Kapolei's Tristan Pebria and Kailua's Noah Auld will face off Friday in the opening round of the OIA Red playoffs. ScoringLive photo illustration

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The first OIA Red first round matchup that we will be previewing is Kailua vs. Kapolei. The Surfriders and Hurricanes have tangled four times in their school's history, something that doesn't bode well for Kailua as they have to make the journey to Kapolei.

Both teams are coming off losses in their regular season-finale so expect both teams to come out fired to get that bad taste out of their mouth. Kapolei is 4-1 at home this year while the Surfriders are 1-5 away from Kailua Stadium.

Gary Rosolowich's squad is hoping for the return of seniors Joe Albinio and Jameson White, who were held out of the Surfriders matchup against McKinley last Thursday. Albinio is an important piece on their offensive line while White is a solid cornerback on the defense.

The two teams employ contrasting offenses that sets up an interesting type of chess match. The Hurricanes prefer to keep on the ground while Kailua does most of their damage through the air.

Kapolei offense vs. Kailua defense

Statistically speaking, Kapolei is the fifth best rushing team in the OIA Red. They are averaging 175.9 yards rushing per game behind their three-headed monster at running back. Tristan Pebria is a workhorse of a running back, Kainoa Brown is a big, bruising fullback, and Mana Reis is the ideal back for third down situations. In fact, Reis leads the team in receiving with 20 catches, 172 yards and two touchdowns. As a collective however, the receiving game of the Hurricanes ranks last in the Red division.

Quarterback Aizon Kahana has thrown for five touchdowns on the year, but also has six interceptions in that span. Fortunately for the Hurricanes, Kailua is giving up 178.5 yards passing per game, giving Kapolei the chance to have a breakout game.

The running game is still the Hurricanes' bread-and-butter, so stopping the run is the Surfriders' top priority. If Kailua is able to penetrate through the Kapolei offensive line and get consistent stops in the back field, it could be a long evening for the home team.

Kailua offense vs. Kapolei Defense

Sophomore Noah Auld has done a commendable job at the quarterback position, finishing third on the OIA Red passing leaderboard. The Surfriders often employ four and five-receiver sets so expect the Kapolei secondary to be tested. Kailua's receiving corps consists of Koolauloa Gaspar, Matthew Bishop, Christian-Taylor Scheer, Kaimanahila, and Matthew Gaspar.

Kapolei's secondary is vastly underrated so we should see some good matchups on the outside. Leading the Hurricanes' defensive backfield is safety Bryson Hughes, who has unofficially intercepted opposing quarterbacks five times so far this year. Another key guy in the secondary is Tristan Centeio, who has the speed to take an intercepted pass to the house.

Kailua's best bet to avoid turnovers is to get the short passing game and crossing routes going. This allows the Surfriders' receivers to make a play on a bigger, slower Kapolei linebacker. The Hurricanes' pass rush is also effective with guys like Kingston Fernandez, so getting the ball out of Auld's hands quickly will help protect him from getting sacked.

Leg of Graham

One big question for the Surfriders is how aggressive are they going to be on fourth down in field goal range. Kicker Naia Graham boomed a 57-yard field goal against Kaimuki so it was surprising to see Kailua not attempt a field goal attempt last week against McKinley. Had they taken the points instead of going for it, the game could have been much closer. The passing lanes get more congested in the red zone giving the edge to the defense to make a stop. Kailua needs to take the points when they can because Kapolei's offense will take off big chunks off the clock with their strong running game.

Jack of all trades

One of the x-factors in the game will be how Kapolei utilizes Panaewa Julius. He plays a multitude of roles ranging from punter and holder to quarterback and receiver. His best regular season moments include leading the Hurricanes on the game-winning drive against Waipahu, and converting on a fake punt attempt against Leilehua. Julius brings an added dimension to the offense and deserves the defenses' attention whenever he steps foot on the field. If the game comes down to the wire, expect Darren Hernandez to put the ball in the hands of his utility man to help swing momentum back in favor of Kapolei.

Final thoughts

While the score might fluctuate during the game, whichever team sets the tone in the first quarter should come out with the win. If Kapolei is able to have their way on the ground early on, expect them to advance in the postseason. Same thing with Kailua, if they are able to complete passes for conversions early on in the game, they should come out with the victory. Neither team is going to get any bigger or faster in a week of preparation so it will be a battle to establish what each team does the best.