Running back Jensen McDaniel rushed for 155 yards and four touchdowns to lead Kaiser to a 52-7 win over Aiea in both teams' season opener. Brien Ing | SL

Purchase image 1 of 1

When Waianae visits Kaiser Friday, it will mark the first time since 2011 that the schools on opposite ends of Oahu will meet on the football field.

The game is the first for both teams within the Oahu Interscholastic Association's Division I Blue division. The league schedule actually opened with last week's cross-over games. The Seariders (0-1) lost to Moanalua for the first time in program history — at home, no less — while the Cougars (1-0) romped Aiea, 52-7.

Waianae owns the all-time series against Kaiser, 9-1, and has won the last seven games. The only time the Cougars won (35-28) came in the 1979 league championship. The previous meeting was a first-round game of the OIA tournament, which the Seariders won, 35-16.

We chatted with the coaches of both teams earlier this week to get their thoughts on their own squads and the opposition Friday.

ScoringLive: What did you learn about your team from last week's game?
Dan Matsumoto, Waianae coach: "They played hard. At least they've got that fighting spirit and they played hard until the end, that's one thing which was a positive for us. Discipline-wise, as far as assignments and stuff, we know that's one thing we still need to work on a lot. That's the top two big issues we came across."
Cameron Higgins, Kaiser coach: "I learned a lot. I just thought that the young guys that are playing for us — that came first year from JV last year — I thought they stepped up. I thought the lights might have been too bright for them, but I was pleasantly surprised how they rose to the challenge."

SL: How did the academic probation period affect your team?
DM: "It did affect us. We had some starters that weren't able to play, but then it's always been our philosophy where it doesn't matter and the next guy steps in and we roll with it, but did affect us. A few of our starters did not play."
CH: "We had a lot of linemen out and some key players that had to sit out, but I always tell my players that that opens up the opportunity for someone to be discovered. The person playing behind you has a chance to step up and earn the job. If you're not making grades, then we can't rely on you. I want guys I can rely on and depend on week after week."

SL: Which individual player or position group was a pleasant surprise for you last week?
DM: "I believe our defensive line was a pleasant surprise. I felt they had a pretty good game."
CH: "Definitely our running back, Jensen McDaniels. I thought he played pretty spectacular given the amount of reps that he took and carries he had. I thought (before the game) that he might not be so durable, but he proved to be real great runner. He has great vision, great feet and another guy was our safety on the other side of the ball, Keoni Pangan, our strong safety. I thought he played real well. It's his first time playing that position and I really thought that our coaches have done a great job of coaching him up."

SL: What do you make of your opponent this week and how do you think your team matches up?
DM: "Tough to say, because the probation period is over, so both sides probably will have different players playing. We didn't have a chance to scout them, so that's another difficult thing. And the score (Kaiser posted against Aiea), that's a scary thing. It looks like that's an explosive offense putting up that many points. It's a scary thing for us right now, plus we have to travel. That'll be a long drive."
CH: "Waianae is extremely physical. I think they will be a lot more physical than Aiea was. They will play fast, their O-line and D-line is very fast and very athletic and that's going to be a big challenge for us, as far as matching that physicality. Defensively, we have to take on those big blockers up front, allowing our backers to flow. Offensive line has to sustain blocks and get to that second level, allowing our running backs to hit the hole."

SL: How near or far is your team from playing at its potential?
DM: "After watching Farrington and watching Leilehua, I feel like we're far from what we need to be."
CH: "I think we're far away. I think we're still trying to establish an identity both on offense and defense, but we try to focus on everyday and getting better everyday; Things like blocking assignments, reads, footwork. I really think toward the end of the season they'll start to put things together, connect the dots and I think the sky is the limit for this team."

SL: What can we expect from Friday's game?
DM: "Hopefully we execute a lot better — that's what we're looking for right now — hustle to the ball defensively, play assignment football. Those things will be so key for us."
CH: "You can expect Kaiser to come out guns blazing. We have nothing to lose. It's our first year in D1 and I know there's a lot of haters out there that are expecting us to lose and I think our backs are against the wall. We have nothing to lose really and everything to gain and I think that scares opponents. We're just going to give you everything we got. The kids are starting to realize how much training they put in over the summer and seeing it pay off with the Aiea game has them feeling confident. We're definitely not feeling inferior to Waianae so I think it's going to be a great game. I know Waianae is hungry, too. They came off a loss to Moanalua and I'm sure they got a lot of their academic probation guys back and they will be just as hungry. You will see two teams giving it their all."

Kickoff between Seariders and the Cougars is set for 7 p.m.

ScoringLive reporter Stacy Kaneshiro contributed to this report.