Fourth-ranked Konawaena will host third-ranked Kamehameha-Hawaii Friday night with the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II up for grabs. ScoringLive photo illustration

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A pair of teams ranked in the top five will face off this weekend with their seasons on the line.

Sound familiar?

It's probably not the one you're thinking about.

Konawaena will host cross-island rival Kamehameha-Hawaii for the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II championship and the league's lone spot in next month's First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Championships.

The Warriors (9-2) are ranked third in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric D2 Power Rankings, while the Wildcats (9-1) are a spot behind.

The teams met in a regular season game in Keaau four weeks ago. Kamehameha-Hawaii scored all of its points off Konawaena's five turnovers amidst a steady downpour en route to a 24-0 win.

Neither team was at full strength for that game. The Wildcats were without quarterback Austin Ewing and center Zachary Kaiwi, while receivers Makana Manoa and Tre Evans-Dumaran did not play for the Warriors.

Kamehameha-Hawaii beat Konawaena, 35-13, in last year's BIIF title game, snapping the Wildcats' string of three consecutive league crowns.

We caught up with the coaches of the two teams a few days before their showdown in Kealakekua.

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

Dan Lyons, Kamehameha-Hawaii coach: "Excited. I just think they're excited for the opportunity to win another BIIF championship and excited about where they put themselves at this time of the year. This is where we wanted to be, so they're just excited for the opportunity."

Brad Uemoto, Konawaena coach: "I think we are determined. I think to get the opportunity to play a team that has left the only blemish on your record is a good opportunity for us and we're determined to show that we're a better team than we were that night when we faced them. Obviously these kids are determined to get back to the top after losing the title last season, so I just see a lot of determination this week at practice. We're really focused to getting back to playing that championship-level football."

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

Lyons: "Well we haven't had a game yet where we've had all of our players eligible to play a game, whether it be from injuries or sickness or whatever, but it seems like we're progressing and we're getting better every week. I think we want our best game to be our last game. We're hoping this isn't our last game, but we feel like we're playing at pretty high level right now."

Uemoto: "I think we're pretty much there. I always talk to them about playing your best in this time of the year and I think we've gotten better and better as the season has progressed. We talked about the Kamehameha-Hawaii loss earlier in the season as a — quote, unquote — good loss and I think it has been. We've cleaned up a lot of things since that loss and the practice intensity has gotten better. The coaches took ownership of the mistakes that we made and they've been doing nothing but coaching them up and these kids have responded very well since."

ScoringLive: Who has been an under-the-radar contributor for your team this season?

Lyons: "I don't know how under the radar he is, but Dallas Duarte has stepped up to continue to grow and grow at the quarterback spot. He's someone we didn't anticipate to play starting quarterback for us, but he's continued to step up and grow and get better every day. I think Lukela Chin — this being his senior year — has been a great leader for us this year. He's has had injuries throughout his football career but he's been injury-free this year and I think he's stepped up and been a great leader on the defense."

Uemoto: "I think it's been Tristan Fleming-Nazara. He filled in at quarterback in that first game with Kamehameha-Hawaii and I thought he did a good job. Even though he threw some interceptions, he managed the offense and we moved the ball, (but) we just couldn't finish. I've always said that when he plays quarterback for us, we miss a good slotback-slash-tight end. I think that was probably the biggest thing for us that night, not him playing quarterback. He's been very consistent for us, he does all the little things, he's a good leader at practices and he's just a good asset for us all around."

ScoringLive: What did your team learn from the first game against this week's opponent?

Lyons: "I think what we learned from the first game was a little bit about how to grind, how to manage the game properly and just grind and be willing to play field position, take advantage of the opportunities we have and play great defense. I think in that game Kaeo Batacan had 49 carries for 102 yards or something like that, so just to be able to consistently grind and grind and grind — something that I thought we were at the beginning of the season. I thought when we went over to play Kalaheo that we were a good grinding team, so I think that was the biggest thing; to be able to stay in there and keep playing, keep playing, keep playing regardless of what happens."

Uemoto: "I think we learned a lot about ourselves. When we were down we started pointing the finger a little bit at each other and we sort of separated as a team a little bit and when we got back at work at practice the following week we addressed it. That's not what we're about and that's not what good teams do. We've corrected those things, we've done things in practice to create more camaraderie against each other and I believe that was the best thing that could have happened to us at the time. In terms of brotherhood on the team, it's so much different no than that night."

ScoringLive: How similar or different do you expect Friday's game to be from that first meeting?

Lyons: "I think it's similar in that i think it's going to be a tough game. I think both teams are going to have to be patient and just take advantage of the opportunities they're given. I think turnovers will be a big part of the game. I think the team that doesn't turn the ball over has a good shot at winning the game. The defenses will be important and the weather will be important, so I think there will be a lot of similarities. They'll hopefully have Austin Ewing back at quarterback. He didn't play in the first game and I think that he gives them a different dimension that we'll have to be ready for. We played that game without a bunch of skill receivers, so that gives them something to look at and something to think about. I think there's a lot of similarities, but I think it really will come down to who doesn't make mistakes."

Uemoto: "I think it's going to be a whole lot different. We were missing a lot of pieces and parts in that first game and obvious one being at quarterback and also at offensive line. It's just funny looking back at that game on film. We were definitely short-handed and just putting people in bad positions, but it's going to be totally different. Even with toss up in weather, (although) I don't think we can see weather as bad as we did that night and just catching a bus for three hours to the other side of the island is always tough, so being able to be at home on a school day and just stroll down to the field and prepare is going to be big for us. These kids just love playing at Julian Yates Field. The atmosphere there you can't recreate anywhere and these kids just feel most comfortable there."

ScoringLive: What concerns you most about this week's opponent?

Lyons: "I think just their tenacity and their toughness. They're a team that is going to keep coming. I think they're able to switch momentum very quick and once they get momentum they're very tough and it's tough to get that momentum back. They can make plays, they're at home — it's tough to play there — and they're very well-coached. I think the things for me that concern me — as funny as it may sound — is our ability to keep our focus and maintain with everything going on. If they make stops or make plays we have to just keep grinding in that environment because they'll be ready to play. I think it's going to be a good game and it's great that it comes down to the two best teams. We would love to play here, but that's not how it is. I know they're going to be prepared, they are tough kids and they love football. They will not give us anything, so we have to be patient and be ready to win a 3-0 game if we have to."

Uemoto: "I think as we learned from the first game, they're very well-coached. I think Dan Lyons has done a great job with them. They also struggled with the injury bug — I don't think they've been fully healthy all year — so just to guess what their potential is is kind of a crapshoot. I don't know how healthy they are now, but I know they have the potential to be very good when everyone is there for them. They threaten you through the air and the ground, they have very good skill guys and a very good offensive line, so that's going to be a big challenge for us. Defensively, they gave us looks and obviously shut us out and that's something we have to work to correct. There's a lot of things we have to do differently to have success for us. There's a lot of moving parts going into this game. We'll try to prepare these kids as best as possible to be in the right place to make plays, but it will just come down to these kids executing and playing hard."

Kickoff at Julian T. Yates Field between the Warriors and Wildcats is scheduled for 7 p.m. The D1 final features Kealakehe (8-3) hosting Hilo (6-4) at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Both games will be aired live on ESPN Hawaii radio (AM 850 Hilo/AM 790 Kona) and simulcast on KBIG (FM 97.9 Hilo/FM 106.1 Kona) with pre-game starting at 6:30 p.m.