Top-ranked and top-seeded Kahuku will face its most formidable opponent of the season when it plays second-ranked and second-seeded Kamehameha tonight in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I State Football Championship.

Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

The Red Raiders (12-0), ranked No. 1 for the past three months, will face a Warriors team (11-1) that is coming off dominating performances in winning the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title in the regular season finale against defending state champion Punahou and by ousting 2007 state champion Leilehua in last week's semifinals.

Tonight's game pits two athletic defenses with speed in various sizes and experience. From Kahuku's 6-foot-3, 215-pound end Kona Schwenke to Kamehameha's 5-9, 285-pound tackle Landon Aano. From Kamehameha senior cornerback Chaz Bajet to Kahuku freshman safety Kawehena Johnson.

While all signs point to a defensive battle, the key might be which team can take the early lead.

"If we can get on the scoreboard first, I think we'll have a pretty good game," Kamehameha coach David Stant said. "If we have to play catch-up, against that defense, it will be a long night for us."

Scoring first "will either set the tempo for us or Kahuku," Stant said.

The Warriors scored on their first series against Leilehua. And despite two red zone turnovers, they methodically increased their lead to put the Mules in predictable situations.

The emergence of T.C. Campbell, from sharing time with two other quarterbacks early in the season, has given the Warriors an added dimension. They were tough enough with running back Ryan Ho (1,394 yards, 18 TDs) carrying the load early. But Campbell completed 27 of 47 passes for 385 yards and seven TDs in his last two games against pretty good defenses in Punahou and Leilehua. He rushed for a season-high 62 yards against the Mules from the option. Adding another wrinkle, the Warriors showed an option pass against Leilehua.

With so many schemes to keep Kahuku's defense on the run horizontally and vertically, Kahuku wants to keep Campbell and company on the sidelines.

"We have to go back to basics," Kahuku coach Reggie Torres said. "We have to establish a rushing game. Our defense is going to be running all over the field. I want them to rest as much as possible."

Schwenke, the OIA East Defensive Player of the Year, has been nursing a shoulder injury from the Leilehua game. Torres said Schwenke has been getting treatment all week, but will play tonight.

"We're banged up right now, but these kids are resilient," Torres said. "Nothing is going to keep them off the field."

Kahuku's best option for ball control might be the option, which had some moderate success against Farrington. The Governors have an athletic defense like Kamehameha.

Running back Viliami Pasi has been the Red Raiders' primary carrier (134 rushes for 604 yards, 7 TDs).

Kahuku also is a threat to score even when it doesn't reach the red zone (inside the opponent's 20). Once an Achillies heal, the kicking game has become a legitimate weapon for the Red Raiders with Florida transfer Cameron Mercado (46 of 47 PATs), who leads the state with 12 field goals, five from at least 42 yards, including a long of 49.

Kamehameha had been carried by its defense from the start as the offense worked out the kinks. It suffered its only loss of the season, 20-17, to 'Iolani on Sept. 5. Campbell became the full-time starter after that loss and has led the Warriors on an eight-game win streak.

Kahuku, which beat 2008 state champion Punahou, 24-14, in nonleague play in August, pretty much breezed through their OIA East schedule, except against Farrington, overcoming a 14-0 halftime deficit in a 16-14 win over the Govs. But since the OIA playoffs, the Red Raiders have been living on the edge. Their widest margin of victory since has been eight (35-27) against Mililani in the OIA quarterfinals. Kahuku, which is seeking its sixth state title, went overtime to beat Farrington last week.

This game also has strong community overtones, as Stant ('81) and Torres ('83) are Kahuku alumni.

"Because it's such a close-knit community, they're not jealous because I'm coaching for Kamehameha," Stant said of the North Shore community's reaction. "They support me as much as they support Reggie and the football team because we're all from that side."