Kahuku runs its conference winning streak to seven with a sweep of Roosevelt

By Paul Honda
Honolulu Star Bulletin

The Big Red machine is humming on all cylinders.

Amanda Tonga pounded eight kills and Ho’onani Apo had seven to lead a balanced attack as No. 3 Kahuku swept Roosevelt 25-14, 25-20 and spoiled the Rough Riders’ senior night.

A crowd of about 300 watched on a sweltering, muggy night at Roosevelt’s gym. Kahuku has won seven Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East matches in a row since losing the league opener at Moanalua. Roosevelt dropped to 3-5, but still has its sights on a playoff berth.

The Red Raiders got six kills from Elizabeth Blake and four from Natallia Cravens, as junior setter Teuila Nautu distributed the ball crisply all night. Nautu finished with 19 assists in a full-time role. In earlier matches, she split time at setter with Blake.

Coach Uila Fotu Vendiola was pleased.

“We didn’t have a good practice (on Wednesday). We just seemed tired,” she said. “But after that we talked about what we need to do against Roosevelt. We always expect good defense from them.”

Taylor Pupuhi led Roosevelt with eight kills. Kawai Oleole (four kills) and Zoe Young (three) chipped in as the Rough Riders showed more attacks and weaponry than they offered early in the season. Setter Samantha Sakata, one of five seniors on the squad, had a team-high 14 assists, and classmate Janelle Lubong added six.

Pupuhi, Oleole and Young are juniors. It was the first meeting between the teams this season.

“We’ve kind of put it together,” Roosevelt coach Rudy Sambrano said. “The kids hustle like ****. That’s the best they can do and they did a helluva job. Kahuku has quite a few returnees and the size difference can really make a difference.”

Kahuku used a 14-4 run to break open a close battle in the opening set. Three kills by Apo and an ace by Tara Domingo sparked the visitors to an 18-9 lead.

In the second game, Roosevelt rallied from a 13-9 deficit and got within 15-14 on a roof by senior middle blocker Natasha Kolo. Kahuku answered with a 5-1 run, getting kills from Maria Tonga, Blake and Apo for a 20-15 lead.

The Rough Riders pulled within 21-18 on a **** by Young, but got no closer the rest of the way.

“When we were down, we didn’t panic. We played our game,” Fotu Vendiola said. “It’s always a long ride in (from Kahuku), but it’s all mental.”

Kahuku hit .426 (five hitting errors). Roosevelt hit .214 (11 errors).

The visitors had two aces and four service errors. The Red Raiders had no aces and one service error.

Click here to read full story!

By STACY KANESHIRO
Honolulu Advertiser

Although their records indicate teams heading in opposite directions, when Interscholastic League of Honolulu powers Saint Louis and Punahou meet, you can toss out wins and losses.

The top-ranked Crusaders (4-0 overall, 2-0 ILH) will meet the No. 8 Buffanblu (1-3, 1-1) at 7:45 tonight at Aloha Stadium in the feature game of a doubleheader.

The Crusaders have been marching long behind Jeremy Higgins, the only quarterback in the state with a plus-200 passing efficiency rating (220.3) and double-digit average in yards per attempt (11.2.).

Meanwhile, the struggling Buffanblu have been trying to develop a rhythm between QBs Kaiana Eldredge and Liloa Travis. Both are expected to see action in this game, Punahou coach Kale Ane said.

“We as a staff are looking to maximize what their strengths are,” Ane said. “One’s more mobile (Eldredge) than the other one (Travis), which is surprising because Liloa gets out of the pressure as well. He’s surprised us with that, so we’ll be using both of them.”

Saint Louis coach John Hao, a former Crusaders and University of Hawai’i QB, said Eldredge and Travis are talented and just need a little more protection.

“Any good quarterback without the o-linemen is not going to be playing to his full potential,” Hao said. “He’s more or less going to be on the run and when the quarterback’s on the run, the offensive scheming has to be changed.”

