ICYMI: Listen to Kahuku’s 30-23 win over nationally ranked St. John Bosco

ICYMI: Listen to Kahuku’s 30-23 win over nationally ranked St. John Bosco

FINAL: KAHUKU 30, NO. 3 ST. JOHN BOSCO 23

Farrington’s monster fourth quarter keeps Moanalua winless after back-and-forth affair

Farrington’s monster fourth quarter keeps Moanalua winless after back-and-forth affair

Farrington’s monster fourth quarter keeps Moanalua winless after back-and-forth affair

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED SEP 9, 2023

MOANALUA – The visiting Farrington Governors (3-1, 2-1 league) took down host Moanalua Nā Menehune (0-4, 0-2 league), 37-27, on Friday night as the Govs used 23 fourth-quarter points (16 unanswered) to grab the victory and a share of the top spot in the OIA Division 1 A standings with Leilehua. 

It took a while for the offenses to get going as both defenses came prepared from the opening whistle. After Moanalua went for it on fourth down inside their own 40-yard line, Farrington’s offense took over with fantastic field position and drove into goal-to-go territory as time waned in the first quarter. 

RB Sitani Mikaele wasted no time in the second period getting the Govs on the board, powering his way into the endzone from four yards out for the game’s first score. The visitor’s 7-0 lead lasted just 38 seconds, as Moanalua answered with a 2-play, 76-yard TD drive capped by a 60-yard touchdown catch-and-run by junior WR Jayce Bareng to knot the score at 7-7. 

Nā Menehune gripped the momentum from the quick offensive response, tacking on a pair of field goals in the next two possessions to take a 13-7 lead with 3:23 left in the first half. It looked like the Moanalua defense would hold the lead into half, but a 25-yard fourth-down Farrington touchdown strike to WR Chansen Smith with 1:03 remaining gave the Govs a 14-13 lead into the locker rooms. 

Moanalua opened the second half with a scoring drive aided by some Governors miscues, mounted by sophomore QB Tayden Evan Kaawa connecting with senior WR Kila Keone for a 10-yard touchdown to re-take the lead, 20-14. The defense held strong for the remainder of the quarter, but Farrington ended the period driving once again. 

The fourth quarter was déjà vu for those in attendance, as the Govs struck quickly into the period on the legs of junior Jacob Talamoa to jump ahead, 21-20. Moanalua answered back two possessions later, again using the speed of Bareng on a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown to jump ahead, 27-21, with 7:13 left in regulation of the see-saw contest. 

A massive return on the ensuing kickoff for Farrington set the Govs up for a response, coming three minutes later after a drive of all runs resulted in Mikaele’s second rushing touchdown of the night giving Farrington the 28-27 lead with 4:10 left. 

Twelve seconds later, Farrington produced a safety to extend the lead to three points and get another offensive possession to try to end things. That’s exactly what Talamoa would do, putting the game on ice with his second TD run of the night, this time 45 yards to the house to extend the Govs’ lead to 10 with 3:42 to play. 

Moanalua falls to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in league play but can be encouraged by the return of Kaawa. The sophomore threw for 148 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Jayce Bareng led Nā Menehune with 85 yards over four receptions and a touchdown, also chipping in a 66-yard punt return for a score. 

Farrington dominated on the ground all night, running for over 200 yards in the team’s bounce-back win over Moanalua after falling to #1 Kahuku last week. Mikaele finished with two scores to go with 129 rushing yards across 28 carries to lead the way for the Govs, who moved into a tie with Leilehua for the top spot in the OIA Division 1 A. 

It’s a bye week next up for Farrington before the Govs gear up for a big clash hosting a loaded, dynamic Campbell team on Friday, September 22. Moanalua will be back in action on Saturday, September 23 against Aiea following a bye week for Nā Menehune. 

Kailua uses second-half surge to take down cross-town rival Castle

Kailua uses second-half surge to take down cross-town rival Castle

Kailua uses second-half surge to take down cross-town rival Castle 

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED AUG 26, 2023

KĀNE’OHE – The Kailua Surfriders (1-2, 1-1 league) picked up their first win of the season Friday night, scoring 20 unanswered points to beat neighbor school rival Castle (1-1, 0-1 league), 30-15, in a rainy slugfest. 

