Q&A
Rams will host Na Alii in rivalry game




Week four of the prep football season features a full slate of 21 games, including a dozen contests under the Friday night lights.

Among the match ups will be the 44th meeting between neighboring schools Aiea and Radford, which will square off in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I Blue Conference game at John E. Velasco Stadium.

The Rams (1-1) picked up their first win under second-year coach Lon Passos by virtue of Kaiser's forfeit last week, while Na Alii (0-2) are coming off a 48-13 road loss to then-No. 9 Campbell Saturday.

Aiea has won 16 of the last 22 meetings against Radford — including a 40-0 win at home last season. However, Radford still leads the all-time series, 26-17.

We caught up with the head coach of both teams two days before their showdown in Aliamanu.


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

Wendell Say, Aiea coach: "Perseverance. No matter what happens, our players continue to move forward. One guy gets hurt, next person steps up. That is a life skills; We cannot control what we have no control over. (We have to) move on and create our own opportunities."

Lon Passos, Radford coach: "I think right now, the one word about my team is character. What I mean by character is how they hold themselves up to their responsibilities on the field and off the field. These kids this year, they've been really good in their character and commitment."


ScoringLive: What did the first three weeks of the season provide for your team?

Say: "I think it gave us a chance to grow knowing that we were without some players because of academics or injuries and it gave others a chance to grow as players and leaders."

Passos: "Coming over, over the summer, we didn't do too much (7-on-7 pass leagues games). It was practically like a new team again. It was a new (coaching) staff and we had to learn from each other, so coming into the scrimmage week we had to see what kind of character we had team-wise and the kids did well, they did good. Then against Castle the kids never gave up. Being down, 33-6, they could have easily gave up, but the kids made it game."


ScoringLive: What, or who, do you consider to be the heart of your team?

Say: "It's hard to say. I mean, we have a lot of kids that are stepping up filling the leadership roles. First of all we don't have that many kids to begin with but I think some of the returnees are stepping up, in terms of leadership. Some we never expected to are showing signs of maturity. It's hard to name one, but one person chiming on everybody is (senior offensive lineman) Atarangi (Moli). He's pushing every one and is someone that every one respects."

Passos: "I think the heart of the team, to me, it's the team itself. It's the whole team because you have guys playing both ways, so we gotta have the backups ready to jump in and not skip a beat and if your number is called, you gotta do the job. It's hard to single out one player on our team, because we have players doing multiple jobs, we have guys going both ways, we have guys on special teams so I think all-around its the team."


ScoringLive: What are your thoughts on this week's opponent?

Say: "No different than all the other teams we're going to play; Everybody is tough, so we have to be ready and we can't take them lightly. Going into the season, I told our kids that we have a chance every game. We just have to execute, cut out our mistakes and we'll be fine. This week is no different: I think if we execute and cut down on mistakes, we'll be fine."

Passos: "It's going to be a tough game. Aiea-Radford is a big rivalry. It's going to be good game considering now both teams get probation players back, too. It's a big game."


ScoringLive: Some consider this matchup to be a rivalry game. What is it like to be your side of it?

Say: "In the old days when it was East-West, it was a big rivalry because we were right on the border and the kids either went to Radford or they went to Aiea, but since the split we don't play them as often as before so you don't see the rivalry as much as in the 80s or the 90s, but back then in the 70s, 80s it was a big rivalry because the schools are so close to each other. We still see it as a good game because our kids have a lot of friends that they went to school with since elementary school, so I guess maybe you could still playing we're playing for Halawa bragging rights, but we haven't played each other enough in the last two years to really consider it a rivalry."

Passos: "We want to win. I guess on our side, it's all about pride. This rivalry has gone on since way before I was born, so it's about pride for the school."


ScoringLive: Is there a specific matchup within the game that you feel will be especially important Friday night?

Say: "Probably on the line. Knowing Radford from last year — they were very young — I think they've improved a lot since last year and everything starts at the line of scrimmage, so that's where I think the difference will be made. I didn't get a chance to see much of Radford this year because they didn't play last week because of the forfeit, so they're still a question mark, but they have a lot of kids returning from last year, they have some key returnees and so we expect them to be a good team."

Passos: "Probably Sam Boy (senior lineman Ferenisi Lualemana). Number 75. He's a big factor for them. Watching them play against Campbell, he played a lot of plays, he played on both sides of the ball and he played his butt off. At the end of the game, he was dead tired because he left it all out on the field, so he's going to be a big factor, blocking him."


Kickoff between Na Alii and the Rams will follow 25 minutes after the conclusion of the junior varsity game at 5 p.m.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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