High School Beat
Star-Bulletin staff
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[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
Kauai coach avoids 1-game suspension
Kauai coach Kelii Morgado got his fill of good and bad news recently.
During his team's 30-0 win over Waimea two weekends ago, his bench was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, which resulted in his ejection. A one-game suspension was also in line, but after the weekend, officials reversed their decision.
"They ejected me, came to practice Monday and admitted their poor performance in calling the game, as well as their incorrect call to eject me," Morgado said. "So, it was all for nothing, thankfully."
Kauai has won the last three KIF titles, but has never truly dominated the league. This year is no different, in Morgado's opinion.
"The win over Waimea was frustrating because the offense is taking a long time to jell. It was refreshing because it's nice to hand (Waimea) a big loss since I was always receiving the butt-kicking in the past," he said.
"We still need to work on a lot. We're a great team defensively, but mediocre offensively. That's why they call us coaches. We still have to coach them up to their potential."
Trojans, Na Alii rack up big numbers
Last week's wild Mililani-Aiea game had statistics and injuries running off the charts.
The game featured:
» 223 rushing yards and three touchdowns by the state's premier running back, Jordan Torres, on just 25 carries.
» 28 penalties for 226 yards, including 16 yellow flags for 120 penalty yards by Aiea.
» Injuries to quarterback Keenan Naeole, linemen Malone Faumuina and Ataji Lani, safety Josh Chung and defensive tackle Miah Faatoafe, all of Aiea.
» Four different Na Alii at quarterback, with safety-turned-receiver-turned-emergency signal-caller Daniel Liilii finishing 6-for-16 with two late interceptions and 87 passing yards.
» Nearly 3 hours of scrambling quarterbacks, a dominant running back and his efficient line, injury timeouts and lengthy officials' conferences.
For fans who arrived in time for the start of the junior varsity game, the entire night was 5 hours, 40 minutes long.
Oh, and they got to absorb a little blessing of rain in the final 5 minutes.
Iolani's Yamamoto posts career night
Justin Yamamoto rushed for 182 yards on 29 carries, both career-high numbers, in Iolani's 24-14 win over Pac-Five.
Kela Marciel, a sophomore, had two of his team's interceptions.
"He came through. He's a playmaker," Iolani coach Wendell Look said.
"What's good is they're learning how to win, finding ways to get it done. We escaped with one. Pac-Five played a helluva game. They executed well in the first half."
Bears holding steady despite blowouts
Baldwin has dominated the MIL once again, with the exception of a narrow win over Lahainaluna. Relegated by the league to play no nonconference games, the Bears know the rest of the state has difficulty gauging their quality of play. They've been stuck at No. 6 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10 for two weeks now despite blowout wins.
"Unbeaten teams are only as good as their conference. Unfortunately that is our problem in the MIL, BIIF and KIF -- it doesn't matter how much we beat up an opponent, because what we're supposed to do," coach Jimmy Morimoto said. "My first teams have only seen the first half of games with one exception, Lahainaluna. Is running up stats a measuring stick? I don't think so."
Baldwin came to Oahu two seasons ago and tied with Kamehameha, 14-all, in a game that caught the attention of lots of fans, coaches and media. For now, Morimoto figures that his team is in a no-win situation off the field.
"The bar will always be set by an Oahu team. That's where nonconference games come into play. As you know, the MIL can't have nonconference games," he said. "What do we do?"
More importantly, Morimoto wonders about state-tourney seeding. "Does an OIA team with two losses deserve a top-two seed for states? Time will tell," he said. "Only half the season has been played."
By Paul Honda, Star-Bulletin
To nominate ...
To nominate an athlete of the week, contact the Star-Bulletin Sports Department by 11 p.m. Sunday:
Phone: 529-4782
Fax: 529-4787
E-mail: sports@starbulletin.com
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