By Paul Honda
hondareport@aol.com
Saturday, Dec. 8, 2006

So much for easy all-star practices.

Corey Paredes, a Castle linebacker, should've known that his coach, Nelson Maeda, wouldn't settle for less. "It's more intense than I expected. I heard rumors that all-star teams just cruise," he said.

Here's a look at the two teams.

West offense vs. East defense

On paper: A list of the receiving corps for the West pops out for run-and-shoot enthusiasts and defensive-minded minds alike.

"We're using four wide receivers, and I love to throw the ball," Leilehua's Bryant Moniz said. Moniz and Waialua's Caleb Fore are athletic passers who flourished in their respective hybrid offenses. Punahou's Brett Kan has the advantage of having complete familiarity with the offense, which was implemented by Punahou offensive coordinator Darryl Kan.

"Read-wise, the concepts are pretty much the same," said Moniz, who comes from a Mule offense that incorporates sets and plays from Florida State, the San Francisco 49ers and UH. "The terminology is a lot different."

What Moniz likes more than anything, perhaps, is the empty sets that could give the West a decided advantage. Lofa Liilii (Aiea), Miah Ostrowski (Punahou), Kyle Blair (Radford), Aaron Santiago (Kapolei) and Martin Iosefo (Leilehua) are a formidable crew of pass-catchers.

"Caleb puts some air under it and uses touch passes," Blair said of his new passers. "Bryant gets it to you as soon as the window gets open. He and Brett put a little more zing into it."

Much of the Senior Bowl's history is riddled with stagnant offenses and low-scoring games. Moniz expects neither. "This will probably be high-scoring. All of our quarterbacks have been putting up points, and there's hardly any dropped passes," he said.

The West O-line boasts a wealth of talent, including highly-recruited Matthew Masifilo (6-4, 270) of Campbell.

If the East counters with a plethora of defensive backs, the West still has upper-tier running backs who run with power. Micah Abreu-Laybon (Leilehua), Jordan Torres (Mililani) and Ryan Montez (Kamehameha) are versatile athletes who can run, catch and return kicks fluidly. Montez made a remarkable return from a knee injury and remains one of the quickest, most dangerous threats in the state.

The East defensive unit has talent, but depth is a question mark. One-half of Saint Louis' bookends will play. Defensive end Solomona Aigamaua will suit up, while Scott Smith will not. It won't matter a whole lot since Farrington's Sam Fehoko will man the other spot. Also joining in is Crusaders middle linebacker Jacob Barit.

"I know Kan is a pocket passer, so i think I can get him," Fehoko said. "Our defense is up to the standard we expected."

Malone Fiso, Kahuku's 6-2, 260-pound tackle, anchors the defensive line.
Perhaps the most compelling athlete to watch defensively could be Reyes. The 5-11, 240-pound defensive end had a dominant season in the OIA White, but missed the Bulldogs' state-tournament game against Iolani due to an infected boil on his left leg. He has recovered nicely from the ailment.

The secondary is talented, but not deep. Jeff Kahler of Saint Louis and Daniel Takami of Iolani have seen plenty of run-and-shoot offenses. Scott Keiter-Charles of Castle could help, but will stay on the offensive side of the ball in this game.

The skinny: The question, though, that comes with a shotgun attack is whether the centers are ready. The three centers in the lineup come from under-center, run-first teams. Moniz's center at Leilehua, Adriano Alae (6-0, 295), has moved to guard for this game. If the wind kicks up at Kapalama Heights, shotgun snaps could be a dizzying prospect.

The West, though, could switch to under-center snaps and be just as dangerous. Kan's experience with the playbook is a huge plus, and Moniz is already licking his chops. This will be a chance to see if the East secondary can keep up from start to finish.

X factor: It could easily be Richard Torres. The Kahuku quarterback will see action at his natural position in the secondary, and his ability to anticipate plays is what made a standout defender before he switched roles.

East offense vs. West defense
On paper: The physical presence of quarterbacks Elijah Filifili (6-1, 190) and Tilton Kaluna (6-1, 211) will make this matchup a little more interesting. Defenders from the ILH (Kamehameha, Damien, Punahou) have seen finesse-type quarterbacks more often, and since no blitzing is permitted between the 10-yard lines, they may be content to sit in zone coverage and wait for Filifili and Kaluna to force passes.

Filifili and Kaluna, however, scramble as well as they throw, which could make this an interesting battle within the war on the perimeter. "They have canons for arms," Maeda said.

The East has a nice mix of running backs to work with. Isaac Saffery (5-9, 195) was prolific for Kaiser as a combination of speed and power. "He's a tough runner. He would've excelled at the (OIA) Red level," Maeda said.
Keenan Gonda (5-7, 155) of Kailua and Lehi Aumua (5-8, 180) of Kahuku are shifty backs, while Liko Satele (6-2, 250) was a true fullback in Pac-Five's I-slot offense.

Filifili and Kaluna will have Ho-Ching (6-0, 185), who combines speed and a strong yards-after-catch ability as one of their targets. Two of the more familiar receivers, at least for Filifili, will be Elijah Lesu (5-10, 180) and Maeli Siliga (5-10, 180), his Governor teammates.

Keiter-Charles (5-9, 172) is a speedster. "Playing wide receiver instead of both ways will allow him to stay fresh," Maeda said.

The West has a defense to match its offense. Hawaii recruit Vaughn Meatoga (6-2, 280) and Josh Manupuna (6-2, 270) of Kamehameha, and Mililani's Matthew Hunt (6-1, 240) will anchor the defensive line. Viliami Haunga (6-4, 270) of Leilehua, who also plays basketball, is an agile stopper on the edge. So is Radford's lightning-quick Thor Salanoa.

The linebacking corps is stellar. George Kauwalu of Waianae is a run-stopper with almost no peer, both inside and in the open field. Josh Andrews was a three-year starter for Mililani. Leilehua's Mene Coffin (6-0, 210) was a key part of the Mule defense, while Damien's Kenneth Rossi was steady at 'backer and tight end for the Monarchs.

Kamehameha's Brandon Hardin (6-2, 175) and Punahou's Dane Nishikawa (5-10, 182) are solid at the corners.

The skinny: No matter how vaunted and deep the West defense is, without the freedom to blitz between the 10-yard lines, they could be at the mercy of Filifili and Kaluna. If the East quarterbacks are patient and resist the temptation to force passes over the middle, this could be a drawn-out battle.

X factor: The offensive line is loaded, with Saint Louis tackle Ana Tuiasosopo (5-10, 305) and Kahuku tackle John Manu-Olevao (6-4, 320) and a host of experienced run blockers. Though the East will use a run-and-shoot offense, it would be surprising if Maeda doesn't put his running game to use.

Extra points: Fehoko was selected Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year. "I wasn't expecting it," the scholar-athlete said. "My coach (Randall Okimoto) told me about it after school. He said, 'Congratulations,' and I didn't know what he was talking about. I've been fortunate enough and blessed enough. Whatever comes, comes."

Last year's honoree was Dylan Rush of Konawaena, who now plays at UCLA.
Paredes, meanwhile, was named Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year in Hawaii. He was nominated by his coach.

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