Moreover for Punahou’s offense, it will face yet another defense with good closing speed.

In ILH Division II, a potential high-scoring affair could happen tomorrow when No. 10 Pac-Five plays No. 9 ‘Iolani, 7 p.m. at Kamehameha. Quarterbacks P.J. Minaya of Pac-Five and Jarrett Arakawa of ‘Iolani have more than 2,300 yards and 35 TD passes between them.

In the O’ahu Interscholastic Association Red West tonight, Campbell (2-3, 1-2) will need to generate more offense than it has the past two weeks at No. 7 Leilehua (2-2, 1-1).

The Sabers have scored one offensive TD in their last two games, while the Mules are coming off their best defensive game in a 10-6 win against Kapolei last week.

Campbell has UH-bound Samson Anguay, an all-purpose player who catches passes as well as runs, while the Mules are armed with reigning Offensive Co-Player of the Year in QB Andrew Manley.

The Mules, Division I state runner-up, have been laboring offensively, scoring an average of 16 points in league play.

In another potentially evenly matched game, Kapolei (2-3, 1-2) visits Waipahu (3-2, 1-2) in an OC16-televised event, 7:30 tonight.

In the OIA White, ‘Aiea (4-1, 3-1) visits Kaiser (2-2, 2-1) tonight and Radford (2-2, 2-1) meets Kalaheo (3-2, 2-2) tomorrow at Kailua High.

Other games:

OIA

Varsity
Kalaheo def. Kalani 25-19, 15-25, 15-10
Mililani def. Leilehua 25-12, 25-18
Pearl City def. Waianae 25-22, 25-14

By Wes Nakama
Honolulu Advertiser
Sept. 6th, 2009

Andrew Skalman kicked a 30-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining last night to lift ‘Iolani to a stunning 20-17 victory over Kamehameha in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu opener for both teams at Aloha Stadium.

Kamehameha, ranked No. 3 in The Advertiser’s statewide Top 10 poll, fell to 3-1 overall. The defending Division II state champion and 10th-ranked Raiders improved to 3-1.

‘Iolani had knocked off perennial DI powerhouse Saint Louis last season, but this was the Raiders’ first victory over Kamehameha in at least a decade.

“It feels so go good, it was a team effort,” said Skalman, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound safety. “The offense did its job, the defense did its job, special teams did its job … we played a complete game.”

After Skalman’s kick, the Warriors started at their own 8-yard line following the ensuing kickoff. A sideline pass went incomplete, and then a Hail Mary throw downfield was batted down as time expired.

Skalman had put ‘Iolani up, 10-9, on a 20-yard field goal with 45 seconds left in the third quarter, and the Raiders took a 17-9 lead with 9:57 remaining in the game after Jarrett Arakawa’s 61-yard touchdown pass to Bret Christman. The play was set up by Dylan Goto’s interception. 

The Buffanblu blocked four punts — two of which directly led to scores — and David Eldredge completed 9 of 13 passes for 204 yards and five touchdowns in the ILH season opener for both teams.

Punahou improved to 1-2 overall. Damien fell to 0-3.

Brian Suite blocked three punts, including one that resulted in a safety and another that was recovered by teammate Kyle Tu’umalo in the end zone for a touchdown.

The Buffanblu led 30-0 at halftime. 

Aloha and Welcome to Hawaii Digital Sports photo and video presentation of the  Oahu Interscholastic Association Football Game between:

12  Roosevelt Rough Riders.

JV Score: Kahuku 64- Roosevelt 0
JV PHOTOS: Click here!

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:

Click here for all GAME HIGHLIGHTS!

View Video Highlights by CLICKING on links below in Article!

By Star-Bulletin staff

To soften up Roosevelt’s tough interior defense, the Kahuku Red Raiders flexed their muscles.

Second-ranked Kahuku went to its power ground attack to break open a close game and overpower Roosevelt 31-12 last night at Carleton Weimer Field.

