Red Raiders hammer visiting Hurricanes

The most potent offense in the Oahu Interscholastic Association met its match last night.

Kahuku, with the most stifling defense in the league, limited Kapolei to 17 total yards in the first half en route to a 47-7 win at Carleton Weimer Field.

The top-ranked Red Raiders (7-1) advanced to the semifinals of the OIA playoffs. Kahuku will meet Farrington next weekend.

Kahuku amassed 327 rushing yards on 35 attempts, primarily behind the 1-2 combination of Malosi Te'o and Kamuela Alisa. Te'o rushed for 193 yards on 13 carries, and Alisa had 67 yards on only six attempts.

In all, the Red Raiders piled up 497 yards in total offense as quarterback Kaulin Krebs had a turnover-free game. The senior completed his first seven pass attempts for 128 yards and praised his line.

"We had a couple of younger kids step in," Krebs said of backups Tyrell Nihipali and Patrick Au. Nihipali filled in at center and Au did yeoman work at right tackle. "We reviewed (Kapolei) on film and knew exactly what to do."

The visiting Hurricanes arrived on the North Shore with a gaudy average of 397 yards per game, but Kahuku's defensive line and posse of fast, aggressive linebackers dominated the first half. Offensively, the Red Raider offensive line controlled the trenches, opening holes for running backs Alisa and Te'o.

Kapolei, which ended up with 164 total yards, finished the season 5-4.

"Our guys played hard. I'm proud of them," coach Darren Hernandez said. "We have nothing to be ashamed of. Kahuku is the hardest place to play at."

It got more difficult when Kahuku's O-line took charge.

"It's not their (team speed); it's their power in the trenches. Their offensive line is awesome," Hernandez said. "We can have all the fancy speed and runners, but it means nothing if we can't control the line of scrimmage."

Te'o, who supplanted Alisa as the starting tailback, ran for 105 yards in the first quarter alone. His long jaunts off tackle set up touchdown runs for Alisa, even as Kapolei stacked the box with eight defenders.

Kahuku drove 86 yards in six plays on its opening series. Alisa bolted 45 yards off left tackle for his first touchdown. Kahuku led 7-0 with 4:40 left in the first quarter.

On its next possession, Kahuku went on a five-play, 54-yard march, all on the ground. Alisa's 6-yard touchdown run up the middle gave the Red Raiders a 14-0 lead with 6 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Kahuku finally threw its first pass on its third series, but that drive was still ground-oriented. A roughing-the-passer call against Kapolei helped the Red Raiders set up in Hurricane territory. Kaulin Krebs connected with Devin Unga on a 25-yard TD pass to give their team a 20-0 lead with 8:56 to go in the first half.

A botched pitch by Kapolei quarterback Brad Padayao was recovered by Kahuku defensive end B.J. Beatty and returned 5 yards to the Kapolei 1-yard line. Joe Whittacker plunged in on the next play to give the Red Raiders a 26-0 lead with 8:36 remaining in the half.

Wide receiver Redmond Tutor caught a quick-slant pass from Krebs and raced 60 yards for Kahuku's final touchdown of the first half. The Red Raiders led 34-0 with 3:20 before intermission.