By Kalani Takase
Defense lifts Kahuku to 26-0 win over Waianae
KAHUKU – The marquee game of the opening weekend of high school football ended up being a one-sided affair.
In its first game since it forfeited last year’s Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Division title game, Kahuku ran away with a 26-0 non-league victory over defending state runner-up Waianae Friday night.
An enthusiastic crowd of about 1,200 at Carleton E. Weimer Field saw the Red Raiders – in action without head coach Reggie Torres, who was suspended due to an incident during team camp earlier this month – use a stifling defense to shut out the Seariders. Kahuku scored on a pair of interception returns for touchdowns while limiting the opposition to just 42 yards of total offense.
“It was great just to play a game again,” said Red Raiders’ defensive back Evan Ramirez, whose 77-yard pick-six in the second quarter gave his team a 20-0 halftime lead. “Everybody was just anxious to get on the field again, especially since it was a home game.”
While the Kahuku offense sputtered at times – it managed just 67 rush yards on 33 attempts – the Red Raider defense was stellar, allowing just nine Waianae first downs (four were on Kahuku penalties) and holding the Searider offense to 2-of-13 on third-down conversion opportunities.
“Our defense has really been stout since camp and throughout our scrimmages and we expect some really big things from them – they’re really the backbone of our team,” said interim head coach Walter Santiago.
Processing your request, Please wait....