A 55-yard touchdown jaunt by Tyrone Brown and a 65-yard bomb from Evan Moe to Shairone Thompson broke the game open in the second half for Kahuku (4-0), which improved to 2-0 in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East.

Roosevelt (1-3, 0-2) trailed just 10-6 at the half, thanks to a swarming defense led by linebacker Micah Lono-Holani, but suffered its second loss in as many weeks to two of the East’s powerhouses: Kahuku and Farrington.

The long run by Brown, who shared time in the backfield with Galeai Malufau and Viliami Pasi, was sensational. The junior went left with a toss, nearly went down in a crowd, but bear-crawled his way back up and cut back to the right for the touchdown. That play, the last of the third quarter, gave Kahuku breathing room with a 17-6 lead.

“They got that 55-yard touchdown (run) and that kind of broke the momentum,” Roosevelt coach Pat Silva said.

Then, with 10:06 left in the fourth quarter, Moe delivered the long strike to Thompson, who caught the ball at the 20-yard line and raced to pay dirt. It was the only catch of the game for the 6-foot-4 tight end.

Kahuku’s determination to run the ball in the second half wore down Roosevelt’s defense. The Red Raiders rushed 50 times in all for 300 yards.

“That’s their forte,” Silva said. “Our ‘D’ did a helluva job. They kept the game pretty close.”

Twice, Roosevelt receivers dropped potential touchdown passes in the first half. Three times, the Rough Riders started drives in Kahuku territory without scoring.

“We didn’t take advantage when our defense got us turnovers,” Silva added.

Kahuku’s defense was stellar, limiting Roosevelt to minus-20 yards rushing, including five sacks. Two were by linebacker Loti Kalepi.

Kahuku’s offense, which managed just 101 total yards in last week’s win at Kailua, was again in developmental stage. A 33-yard strike from Moe to Pololu Silva on Kahuku’s second play from scrimmage led to a 26-yard field goal from Cameron Mercado.

Kahuku lined up for a field goal from 52 yards out, but Mercado’s kick was low.

Roosevelt’s run-and-shoot attack had some success in the first half, but couldn’t get in the end zone for much of the first 30 minutes. A 19-yard field-goal try was blocked by Kahuku’s Ben Mamea after a bad snap, but the Red Raiders gave the ball back two plays later. A handoff from Moe to Malufau went awry and Roosevelt linebacker Tyler Hayashi recovered at the Kahuku 6-yard line. On third and goal, Matthew Lono-Holani found Drayson Ito open for a 6-yard touchdown pass.

The Rough Riders led 6-3 with about 7 minutes left in the second quarter.

Kahuku’s kickoff return was bad news when defensive lineman Kona Schwenke was ejected after committing a personal foul. Still, the Red Raiders shelved their passing game on the ensuing series and ground out 89 yards in 11 plays.

Pasi and Malufau followed their blockers left and right out of I-slot and single-back sets. Tyrone Brown’s rumbling 14-yard gain set up the Red Raiders at the 5-yard line, and Malufau scored two plays later out of the wishbone for a 2-yard touchdown run.

Kahuku led 10-6 with 2:37 remaining in the first half. The second half was all muscle and ground attack for the Red Raiders.

After the touchdowns by Brown and Thompson, Moe found Kaipo Pearl for a 17-yard scoring pass as Kahuku took a 31-6 lead with 8:02 left.

Roosevelt’s dangerous deep threat, Agaese Tago, scored on a 80-yard catch — breaking one tackle and juking past another defender, midway through the fourth quarter.

Pasi’s 11-yard touchdown run on an option pitch from Moe closed out the scoring with 2:31 remaining.

Click here to read full story!
 

KAHUKU — Tyrone Brown’s 55-yard touchdown scamper on the final play of the third quarter broke open a close game and Kahuku went on to race past Roosevelt, 38-12, last night in O’ahu Interscholastic Association football action.

A crowd of about 2,500 at Carlton E. Weimer Field watched the second-ranked Red Raiders improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the OIA’s Red Conference Eastern Division. The Rough Riders fell to 1-3 and 0-2.

