With just two weeks remaining in the regular season of the Oahu Interscholastic Association schedule, Saturday's Blue Division meeting between Campbell and Moanalua will be of utmost importance to both team's postseason hopes. Peter Caldwell | SL

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Four teams in the Oahu Interscholastic Association's Blue Division are among the 10 in this week's ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Division I Football Power Rankings.

The three unranked teams in the division each have one division win apiece with just two weeks remaining in the regular season. Two of those teams — Campbell and Moanalua — will square off Saturday night.

The winner is assured a spot in the 12-team league playoffs, while the loser's postseason aspirations will be hanging in the balance.

We caught up with the head coaches of both squads a few days before their showdown in Salt Lake.

ScoringLive: Describe your team's current situation in one word.

Amosa Amosa, Campbell coach: "Win. I told the players that it's funny because we just had our first win, but this week I feel like we control our own destiny. IF we win this week really we're putting ourselves in a higher seed into the playoffs and it guarantees us to be in the playoffs, which is our goal, so it's all up to us. Before last week we had no wins, but after our win on Friday we control our own destiny. If we just execute our offense, our defense, play hard and limit our mistakes I think it will give us a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter."

Jason Cauley, Moanalua coach: "Jekyll and Hyde? I know that's not one word, but we can very easily be 4-2. I know a lot of teams are making their final push and they're hitting their stride while we're trying to find out stride. We're having some identity issues and it's all about heart. This week we will see something different. We'll see kids that show that they want it that will be starting this week."

ScoringLive: How near or far is your team from playing to its potential?

Amosa: "I think with every week we've seen progress. Going through the scrimmages we were doing OK, but when I guess you start putting together the offense, the defense, the referees, the time — all those things — we found some things we really needed to improve on, but every week we've been making progress. We just need to make less mistakes than our opponents to give ourselves a chance in the game. We're not there yet, but we're getting there. I like that we're peaking as we're getting toward the end of the (regular) season and toward the playoffs. It's a positive thing and we're going to try to build on it every week."

Cauley: "Very far. Very, very far. On a scale of one to 10, right now I would say we're about a four. I don't think it would take much to get to a 10, at least an eight or a nine — back to where we were in week two or three — but it will take some senior leadership and if the seniors won't step up, then the juniors have to step up. All it takes is us to start clicking."

ScoringLive: In what area has your team made its largest gains thus far?

Amosa: "I think defensively, because we have a new coordinator in Ulima Afoa, and I'm so used to our defense being kind of like the heart of the team. They're usually the ones that keep us in the games because we struggle to score points and stay up with our defense. Our defense is buying into Ulima's system and it's always determined by our opponent and what do well. Everyone likes to throw the ball, maybe with Moanalua they like to run the ball with Feliciano, so we're getting our kids on the same page. Offensively, I like that we're taking care of the ball. (Quarterback) Kawika (Ulufale) threw three interceptions last week, but the decisions he made were pretty good, but the throws were just short or late, but Kawika's decision-making has been good the last four games and we've seen good progress with our offense. Special teams is an area that we want to see a momentum change, which we had with the 86-yard (kickoff) return by Aaron (Bunting), so that really kind of helped our momentum, too, so I think in every phase we've improved from every week to the next."

Cauley: "I think it is the resilience. Even though we're not clicking and we come out flat, the boys still don't quit and still have the fight in them. That is a positive. I know that every single game we go into we're going to have a shot because our guys won't quit. We just have to put four quarters together and that's something we haven't done."

ScoringLive: How would you describe the rigors of going through the Blue Division of the Oahu Interscholastic Association?

Amosa: "Oh man, I mean every week you've got to show up to play or else you're not going to have a chance to win. Everybody is tough, every game we've got to fight and claw just to give yourselves a chance just to win. A bunch of us are 1-and-whatever, but it doesn't show how tough the kids are and how good a job the teams are doing with their kids. When you're done with one game, you've got to get on with your preparation for the next game. That's one thing being in the Blue division, it's very competitive. The parity is even except maybe a power team like Mililani and Farrington, but Kailua is also coming on strong."

Cauley: "Everybody faces their own demons. Right now we're our own biggest demons. The teams are tough, but I think we could have either won or lost that Waianae game, that Farrington game was one we let slip away, Kapolei was another one one. We went three weeks that we were without a lot of our starters because of injuries, sickness or something and that hurts, but we're getting more healthy and that's good. We're getting a little bit healthier. Feliciano is back, (offensive lineman Mataiao) Fetuesi is back this week, but (Campbell) gets (running back Terrell Johnson) back this week and that's nothing something I wanted to hear, but it's something we've got to prepare for."

ScoringLive: With the regular season winding down and teams jockeying for playoff position, do you place any more importance on this game than any other?

Amosa: "Not really. I mean, like I told them, we've been like a must-win week where it's been the biggest game of our season — we've been talking and following that model for maybe the last four games. It's just my way of letting our kids know that we can't look ahead. I mean, as much as you want to look at the scenario at the end of the season, (but) at this point it's so important that we look at the opponent and the task at hand, so the players and coaches are buckling down on the task this week. It's the same thing we've been preaching the last four weeks: this is the biggest game and most important game of the season, so hopefully we play Campbell Saber football and execute things."

Cauley: "That's just it. We should go into every game with the same mindset. The kids do know that we've got to win this game. There's still a chance we can make the playoffs without, but we want to take care of our end. We don't want to leave it in someone else's hands whether we get in or not and have things up in the air; that's not what we want to look into. We want to take the four seed, instead of the five or six seed."

ScoringLive: What's your take on your opponent this week?

Amosa: "Jason has been one of the been up-and-coming offensive coordinators and coaches and he's done a good job with the program. He's always going to have one of those explosive offenses. Of course, their feature guy they have is Feliciano and I know for a fact that one of our goals is to slow him down, but they also have (Alakai) Yuen, who is a pretty darn good quarterback. These guys have shown that just when they look like they're down, they'll mount a comeback. For us, we're talking about playing all four quarters and not stopping until the clock reads zeroes. Defensively they've got pretty good size, I think they're very disciplined and they're not fancy in any way. If you look at it, it's almost like all our Blue (Division) defenses are nothing fancy because the offenses are so explosive and efficient that the defenses just play base coverages, so I believe when you see those kinds of defenses, offenses have to be deceptive in what we do. We have a lot of respect for what (Moanalua) does and Jason and what he's done for that program, so it's going to be another tough fight for us."

Cauley: "They're getting better and better every week. If you watch them on film, you know they probably lost seven or eight starters to their crosstown rival and for anybody that happens to you're going to be depleted, but Amosa coaches those boys up, he just has a young squad. Every single week those kids get better and better. The defense keeps getting better and better. They got smashed at Kahuku, they gave that game away to Castle with all those penalties and turnovers and then they came back and they played stronger against some of the other guys. They had a close game against Kapolei, they put up 46 points against Aiea, so they're getting better. They're coming into our stadium, they beat us 33-6 last year and I haven't forgotten it, hopefully the boys haven't. They gave us our worst loss last year. We had a letdown on homecoming (last week), so we're hoping we can step up and if we're in it in the fourth quarter, we'll have a shot, but it's going to be a dogfight. They're a good team."

Kickoff between the Sabers (1-5 overall, 1-4 league) and Na Menehune (2-4, 1-4) is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday.