Kaiser cruises in first game since step up to Division I

Cameron Higgins’ head coaching debut looked a lot like the 2013 season for the Kaiser Cougars.

The defending Division II state champions passed their first test since making the jump to Division I, rolling Aiea 52-7 in the season opener for both teams on Friday night at Kaiser Stadium.

Jensen McDaniel rushed for 162 yards and four touchdowns in his varsity debut for the Cougars, who have won 14 straight games dating back to last season.

"I thought the team played all four quarters, which we were harping on," said Higgins, who replaced Rich Miano during the offseason. "We didn’t care what the score was. We wanted to see effort, hustle and passion and I was proud of the boys for doing that."

Kaiser played its way into the OIA Red Division this season after romping through the OIA White last year, winning by an average of more than 40 points in league play.

That won’t happen again this season with the likes of No. 5 Kahuku, No. 8 Waianae and No. 9 Leilehua on the schedule.

But against Na Alii, it was a similar outcome to last season, as the Cougars piled up 416 total yards and had the running clock rule in effect midway through the third quarter.

"To get out here and win our first game was special," said McDaniel, who finished with 191 total yards.

The junior running back played on the JV team last year but won the starting job during the summer battling classmate Keith Jones II.

McDaniel showed his quickness on a 70-yard scoring burst midway through the first quarter and also showed an ability to run between the tackles, scoring twice from 1 yard out and once from 2 yards.

He hobbled off the field after his final touchdown made it 42-7 in the third quarter but said it wasn’t anything serious.

"I just started cramping," McDaniel said.

Quarterback Kalawai’a Judd finished 16-for-30 for 160 yards in his Kaiser debut and threw two touchdown passes to Destin Moss, who had five receptions for 95 yards.

Judd, who played for Kauai last season and lost to Kaiser in the state final, also ran for 86 yards.

"I thought he handled himself well and made plays when he needed to make plays," Higgins said. "He had to improvise a little bit, but that’s what being a quarterback is sometimes and he’s done well, especially learning the playbook on such a short time frame."

Kaiser’s defense held Aiea to 128 total yards by dominating the line of scrimmage. Senior Zeno Choi had two sacks and a fumble recovery and Manase Palu had four tackles for loss and a sack as they harassed Aiea quarterback Kobe Kato all game.

Kato, a sophomore, went 12-for-32 for 68 yards and threw an interception that was returned 48 yards for a touchdown by Nicolas Tom.

Running back Kodi Ongory-Mathias rushed for 43 yards on 14 carries and threw for Aiea’s only touchdown on a trick play when he took a lateral from Kato and tossed a 19-yard touchdown to Pokahu Kealoha-Cambe.

Kais–Destin Moss 20 pass from Kalawai’a Judd (Matt Sai kick)

Kais–Jensen McDaniel 70 run (Sai kick)

Kais–McDaniel 2 run (Sai kick)

Kais–McDaniel 1 run (Sai kick)

Kais–Nicolas Tom 48 interception return (Sai kick)

Aiea–Pokahu Kealoha-Cambe 19 pass from Kodi Ongory-Mathias (Micah Peters-Valdez kick)

Kais–McDaniel 1 run (Sai kick)

Kais–FG Sai 28

Kais–Moss 18 pass from from Judd (Sai kick)

RUSHING–Aiea: Ongory-Mathias 14-43, Ferenisi Lualemana 2-14, team 1-(minus 5), Kobe Kato 8-(minus 21). Kais: McDaniel 24-162, Judd 10-86, Keith Jones II 4-8.

PASSING–Aiea: Kato 12-32-1-68, Ongory-Mathias 1-1-0-19. Kais: Judd 16-30-0-160.

RECEIVING–Aiea: Cory Walton 4-18, Kealoha-Cambe 2-25, Lincoln Tappe 2-13, Jarod Alama 2-4, Austin Hartbarger 2-(minus 2), Ongory-Mathias 1-29. Kais: Justin Ikei 7-29, Moss 5-95, McDaniel 3-29, Andrew Kaufusi 1-7B