The Surfriders, the designated home squad depsite the game taking place at Castle due to a current lack of field for Kailua, struck first on the back of running back Clayton Quidachay for the only score of the opening quarter to take a 7-0 lead. 

Castle answered back on the first play of the second quarter, as Nathanael-Seth Rombawa sped to the front-left corner of the endzone to help the Knights knot it up, 7-7. Kailua quickly would re-take the lead, 10-7, after Kai Fraser knocked a short field goal through the uprights on the next possession for the Surfriders.  

Some family magic for Castle on the next drive would help the Knights take their first lead of the night, as sophomore QB Nai Kalauokaaea found junior WR Trisen Kalauokaaea on a 4th-and-22 heave that the wideout brought down for a touchdown. Castle was successful on the two-point try and took a 15-10 lead with just under two minutes left in the first half. 

It would be the last score of the night for Castle. 

20 unanswered points by Kailua after halftime, three scores by three different Surfriders in the final 13 minutes of regulation would be the formula to push the Surfriders by the Knights on a damp Friday evening, 30-15. 

Castle’s Nai Kalauokaaea finished the evening 9-of-19 with 158 yards passing and a touchdown for the Knights, who struggled with ball security in the second half as the rain began to fall heavier and faster. 

Kailua’s signal-caller Romeo Ortiz enjoyed a productive night, completing 8-of-13 passes for 129 yards and chipped in a rushing touchdown. The Surfriders rode the wave of running backs having good nights, as Quidachay finished with 87 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries and Caysen Samson racked up 76 yards on 15 carries and a score of his own. 

Castle will look to get back on track in a couple of weeks on September 8, when the Knights travel to Kapolei for a league contest. Kailua will be back in action next week on Friday, September 1, hosting Kaimuki for a non-league game with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. HT. 

Kaimuki runs away from Waialua in OIA “Battle of Bulldogs”

Kaimuki runs away from Waialua in OIA “Battle of Bulldogs”

Kaimuki runs away from Waialua in OIA “Battle of Bulldogs” 

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED AUG 25, 2023

KALIHI – It’s a dog-eat-dog world. 

On an on-and-off rainy Thursday evening at Farrington High School, the Kaimuki Bulldogs picked up their first win of the season by taking down visiting Waialua, 36-20. 

Currently without a home stadium, Kaimuki was the designated home team at the neutral site as they took on a young Waialua roster. While Kaimuki has a certain lack of experience in their own right as a rebuilding team, the green-and-yellow Bulldogs leaned on their star senior duo of quarterback Iosefa Letuli and ATH Jerimiah White to comfortably handle the visitors from the north shore of O’ahu. 

Kaimuki scored on each of the team’s first four possessions, taking a commanding 26-6 lead into the halftime break on the backs of White and Letuli. The 6-foot-5 Letuli was unstoppable in short yardage situations and connected with White for more than half of his 11 completions on the night. 

Effort never wavered for Waialua, pushing across two scores late in the fourth quarter and forcing a turnover to build on some positive momentum heading into next week. Waialua sophomore quarterback Emery Abilla finished the night with a touchdown and throwing two interceptions as he went through some growing pains at the varsity level. 

The young signal-caller and entire Waialua offense benefitted from a strong effort from two backs, as freshman Rayden Wilson punched in a fourth-quarter touchdown along with a few long runs while senior Makoakai Fierro gashed the Kaimuki defense for 125 yards on the ground and the final score of the night in the losing effort for Waialua. 

Iosefa Letuli finished with 262 all-purpose yards (234 passing, 28 rushing) and four total touchdowns while going 11-for-15 passing for Kaimuki. White surpassed the 100-yard threshold easily, accounting for 128 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns while chipping in a 22-yard field goal. 

Kamuki will look to keep the good times rolling next Friday, September 1, when they visit Kailua for a non-league game and kick-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m. HST. Waialua will attempt to get back on track next Thursday, August 31, when they host Woodinville (Wa.) for a non-league game. 

