea at Hawaii Prep

Ka Makani had some spectacular performances and some crushing defeats last season, and they won’t have running back Bobby Lum (graduated) to turn do.

Kalaheo at Kamehameha-Hawaii

Makena Johnston returns in the backfield for the Mustangs and coach Darrell Poole. Johnston’s best game came against eventual OIA White champion Radford — 150 yards and one touchdown rushing, plus three receptions for 94 yards and another score. This is Kalaheo’s first off-island trip since the 2010 D-II state tourney, a 17-13 loss at Kauai.