[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kapolei's John Dela Rama looked to pick up yardage against Aiea defender Reynard Reynolds last night.
QBs propel Kapolei
over Aiea
Kapolei quarterbacks Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada and Jon Medeiros moved the Hurricanes by land and by air to lead them to a 44-24 victory over Aiea in last night's Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference showdown at Mililani High School.
The Hurricanes remained undefeated (7-0, 6-0) and clinched at least a tie for the OIA White title in just their second year of varsity football.
Kaheaku-Enhada, the running half of the quarterback combination, carried the ball five times for 147 yards and two touchdowns for Kapolei, while Medeiros threw for 222 yards and two more scores.
"It's hard to prepare for them because they do both so well, they run and they pass well," Aiea coach Wendell Say said. "It's a defensive coordinator's nightmare to prepare for these guys."
The Kapolei defense did its part by forcing five turnovers (one fumble, four interceptions) and accounting for a key touchdown in the second quarter to drop Aiea to 5-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference.
"The defense was tremendous and the offense did its job when it had to," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said.
Big plays for Kapolei on both sides of the ball led to a 21-10 lead at halftime.
Kapolei broke on top midway through the first quarter when Chaves Gamboa took the handoff on a counter play and sprinted 28 yards for the game's opening score.
Aiea responded with a six-play scoring drive to tie the game. Two plays after dropping a touchdown pass, Ben Ah Mook Sang redeemed himself by hauling in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Kali Kuia.
Kapolei reclaimed the lead less than a minute later as Kaheaku-Enhada kept the ball on an option play and went untouched around the right side for a 77-yard touchdown run.
Aiea cut the Kapolei lead to 14-10 on Brandon Puckett's 33-yard field goal. But the Kapolei defense extended the lead as Aiea's Raymond Tauala was stripped of the ball and defensive end Ben Kahalehoe scooped up the fumble and returned it 3 yards for a touchdown.
"We were trying too hard to make something happen and the ball pops out," Say said. "Those things happen; too bad it happened to us."
Medeiros completed 11 of 14 passes in the second half, including touchdown throws to Brandon Peiper and Charles Recamara on the Hurricanes' first two possessions of the half. Kaheaku-Enhada added a 59-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
Ah Mook Sang finished with 11 catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
At Mililani H.S. field
Kap--Chaves Gamboa 28 run (Kerisiano Tuaniga kick)
Kapolei (7-0, 6-0) 14 7 14 9 -- 44 Aiea (5-2, 5-1) 7 3 0 14 -- 24
Aiea--Ben Ah Mook Sang 15 pass from Kali Kuia (Brandon Puckett kick)
Kap--Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada 77 run (Tuaniga kick)
Aiea--FG Puckett 33
Kap--Ben Kahalehoe 3 fumble return (Tuaniga kick)
Kap--Brandon Pieper 5 pass from Jon Medeiros (Tuaniga kick)
Kap--Charles Recamara 52 pass from Medeiros (Tuaniga kick)
Kap--FG Tuaniga 30
Aiea--Raymond Tauala 9 run (run failed)
Kap--Kaheaku-Enhada 59 run (kick failed)
Aiea--Ah Mook Sang 13 pass from Kuia (Tauala run)
RUSHING -- Kapolei: John Dela Rama 8-26, Ikaika Tan 1-(-1), Gamboa 3-29, Kaheaku-Enhada 5-147, Colin Dumlao 2-0, Medeiros 5-(-7), Darin Awong 1-0, Gilbert Brown 3-9. Aiea: Tauala 14-59, Kuia 2-26.
PASSING -- Kapolei: Medeiros 17-26-0-222, Kaheaku-Enhada 0-3-0-0. Aiea: Kuia 23-50-4-185, Ah Mook Sang 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING -- Kapolei: Dumlao 5-61, Dela Rama 2-1, Gamboa 3-34, Pieper 4-62, Recamara 1-52, John Santiago 1-5, Travis Mori 1-7. Aiea: Jonathan Burgos 1-6, Alden DeMello 8-65, Ah Mook Sang 11-91, Tauala 1-14, Jabez Armodia 2-8, Ian Dela Cuesta 1-1.
Junior varsity -- Kapolei 14, Aiea 14