Leilehua Defense Dominates Banged-Up Moanalua, Offense Rushes for 234 Yards in OIA Interdivisional Battle

Leilehua Defense Dominates Banged-Up Moanalua, Offense Rushes for 234 Yards in OIA Interdivisional Battle

Leilehua Defense Dominates Banged-Up Moanalua, Offense Rushes for 234 Yards in OIA Interdivisional Battle

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED AUG 19, 2023

MOANALUA — The Leilehua Mules (2-0, 1-0 OIA D1) forced five turnovers and ran for 234 yards on the road Friday night, taking down the Moanalua Nā Menehune (0-2, 0-1 OIA Open), 21-7, in a defense-heavy, physical and chippy Week 2 interdivisional matchup.  

Host Moanalua got the scoring started quickly, bringing the opening kickoff back within the Leilehua 20-yard line and capitalizing a few plays later. Moanalua sophomore quarterback Tayden-Evan Kaawa floated a 5-yard touchdown pass to the back-right corner of the end zone to a wide-open Jayce Bareng for game’s first points.

Nā Menehune forced a Mules punt on the following possession but lost Kaawa on the ensuing possession to a head injury after a scary targeting penalty, leading to a Leilehua ejection. Sophomore backup quarterback Naazsir Addo McCoy entered the game for Moanalua, but an aggressive Mules front forced Moanalua to punt. 

The opening quarter wouldn’t see any more scores, though Nā Menehune had a promising drive going as the quarter ended. A McCoy interception on the first play of the second quarter gave the ball to the Mules, ending the threat from Moanalua. 

Leilehua quickly capitalized, as junior running back Camren Flemister turned on the afterburners after squeezing through a gap in the Moanalua defense, breaking free for a 67-yard touchdown run to help the Mules tie the game, 7-7.

Momentum quickly shifted in favor of the visiting Leilehua team. A backwards pass ruled as a fumble by Moanalua on the next possession was recovered by Leilehua deep in Nā Menehune territory.

The resulting play gave Leilehua their first play from scrimmage in opponent’s territory on the day and senior running back Cole Northington found a running lane of his own to speed away through for a 38-yard TD run, giving the Mules the 14-7 lead with just under eight minutes left in the opening half. 

Moanalua would look to answer back with a score of their own, methodically driving the field and pushing it all the way to the Leilehua 1-yard line, but a diving interception by linebacker Kevin Burke kept the lead intact for the visiting Mules heading into halftime. 

Leilehua received the opening kickoff of the 2nd half, driving the field deep into Moanalua territory. Nā Menehune defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs, and keeping it a one-score game for the Moanalua offense. 

Leilehua got another opportunity late in the third from the team’s hard-hitting defense, forcing McCoy to fumble deep in Moanalua territory and setting up the Mules up with nice field position as the teams entered the final 12 minutes of play.

The visitors squandered that offensive chance as well, losing a fumble out of bounds into the end zone to come away with no points and give Nā Menehune the chance to knot the score, still trailing by seven. 

The Leilehua defense answered the bell once again though, forcing a punt to give the ball back to the Mules with 8:31 remaining and a one-score lead. It looked like Leilehua would give the knockout blow after connecting for three chunk yardage plays in a row, but Mules’ quarterback Hanohano Plunkett was picked off on a shot at the end zone and Moanalua kept it a one-score game with over seven minutes to tie it.

A fumble by Nā Menehune on the next possession all but ended things for the home team, as Flemister punched in his second TD of the night with 4:27 remaining in the game on the ensuing possession to go up, 21-7.

One last turnover forced by the Leilehua allowed the Mules to run out the clock, picking up their second win in as many weeks and dropping host Moanalua to 0-2 overall. 

McCoy finished the night 15-for-26 passing for 120 yards and three interceptions, as the Moanalua backup QB was sacked five times by the Mules’ aggressive defensive line. Bareng ended the night with six catches for 36 yards and the lone Nā Menehune score, while senior wideout Kila Keone quietly had a solid night, tallying five receptions for 64 yards for the home team. Moanalua will take on ILH powerhouse Punahou next Saturday, August 26 for a non-OIA matchup.

