Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez says he is looking forward towards a promising season for his young Hurricanes football team, but admits that the August 21st  contest against  non-conference opponent Punahou will probably be his most difficult game this season.

The reason: Because his son, Zack Hernandez, will be in uniform for Punahou when the two squads battle in the second game of a doubleheader at Aloha Stadium.  “My wife has already told me that she will be sitting on the Punahou side of the field,” confessed Hernandez. “But no matter who we play against I have a job to do in motivating our players to perform at their best on the field and in the classroom.”

The Oahu Interscholastic Association versus the Interscholastic League of Honolulu contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. following the Saint Louis versus Waianae game which starts at 4 p.m.

“We’re very, very young. We graduated a whole bunch of seniors. But I’m happy to say that 12 of them went on to play college football,” Hernandez said with a smile. “We don’t have a lot of returning starters, but we do have a lot of talented players. Right now they lack game experience and they are going to have to quickly learn as soon as possible what level of intensity they will need to play at to be competitive in the OIA,” Hernandez added.   “The OIA West (Division) is very tough. You have traditional powers like Mililani, Leilehua, and Waianae that are always near the top of the league standings. At the same time, you also have teams like Campbell, Aiea, and Radford that usually have great seasons every couple of years. Those teams have as much talent as any team in the league and are capable of beating any team in the league on any given night,” Hernandez said in explaining the challenges that his team faces.

Kapolei will run the spread option offense in addition to the run and shoot offense. Hernandez does have a trio of gifted offensive line players in seniors  Manuia Ioane, Samson Kalekini, and Kalnivalua Loe.

Ioane intends to lead his teammate by example.  “Being one of the few returning starters, I know that my new teammate starters may not truly know how hard it is to work hard on every play. It can be exhausting at times. But I intend to be that person in the huddle who everyone can look to when we need a lift,” Ioane said.
“I really want to play well so I can hopefully get a scholarship. Quite a few of our players from last year’s team was able to sign with a college. I just want to be able to get the higher education for my future. That’s a goal of mine,” disclosed Ioane.

Offense is where Kapolei lost most of its starters. At the moment Hernandez plans to share quarterback duties between junior Trey Kamachi and senior Keaka Napuelua Ah Yee.  “Both of these guys are tall quarterbacks, very athletic and have the ability to lead the team. You always need two good quarterbacks because the season can be extremely long,” Hernandez said.

The running game will feature senior fullback Keaka Fernandez, who is being recruited by several major colleges.
“As a team we are going to have to come together and play to the best of our ability. I do know that a team cannot win without being a team. Playing in this sport can be unpredictable. At this stage any team can win,” Fernandez said.  “Our coaches always tell us that whatever team we play we should play our hardest to the end. I’m sure our team is capable of doing just that.”

On defense, safety Seth Roman is a prime-time player. He is rated very high on several colleges’ recruiting lists.  Roman says he looks forward to the task of defending against the best quarterbacks in the OIA.  “You have quarterbacks in this league that can do some serious damage if you’re not prepared,” Roman said. “But you can’t be afraid of competition. This summer I worked out quite a bit with some of my teammates working on coverage plays, getting ready for my senior year. …No doubt about it I agree with the saying ‘to be the best then you have to beat the best.’ If we can stop the other team’s offense I think we will be very competitive.”

Helping Roman will be middle linebacker Toa Scanlan and defensive back Carlos Rodriguez.

The Hurricanes open on the road against Pearl City in a pre-season game on August 13th.  They play league games against Aiea on September 4th, Waianae on September 18th, and Mililani on October 1st.

“Basically when the new players get on the field it has to be a learning experience,” Hernandez said. “Despite the outcome we know we’re going to have to continue to come to practice and work hard. Of course, the school is constantly monitoring the progress of our players in the classroom so we will make certain that a player does his class assignments in order to play.”