Roosevelt led 6-3 midway through the second quarter and was down only 10-6 when Brown, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound running back, broke a couple tackles near the line of scrimmage and rambled down the middle for a score. Cameron Mercado’s extra point made it 17-6 and led to a strong fourth-quarter finish.

“That (TD run) gave us some momentum, and I think it took some wind out of (the Rough Riders’) sails,” Kahuku coach Reggie Torres said. “We had been trying to get something going, but we made a lot of penalties that killed us.”

After Roosevelt went three-and-out on the ensuing series, the Red Raiders struck quickly with Evan Moe’s 65-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-4 tight end Shairone Thompson, who outleaped a defender for the ball at about the 25 and raced to paydirt.

Ben Mamea then intercepted a Rough Riders pass on the following possession, and Kahuku capitalized quickly with Moe’s 17-yard TD strike to a wide-open Kaipo Pearl in the corner of the end zone.

Roosevelt answered immediately with an 80-yard touchdown pass play from Matthew Lono-Holani to Agaese Tago, but Mamea intercepted the two-point conversion pass and the Red Raiders sealed the game with a 19-yard option run with Moe carrying for the first 14 yards before pitching to Viliami Pasi for the final 5.

Mercado’s PAT made it 38-12 with 2:31 remaining.

“We unraveled, we couldn’t stay focused,” first-year Rough Riders coach Pat Silva said. “Our offense was unable to take advantage of opportunities our defense gave us, and when you leave your defense on the field too long like we did in the second half, it’s tough. Kahuku made the big plays, and (Brown’s) run gave them the spark they needed.” 

Radford 21, Pearl City 20

Zach Lagier grabbed a quick slant from J.B. Fontenot, broke a tackle and rambled 23 yards for a touchdown with 6 minutes remaining to lead the Rams (2-2, 2-1) over the host Chargers in a see-saw game of OIA White division rivals.

Pearl City quarterback Isaac Shim tossed two touchdown passes, the second a 3-yarder to Hayden Concepcion in the corner of the end zone, to put the Chargers up 20-14 entering the fourth quarter.

The Chargers’ Cyrus Coen broke off an off-tackle run 62 yards for a score to give Pearl City (1-2, 1-1 OIA White) the early lead, but Radford answered with a 3-yard touchdown run by Phil Hogan and a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown after a blind-side sack by the Radford defense.

Shim tossed the first of his touchdown passes to Ray Cooper to even the score entering halftime.

 
Aiea 31, Kalaheo 14

Otto-Titan Salausa had 18 rushes for 143 yards and a touchdown as Na Alii proved to be inhospitable hosts to the visiting Mustangs in an OIA White game.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound junior capped the scoring for Aiea with a 4-yard scoring run with a little more than 5 minutes remaining in the game.

Kalaheo’s Jesse Carney rushed eight times for 128 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown late in the first quarter.

 
McKinley 23, Kailua 21

Solomon Dixon had a 76-yard scoring grab and added a 62-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to rally the Tigers past the Surfriders in an OIA Red East battle.

Dixon’s second-quarter scoring grab from McKinley quarterback Iosefatu Fiso rallied the Tigers after Kailua jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind scoring runs by Clinton Aina and Eric Lum.

Dixon also ran five times for 66 yards, including his long run with 3:17 remaining to cap McKinley’s comeback.

Aina racked up 142 yards on 12 carries for Kailua, including a 59-yard run in the first quarter to open the scoring, and an 18-yarder to give the Surfriders the lead, 21-17, before Dixon’s late heroics.

 
Waialua 21, Kalani 7

Branden Galapia had a 2-yard touchdown run and Rudi Galapia recovered a fumble in the end zone for a TD as the Bulldogs beat the visiting Falcons in an OIA White game.

Kalani tied the game at 7 in the second quarter when Samulea Tupou recovered a fumble in the end zone for the Falcons.