By Paul Honda
hondareport@aol.com
Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006

MILILANI — We are a day away from the first preseason games of the season, and things are getting more interesting than usual.

Why? Word got around quickly, earlier in the week, about Mililani's outstanding play in scrimmages with Kamehameha and defending state champ Kahuku. Trojans coach James Millwood took it all in stride, of course. He's a teacher on and off the field, his face fried by the sun and those long practice hours from mid-afternoon into the evening.

Millwood is a true Trojan, one who grew up in the shadows of Leilehua, where he was a ballboy. His oldest brother played there, but Millwood and his other brothers were there at Mililani in the first years. He has brought complete stability to the program, and with myriad skills and a flexible perspective, he may lead Mililani well into the post-season.

So here's what I think.

• The Trojans have always had superb offensive-line play, and having five starters back makes for a winning situation. They aren't huge, but they handled Kahuku's mammoth linemen, and that says a lot.

• Jordan Torres is playing full-time for the first time in his career, and having longer stints with the ball means better reads as games go along. As long as his ankle is healthy, he will have a solid, if not spectacular, season.

• The addition of Darnell Arceneaux as offensive coordinator opens up a range of options, no pun intended, for a team that relied heavily on the ground game and play-action. Darnell is a cunning executor. Not only did he guide Saint Louis within a point of a state title in his only season as a head coach, Darnell is a master at the Madden video football game. His background as a player (University of Utah, Hawaiian Islanders) and thinker is nice boost for the Trojans.

• Preparation has Mililani ahead of the game. The same staff has been there for 4,000 years, while Kahuku and Kamehameha underwent coaching changes of sorts in the off-season.

• Kahuku's defense promises to be tough again, but with new faces across the board, it will take time for the Red Raiders to find their identity. Not much time, but they need more than a scrimmage, just like everyone else.

• Kamehameha is in a similar situation, with holes to fill. The return of Kanani Souza from his one-year hiatus (he was at Oregon State as a graduate assistant) makes for an intriguing scenario. How much of what he learned at OSU will be adopted by KS?

All in all, it's early, and injuries are just part of the equation as every season goes along. Can Mililani stay healthy and ahead of the pack? Or were the scrimmages just blips on the radar?

Questions and more questions. It's good to be a fan in football season.

About those Trojans: The mood was light, jovial and orderly as usual for Mililani's media day. Three o'clock arrived and the entire team was seated for team photos, followed by mug shots with the newspapers. I've said before and will continue to opine that programs are either organized or not organized. The ones that are on the ball for photo day are almost always successful teams. By successful, I mean that they are always prepared during the season, always focused and unified.

Most teams that are disorganized and slovenly on photo days are usually the bottom-rung squads. Undisciplined on the field, uncaring off. Not a knock against teams. It's human nature, really. Focused concentration and unity don't happen by luck. It requires work. Care. Commitment. That's plenty to ask for from adults, let alone 16-year-old kids.

Mililani has those qualities in spades. I mean, these guys are loose, calm and happy. And they can play the game. Is this the year the West outplays the East. I think it may be. From top to bottom, the West is stronger at this point. The rest will be proven on the field.

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