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Mustangs Return With “No Weak Links” In Veer Offense

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Torin Kringel does double duty as wide receiver and defensive back for the Mustangs. Photo by Leah Ball, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

While it may be true that Kalaheo’s most valuable player the past two years has been its offensive scheme - the run-oriented veer - head football coach Chris Mellor won’t undersell the level of his players’ talent.

“We have good football players - that’s what we have to hang our hat on,“he said.“We lost some players from last year, but we’ll fill in. We’re only 22 strong, but there are no weak links. I’ve been impressed with what they’re doing. Summer and spring went well. They competed hard, and they’ve been able to see the results of their work. There’s definitely been a change since I first got here.”

Not to mention more on-field success. The Mustangs were one of the state’s feel-good stories last fall, rebounding from a 1-7 season in 2006 to go 5-4 overall in Division I.Among the highlights was a road win over eventual Division II state champion Iolani and a victory over OIA Red East power Castle.The next phase of Mellor’s rebuilding process is to sustain that upward mobility.

To that end, continuity will help. For the first time since Mellor’s arrival at the school, the program is truly his own.“No kid in the program has played for another coach. The boys know my ways now, and my coaching philosophies are in place.”

That means dictating the pace by way of the veer offense,which Mellor brought with him from his days as an assistant in the De La Salle program in Concord, Calif. Unlike two years ago, when the Mustangs were still feeling their way through the system in fall camp,Mellor and company were operating with far more precision last week when they began preparing for 2008.

“This year, we can concern ourselves more with execution and less on putting the system in. We don’t have to slow it (teachings) down for them.We’re more efficient in practice,and we can go at a quicker pace.”

One priority will be replacing quarterback Cody von Appen, who was the team’s field general the past three seasons. Mellor believes he has the answer in senior Phil Tauai.

“I think,more than anyone on our team, he’s truly a football player,” he said.“After taking a hard hit, he gets up laughing. For a lot of other kids, football is work. For him, he really likes to play the game like a kid likes to play.

“He just knows our system, and he’s an excellent thrower.”

Tauai also will hold down a spot in the secondary.“It’s hard to keep him off the field,“Mellor added.“We let the best players play. Kids don’t get hurt as often as people think.”

While Mellor expects there to be no drop-off behind center this year, Tauai is hardly his only offensive weapon. Tauai’s brother Eddie also is back in the fold as a running back/linebacker and may serve as his brother’s back-up at quarterback after missing all of last season with a torn ACL.

“He’s a twin of Phil - he loves to play. Right now, he’s at about 98 percent.”

The offense also got a boost when Dwayne Mitchell transferred from Southern California’s Fallbrook High School. He only joined the Mustangs two weeks ago, but has had “an instant impact.”

“We’ve only seen him without pads so far,but he’s already the fastest kid on the team,” Mellor said of Mitchell,who will play running back and defensive back.

The team will rely on Division I college prospect Shawn Reed to lead the way.A 6-foot-1,225-pound senior, he’ll play both on the offensive line and as linebacker, the position he’s most likely to play at the next level.

“He’s our centerpiece and a marquee player,“Mellor said of Reed, currently rated the No. 7 prospect in the state by IslandAthlete.com, after a junior season that saw him rack up 113 tackles in eight games. “He’s tenacious. He’s not boisterous - he speaks with effort. He has a true advantage over most people. He plays with his skills, and he has the heart of a champion.”

Mellor also will call on Lawaika Bator (center/defensive tackle), Zach Lovelace (wide receiver/defensive back) and Torin Kringel (wide receiver/defensive back) to perform double duty. With its share of two-way players, conditioning has been stressed on a team that’s lacking in depth.

“Everyone has to bring something to the table - that’s non-negotiable. Guys who are not starting should be prepared to play often and a lot. A lot of it will be about clock management. We have the makings of a good football team on both sides of the ball. The question is ‘Will we have a good football team late in the game?’”