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LAS VEGAS >> Kahuku had plenty of reason for optimism as it headed into the locker room at halftime here at Fertitta Field on Saturday night.
The Red Raiders trailed two-time defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Bishop Gorman by just seven thanks to a 45-yard touchdown run by freshman quarterback Sol-Jay Maiava, and the normally efficient Gaels offense was bogged down by turnovers and penalties.
But the second half was a carbon copy of so many of Bishop Gorman’s victories during an amazing 43-game winning streak, as senior quarterback Tate Martell and a strong defense took over and the Gaels (4-0) pulled away for a convincing 35-7 victory.
The Ohio State-bound Martell passed for four touchdowns, ran for another and had a highlight-reel Fran Tarkenton-like scramble that saw him crisscross the field. Not bad considering the 17th-ranked Red Raiders (5-1) came in with a 18-game winning streak and had a 15-quarter scoreless streak snapped in the second quarter on the first of two Martell touchdown passes to junior tight end Brevin Jordan.
But Martell, who fumbled three times and lost two, including one at the Kahuku 6-yard line on Gorman’s opening drive of the game, wasn’t in the mood for any “attaboys” afterward.
“(Kahuku) was good,” said Martell, who completed 12 of 20 passes for 146 yards and rushed for 52 yards on 12 carries. “But we just had so many mistakes. That was a terrible game on our side. Offensively, I know we could have played a lot better. I played pretty well, but I know I could have played a lot better.”
Martell had an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jordan early in the second quarter to give Bishop Gorman a 7-0 lead and then connected with senior wide receiver Austin Arnold on a 10-yard score to make it 14-0.
But Kahuku, which finished with only 161 total yards, went into halftime with some momentum when Maiava sprinted around left end for a 45-yard touchdown to make it 14-7.
Bishop Gorman took control at the start of the second half with an impressive 13-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 5-yard touchdown run by Martell. The drive was highlighted by a 20-yard run by Martell on third-and-16 at the Gaels 31 that saw the 5-foot-11, 200-pound scramble toward the right sideline, turn and curl around toward midfield and then dodging several tacklers en route to the first down.
“He’s just a special kid who does special things,” Bishop Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez said. “That was one of his better ones.”
The Gaels sealed the win when Martell lobbed a high pass to a twisting Jordan for a 3-yard touchdown with 5:12 remaining. Martell added a 14-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Dorian Thompson-Robinson with 2:21 remaining.
“We’re the best second-half team in the country,” said Jordan, rated by some scouting services as the top junior tight end prospect in the nation. “We always start slow in the first half and we just snap out of it and end up winning going away.”
The Red Raiders, who came in averaging 203 yards rushing per game, finished with only 112 yards on the ground.
Kahuku coach Vae Tata declined to comment on the game when approached by a reporter afterward.
The game was played before a standing-room-only crowd of more than 5,000, with about 2,000 of the fans wearing Red Raider red.
“I thought the atmosphere was awesome,” Sanchez said. “Kahuku, nobody does it like that. That’s a special school they have there. Their following … to come I don’t know how many miles away across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii and bring that many people, that’s a special deal.”
At Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, Nev.
| Kahuku (5-1) |
0 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
– |
7 |
| Bishop Gorman (4-0) |
0 |
14 |
7 |
14 |
– |
35 |
BG—Brevin Jordan 18 pass from Tate Martell (Derek Ng kick)
BG—Austin Arnold 10 pass from Tate Martell (Derek Ng kick)
Kah–Sol-Jay Maiava 45 run (Stokes Nihipali-Botelho kick)
BG—Tate Martell 5 run (Derek Ng kick)
BG—Brevin Jordan 3 pass from Tate Martell (Derek Ng kick)
BG—Dorian Thompson-Robinson 14 pass from Tate Martell (Derek Ng kick)
RUSHING—Kahuku: Elvis Vakapuna 19-53, Harmon Brown 9-42, Sol-Jay Maiava 6-23, Marcus Lombard 1-1, Team 1-(minus 7). Bishop Gorman: Amod Cianelli 22-130, Tate Martell 12-52, Matthew De Los Reyes 3-3, Dorian Thompson-Robinson 1-3.
PASSING–Kahuku: Sol-Jay Maiava 3-9-0—33. Bishop Gorman: Tate Martell 12-20-0-146.
RECEIVING–Kahuku: Marcus Lombard 2-26, Kaiea Dowling 1-7. Bishop Gorman: Jalen Nailor 3-57, Brevin Jordan 3-26, Dorian Thompson-Robinson 2-28, Austin Arnold 2-24, Jimmy Telles 2-11.
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