Plunkett was efficient all night for the Mules, taking what the defense gave him to the tune of 135 yards passing on just under 61% completion rate and one interception. Both Flemister and Northington finished with over 100 yards rushing each (110 yards and 138 yards, respectively) while accounting for all three Leilehua touchdowns. The Mules will host Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and the Campbell Sabers next Saturday for an OIA league game. 

Sabers Second-Half Surge Powers Campbell by Waipahu in ‘Battle for Caneknife’

Sabers Second-Half Surge Powers Campbell by Waipahu in ‘Battle for Caneknife’

Sabers Second-Half Surge Powers Campbell by Waipahu in Battle for Caneknife 

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED AUG 14, 2023

WAIPAHU — Campbell junior quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele racked up 431 yards through the air to go along with five touchdown passes as the Sabers beat the Waipahu Marauders, 62-34, on the opening weekend of high school football in Hawai’i. 

The Sabers racked up 749 yards of total offense on the night, more than half of which came after halftime for the visitors from the OIA’s Open Division. On a highly anticipated night by fans of both teams, Waipahu and Campbell fought to an even score, 21-21, through one half of play before Sagapolutele and Co. went to another level coming out of the break.

The matchup was supposed to put eight of the top ranked recruits in the state of Hawai’i for the classes of 2024 and 2025 against each other, but neither of Nebraska commit and Waipahu’s star offensive lineman Preston Taumua and University of Hawai’i commit and Campbell stud edge rusher Nazaiah Carvallo-Lawelawe suited up for the opening night matchup. 

There was no lack of talent on display, though.

Campbell received the opening kickoff, drove the field quickly and went to 3-star ATH Tana Togafau-Tavui in the red zone to punch in the opening score and give the visitors a 7-0 lead. 

The hometown Marauders, quarterbacked by a sophomore in Ben Strobel, answered back quickly with a 20-yard touchdown strike to wideout Jayden Chanel to tie the game at seven apiece.

It looked like the Sabers would answer right back with a score of their own after a long kickoff return set Campbell up with good field position, but a faulty snap that was mishandled by Sagapolutele ended up as a turnover recovered by Waipahu.

The Marauders took a 13-7 lead on the ensuing possession, Strobel finding Tai Aipia-Barrett on a 27-yard touchdown but couldn’t chip on the point after. 

Togafau-Tavui racked up his second touchdown of the day, this one a 20-yard catch to help put the Sabers ahead 14-13 to beat the end of the first quarter clock. 

It took the hometown Marauders less than three minutes to answer back, as senior running back Anieli Teleaai punched his first touchdown of the year in and Waipahu got the two-point conversion to go up, 21-14.

Sagapolutele tossed his second touchdown of the half with just under six minutes remaining in the second quarter, connecting with sophomore Tainoa Lave for a six-yard score and send it to halftime tied at 21. 

Aipia-Barrett caught his second TD pass of the night to open the second half and give Waipahu the lead just a minute and a half into the third, but Campbell would answer back with 35 straight points to open a 62-27 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

A pick-six by Waipahu senior Zion Faleiva capped the scoring on the night, an effort too little too late for the Marauders, as the ‘Caneknife Trophy’ will stay in ‘Ewa Beach for another season. 

Strobel threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns, also getting tagged for two interceptions, in his first start of the year for Waipahu before leaving the game with an injury. One of the newest Marauders weapons, former Moanalua standout Eric Stephens, led the home squad with eight catches for 146 yards. Waipahu’s game against Maui for next weekend has been postponed due to the ongoing fire recovery efforts in Maui. You can donate, here.

Sagapolutele finished the night with 431 yards passing and five touchdowns, accounting for more than half of the total touchdowns scored by the Sabers on Friday night. Togafau-Tavui had seven catches for 99 yards and two total touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) for Campbell. The Sabers will take on Aiea next week, who fell 49-0 to Kapaa in their opening weekend matchup. 

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