[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
Beyer back to
carrying Kamehameha
Travis Beyer returned to his old running back spot and it gave Kamehameha the breakaway threat it was missing in last night's 28-3 victory over Iolani at Aloha Stadium.
Beyer was the Warriors' top running back a year ago, but switched to defensive back to start this season. He took over for previous starter Sy Cullen and rolled for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
"Travis is a big-time back," said Kamehameha coach Kanani Souza, whose team improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. "It was his big chance (at his former position) and he really came through."
Due to its hard-nosed defensive effort, Iolani (4-3, 2-1) was very much in the game until late in the third quarter, when the Warriors pulled away.
"What you just saw was one helluva defensive effort by our undersized and undermanned team," Iolani coach Wendell Look said. "It's a lot more than anything we could ask for."
Kamehameha also played unyielding defense, creating five turnovers and limiting the Raiders to 92 scrimmage yards and Nick Wong's 41-yard field goal. Interceptions by Guyton Galdeira, Tamatoa Silva, Travis Uale and Matt Jung on passes by Kiran Kepoo accounted for four of the five Iolani turnovers.
"Our defense kept us in the game because Iolani frustrated our offense," Souza said.
The Raiders trailed 7-3 late in the first half when they made a costly game-turning mistake. Kamehameha's Gabriel Spencer picked up a fumbled pitch and sprinted 18 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 halftime lead.
"That's football," Look said about the fumble. "We had those five turnovers. But to give the ball away in that situation, that's death."
The Iolani defensive unit gave up just one first-half TD -- Beyer's 42-yard burst. On the Warriors' five other first-half drives, Iolani forced them to punt twice and to give up the ball on downs twice in addition to Shaun Agustin's interception.
It looked like the Raiders' defense would keep Kamehameha down in the second half after Kyle Muraoka's interception. But two plays later, Uale got the ball back with a pick of his own, and it led to Pono Kam's 11-yard touchdown pass to Waika Carvalho for a commanding 21-3 lead.
Beyer's second TD -- a 2-yard dive -- early in the fourth quarter and Kepa Gaison's fourth extra point finished the scoring.
Iolani was without leading ground gainer Raynold Stowers, who has a shoulder injury. Backup Mike Hirokawa played sparingly after what Look called an ineffective week of practice.
"It's a good question," Look said when asked when Stowers would return. "I wish I could answer it."
Cullen rushed for 54 yards on nine carries in a backup role to Beyer.
Kepoo, who led Iolani to last week's victory over Damien, completed just six of 23 passes for 60 yards.
At Aloha Stadium
Kam -- Travis Beyer 42 run (Kepa Gaison kick)
Iolani (4-3, 2-1) 0 3 0 0 -- 3 Kamehameha (5-0, 3-0) 7 7 7 7 -- 28
Iol -- Nick Wong FG 41
Kam -- Gabriel Spencer 18 fumble return (Gaison kick)
Kam -- Waika Spencer 11 pass from Pono Kam (Gaison kick)
Kam -- Beyer 2 run (Gaison kick)
RUSHING -- Iolani: Peter Heimerdinger 6-20, Mike Hirokawa 5-18, Kiran Kepoo 7-(-6). Kamehameha: Beyer 22-177, Sy Cullen 9-54, Jason Rego 9-48, Pono Kam 4-20, Asti Merino 1-8, Tyson Fujimoto 2-5, Adam Picadura 1-2, Evan Collier 2-1, Gaison 1-(-14).
PASSING -- Iolani: Kepoo 6-23-4-60, Heimerdinger 0-1-0-0. Kamehameha: Kam 11-22-2-73.
RECEIVING -- Iolani: Heimerdinger 2-20, Karl Motoyama 1-18, Blayne Yama 2-11, Kekai Kealoha 1-11. Kamehameha: W. Spencer 4-38, James Hardy 3-25, Beyer 1-6, Matt Coelho 1-6, Kawika Vincent 1-0, Ikaika Hardie 1-(-2).
Saint Louis 42, Pac-Five 0: Three Crusaders quarterbacks combined for 365 passing yards to keep the Wolfpack winless in the ILH.
Stanley Nihipali completed 10 of 15 passes for 257 yards and three TDs, while Desmond Hanohano hauled in two of those scoring strikes on gains of 62 and 76 yards.
The Crusaders' defense, led by Tyson Alualu, Arthur Tupuola and Dylan Moss, held the Wolfpack to net 87 yards from scrimmage.
Pac-Five came out charged up and held Saint Louis scoreless in the first quarter while moving the ball offensively. But the Wolfpack began to break down in the second quarter when the Crusaders' Pono Vierra recovered a fumble in Pac-Five territory. Five plays later, running back B.J. Batts scored from 6 yards out for the first score, and the Saint Louis domination began.
At Aloha Stadium
StL -- B.J. Batts 6 run (kick failed)
Pac-Five (2-3, 0-3) 0 0 0 0 -- 0 Saint Louis (3-1, 2-1) 0 12 14 16 -- 42
StL -- Desmond Hanohano 62 pass from Stanley Nihipali (kick failed)
StL -- Shaun Kauleinamoku 50 pass from Nihipali (C.J. Santiago kick)
StL -- Hanohano 76 pass from Nihipali (Santiago kick)
StL -- Safety: Pac-Five punter Brent Umehira batted loose ball out back of own end zone.
StL -- Shane Cavanaugh 3 run (Santiago kick)
StL -- Jarred Silva 27 fumble return (Santiago kick)
RUSHING -- Pac-Five: Gyles Lawrence 18-43, Shane Lawrence 6-31, Keala Kaehuaea 1-7, Cheyne Abbey-Chong 6-7, Jordan Tani 1-(-3), Brent Umehira 2-(-6), Patrick Smith 1-(-7), Team 2-(-24). Saint Louis: Batts 10-52, Cody Wells 2-18, Wyatt Williams 1-6, Shane Cavanaugh 1-3, Kealii Perbera 1-0, Cameron Higgins 1-(-8), Nihipali 3-(-11).
PASSING -- Pac-Five: Tani 4-13-0-39, Patrick Smith 0-2-0-0, S. Lawrence 0-1-0-0. Saint Louis: Nihipali 10-15-0-257, Perbera 11-17-0-89, Cameron Bayne 2-3-0-19.
RECEIVING -- Pac-Five: Travis Tyler 2-14, Abbey-Chong 1-14, G. Lawrence 1-11. Saint Louis: Hanohano 4-158, Kauleinamoku 8-103, Johnny Gentry 4-38, Aaron Bain 3-27, Makaala Kuewa 2-20, Ryan Brilhante 2-19.
