[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kahuku running back Paea Vaimoui looked for running room last night against McKinley. The Red Raiders won easily.
Kahuku
runs away
with victoryThe Red Raiders turn it on
in the second half for
a 40-12 win over McKinley
Kahuku took advantage of three McKinley first-half turnovers to take an early lead and defeat the Tigers 40-12 last night at Mililani High School.
After a slow start, the Red Raiders began to show why they're considered the team to beat in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West Conference.
McKinley was unable to take advantage of several first-half possessions deep in Kahuku territory. Aside from those early turnovers, the opening 24 minutes were evenly played.
Kahuku remained unbeaten at 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference.
The Tigers (2-1, 1-1) knocked on the door early in the second quarter, driving to the Red Raiders' 3, but B.J. Beatty's sack of McKinley quarterback Abel Werner and Joseph Faifili's fumble recovery on the next play ruined the Tigers' chances of scoring first.
The recovery led to Kahuku's first score as running back Paea Vaimoui's 2-yard TD run capped an 83-yard march and made it 6-0 early in the second quarter.
Kimball Niumatalolo stepped in front of a Werner pass for an interception, and Kahuku didn't let the opportunity slip away. Spencer Hafoka caught a short pass from quarterback Waika Carvalho and turned it into a 44-yard gain all the way to the Tigers' 1. Once again, Vaimoui slammed it home to make it 12-0 with 5:17 left in the half.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kahuku's Simote Vea powered through McKInley's Eserona Tipoti and Jeremiah Mata last night. Vea finished with 9 yards rushing.
McKinley had a big chance to cut the lead late in the second quarter when Cheyenne Aiko blocked a punt. The Tigers got as close as the 10, but couldn't punch it in.
The turnover bug continued in the second half as Toriano Taulogo picked off a Werner pass on McKinley's first possession deep in McKinley territory, and Kahuku made the Tigers pay again.
Seven plays later, Carvalho pushed in with a 1-yard sneak and Cy Naki's 2-point run increased the lead to 20-0.
Werner led the Tigers to two scores with long second-half drives. On the first one, he ran five times for 40 yards and hit Quinton Sayers on a 10-yard TD slant to make it 20-6.
After Vaimoui's 43-yard TD sweep gave Kahuku a 28-6 lead, Werner went to the ground game again with gains of 18, 11 and 10 yards before punching it in from 5 yards out, cutting the gap to 28-12.
Hyrum Moors' 50-yard TD sweep around the right and Frank Bracewell's 27-yard scoring catch from Carvalho put the final points on the board for the Red Raiders.
Werner was pressured all night by the Kahuku defensive linemen. Shosei Yamauchi and Beatty combined to sack him five times.
At Mililani H.S. field
Kah -- Paea Vaimoui 2 run (kick failed)
Kahuku (4-0, 3-0) 0 12 16 12 -- 40 Mckinley (2-1, 1-1) 0 0 6 6 -- 12
Kah -- Vaimoui 1 run (run failed)
Kah -- Waika Carvalho 1 run (Cy Naki run)
McK -- Quinton Sayers 10 pass from Abel Werner (kick failed)
Kah -- Vaimoui 43 run (Viliami Tilini pass from Carvaho)
McK -- Werner 5 run (pass failed)
Kah -- Hyrum Moors 50 run (run failed)
Kah -- Frank Bracewell 27 pass from Carvalho (kick failed)
RUSHING -- Kahuku: Vaimoui 15-117, Moors 8-81, Tevita Ofa 2-16, Naki 1-15, Manu Ngatikaura 2-10, Carvalho 7-10, Simote Vea 2-9, Darren Magalogo 2-2. McKinley: Werner 24-55, Michael Vasconcllos 9-54.
PASSING -- Kahuku: Waika Carvalho 5-12-0-131. McKinley: Abel Werner 14-39-3-153.
RECEIVING -- Kahuku: Spencer Hafoka 2-71, Bracewell 2-38, Vea 1-22. McKinley: Sayers 3-38, Daniel Desoto 3-38, Iakopo Taumua 4-37, Chris Quiocho 2-24, Golden Lawrence 2-16.
Junior varsity -- Kahuku 42, McKinley 7
