CJ Caraang | SL

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CJ Caraang | SL

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MILILANI — Saturday afternoon's controlled scrimmage between visiting Kamehameha and host Mililani at John Kauinana Stadium was the last tune-up for both teams before opening the 2016 season next weekend.

The Warriors were coming off a scrimmage against Farrington Thursday night, while the Trojans were wrapping up their third scrimmage in as many days. Mililani hosted Waipahu Thursday night and hit the road Friday to face Kahuku. Both squads were without a few bodies, but the Trojans were a bit more hobbled after a physical three-hour scrimmage against the Red Raiders less than 24 hours prior to taking the field against the Warriors.

The teams alternated offensive possessions. Each possession started at a team's own 20-yard line and was only extended by first downs.

Here are a few notes on both teams from Saturday.

• KAMEHAMEHA
  -The Warriors were held without a score on their 10 offensive possessions. Three of them were three-and-out situations and only one penetrated the red zone before stalling out. Quarterbacks Thomas "Boogie" Yam and Justice Young shared first-team reps. Yam started and played the first three series before giving way to Young, who was at the controls for four series. Third-stringer Brandon Baniaga quarterbacked the final three series.
  -Yam is the taller quarterback, but it is Young who is considered the better passer. Young has a strong arm, but missed a number of passes high and left at least one receiver out to dry over the middle. Young is on the shorter side, which led to a few of his passes being batted away at the line of scrimmage. Yam is the better runner and is more quick than fast, but he lacks the arm strength to zip a ball past a closing defender.
  -The Warriors operated mostly out of a shotgun or pistol formation with at least one running back and three receivers. They used tight end Pinao Auwae in multiple alignments — in the slot, tight to the tackle, or in the backfield — but he dropped a few passes intended for him.
  -Defensive end Andrew Aleki did not suit up for the scrimmage, leaving Nakoa Pauole to anchor the D-line. Kamehameha also got solid play out of defensive tackle Kupono Blake, who blew up a Mililani running back in the backfield after splitting a pair of offensive line off the snap. While the pass rush was steady, run defense was suspect at times against Mililani, which isn't exactly a run-first team.
  -Running back Kanoa Shannon displayed nice hands on a screen pass that he turned into a 20-yard gain. Shannon appeared to injure his ankle on the play, but later returned to action. The Warriors didn't have a lot of success running the ball, however. The offensive line struggled off the snap and didn't open up many holes for the backs. Brayden Akima, a reserve running back, had a few nice runs late in the scrimmage.