Just how tough is the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red West going to be this season?

"I'd be surprised if anybody goes undefeated," Waipahu coach Sean Saturnio said. "The champion might end up with two losses."

That's how it was last year when the fifth-seeded team from the division, Leilehua, ended up winning the league and state championships.

And the Mules aren't taking their title defense lightly.

"Any time our athletes did something that was selfish or showing signs of being complacent — saying that, 'We are the state champions, we don't have to come in work hard' — we nipped it in the bud," Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda said.

The Red West opens tomorrow night and doesn't waste time in getting into the latest rivalry.

Kapolei will travel to Wai'anae, which went winless in nonleague play.

"It's not really a good time to be playing Wai'anae when it's 0-2, their backs to the wall and laying and waiting at home," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said. "The record is no indication of how well they're playing."

Wai'anae lost to Farrington and Punahou, while Kapolei split its two nonleague games against the Kamehameha system, beating the Big Island, but losing to Kapalama. In the Kapalama loss, Kapolei linebacker Chad Lopati sustained a knee injury that could keep out of tomorrow's game, Hernandez said.

"We have a talented team," Hernandez said. "But a talented team doesn't make a good team. We have six players being recruited by Division I schools, but we have to play together."

The Mules open by hosting geographical rival Mililani, 7 p.m. Saturday, in an OC16 televised game. Like the Seariders, the Trojans were winless in nonleague.

"Don't let that record fool you," Tokuda said. "What they're capable of doing, with the coaching staff they have and the players, they might just have a big, breakout game and I just hope it's not this coming Saturday."

This will be junior quarterback Andrew Manley's first regular season varsity game for the Mules, who went 2-0 in nonleague and are riding an eight-game win streak dating to last year's playoffs.

Pearl City visits Waipahu tomorrow, while Nanakuli has a bye. All three are happy they were promoted from the White and are confident they can compete.

"Everybody's going to take us lightly," Pearl City coach Mel Bicoy said. "I want to see how many people we can fool."