HondaReport.com - Football photo tour notes

I'm fried. I didn't expect to be, no sir. Not me, a guy who took pride in coasting across the Big Island for eight years doing the same thing: snapping mug shots, jotting quotes and pumping gas from Pahoa to Kohala to Ka‘u.

After driving to Kailua, Radford, Aiea, Waianae, Kahuku and Waialua in the past few days, the brain is cooked. Happy, though. Some quick observations about the teams I've visited.

Aiea. Big. Athletic. Lofa Liilii. If Na Alii can solidify at the quarterback position, they could have the most lethal offense in the state. Nearly all receivers are back, and Liilii is so good, he's being courted by D-I schools.

Anuenue. This school doesn't even have a senior class yet. With 22 players, the task is daunting, but they do have talent and size. Just not in large volume. Coach Kealoha Wengler might as well enjoy this stage of Na Koa football. It may be tough, but it sure is historic.

Damien. The Monarchs lost a ton of talent to graduation, but won a summer pass league. That's right. The run-heavy Monarchs are airing it out. Time will tell how that translates to the ILH season.

Iolani. Even with the loss of several seniors, they are still the Raiders: a bit small, super speedy and incredibly disciplined on both sides of the ball. Wendell Say of Aiea admires their zone work on defense. One of Waianae's players simply said, "They whupped our butts," one day after a scrimmage at the Seariders' Torii Field.

Kahuku. Humongous in size and numbers (96 players). The Red Raiders are experiencing a cultural transition with the promotion of former JV coach Reggie Torres. They are more 'old school' now, but on the field, defense is still the foundation. Defensive tackle Kaniela Tuipulotu may be the top blue-chip prospect in the state.

Kaiser. The Cougars have enough firepower returning to make a serious run at the OIA White Conference title. Coach Pat Samsonas is fortunate to have a lineup that is better, on paper, than a good number of Division I teams.

Moanalua. The Menehunes could have used two-a-days this season as they search for new contributors. This season, in the OIA Red West, will be a rugged test after years of playing in the White.

Radford. The Rams are starting over in a sense, with new players at key positions. Coach Fred Salanoa has the same disciplined approach, and is a master of recognizing his personnel's strengths. Playing in the Red West, which looks to be tougher than the East top to bottom, will be an eye-opener for last year's OIA White champions.

Roosevelt. They didn't want to move down to Division II, but the Rough Riders could thrive there. Like several other shrinking schools, Roosevelt isn't overly big, which means they took their lumps in the Red East sometimes. In the OIA White, they could be perennial title contenders. I think they will be.

Waialua. The Bulldogs are beep-beep speedy. They just don't have much size or depth. It leads to an interesting dilemma for coach Lincoln Barit. Should they use their potent offense to ring up the end zone like a pinball machine? Or should they use quarterback Caleb Forte's intelligence and instincts to grind out long drives? With a small, thin defense that doesn't hit as well as last year's squad, ball control sounds like the wiser gameplan.

Waianae. The Seariders are deep, though somewhat inexperienced. They're in the process of cutting the squad from 80 to 70 this week. That's good to see — not the cuts, but the fact that so many players are out. It was just a few years ago when a few irate parents pushed for an organized ouster of coach Daniel Matsumoto. He's proven them wrong.