[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
Kapolei earns
its spot in states
Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns as Kapolei routed Kalaheo 41-6 in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II semifinal last night at Mililani.
With the win, the Hurricanes (9-0) advanced to the Nov. 14 OIA Division II Championship game against Aiea and ensured themselves a spot in the upcoming Division II state football playoffs.
"I was real proud of our performance tonight -- we hope Hurricane season extends all the way to December," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said. "We started a little slow, but once we got rolling we played very well.
"Our defense played very well in the first half, so overall it was a good team effort by our guys. I was particularly proud of our offense. They scored when we had to and made some big plays."
Kaheaku-Enhada, who shared the quarterback duties with Jon Medeiros, scored on all three of his carries to help the Hurricanes to a 27-0 lead at the break.
"He tore it up pretty good," Hernandez said. "He is being looked at by the Naval Academy to run their option and he has the grades, so hopefully it will work out for him."
The Hurricanes scored three times in a span of 2:24 to break the game open. A 12-yard run by Kaheaku-Enhada, which had been set up by a 38-yard punt by Jon Santiago, got Kapolei on the board and the Hurricanes built on their momentum by recovering an onside kick only moments later.
After Kapolei's James Dias recovered the ball at midfield, the Hurricanes needed only two plays to make it 13-0. Following an 11-yard pass completion from Kaheaku-Enhada to Brandon Pieper, Gilbert Brown took an inside handoff and broke into the clear for a touchdown run that covered 42 yards on the first play of the second quarter.
Following a defensive stop by the Hurricane defense, Kaheaku-Enhada scored on a first down from 38 yards out with 9:37 to play before the half.
Kaheaku-Enhada scored again with 5:47 left in the second quarter when he broke a tackle and sprinted 50 yards up the middle. He followed with a pass to Pieper for a 2-point conversion to account for the Hurricanes' 27-0 halftime lead.
Offensively, Kapolei rolled up 378 total yards, including 198 on the ground. Defensively, the Hurricanes were also stellar, yielding only 41 yards to the Mustangs in the first half and just 14 on the ground.
"That's always one of the keys," Hernandez said. "You have to be able to run the ball and stop the run."
In all, the Hurricanes managed seven stops, posting three sacks in the first half and intercepting Kalaheo quarterback Jarred Neufeldt three times for the night.
Kalaheo's (4-5) regular starter, David Pershin, missed his third straight game, having suffered a broken collarbone in week six.
"Without David we become one-dimensional and when you shut down Jacobe (Akiu), you have an opportunity," Kalaheo coach Tony Tuioti said.
Kapolei added another score with 4:08 left in the third quarter on a 9-yard run by John Dela Rama, and Radford Raquedan raced 30 yards with 10:31 remaining to close out the scoring for Kapolei.
Kalaheo averted a shutout with 5:41 remaining on a 5-yard run by Neufeldt.
At Mililani H.S. Field
Kap -- Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada 12 run (Kerisiano Tuiniga kick)
Kalaheo (4-5) 0 0 0 6 -- 6 Kapolei (9-0) 7 20 7 7 -- 41
Kap -- Gilbert Brown 42 run (kick failed)
Kap -- Kaheaku-Enhada 38 run (kick failed)
Kap -- Kaheaku-Enhada 50 run (Brandon Pieper pass from Jon Medeiros)
Kap -- John Dela Rama 9 run (Tuiniga kick)
Kap -- Radford Raquedan 30 run (Tuiniga kick)
Kalh -- Jarred Neufeldt 5 run (run failed)
RUSHING -- Kalaheo: Jacobe Akiu 10-87, Neufeldt 14-0, John Reis 1-(-6), Gabe Padilla 1-3. Kapolei: Dela Rama 7-72, Brown 2-42, Medeiros 3-(-21), Kaheaku-Enhada 3-100, Raquedan 2-60, Bradley Padayao 1-(-1), Justin Sarce 1-(-4).
PASSING -- Kalaheo: Neufeldt 6-21-3-61, Padilla 0-2-1-0. Kapolei: Medeiros 8-16-2-120, Kaheaku-Enhada 1-1-0-11, Padayao 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING -- Kalaheo: Akiu 1-32, Niel Bowers 1-7, Shawn Forges 2-20, Reis 1-10, Jeremy Perry 1-(-8). Kapolei: Pieper 2-48, Lokahi Olayan 1-11, Charles Recamara 1-20, Kaheaku-Enhada 2-32, Keanui Carmack 1-8, Brandon Hayashi 1-(-1), Brown 1-13.
