Kamehameha knocks off Saint Louis in ILH opener
No. 8 Kamehameha made a statement to its two Division I Interscholastic League of Honolulu rivals, stunning No. 2 Saint Louis 28-21 on Friday to open league play.
Cid Camanse-Stevens scored on a 2-yard run with less than 4 minutes remaining and Taylor Taliulu broke up a pass on fourth down with just over a minute left to clinch the win.
The Warriors (2-2, 1-0) started the year with consecutive losses. Kamehameha handed Saint Louis (3-1, 0-1) its first regular-season loss in 2 years and beat the Crusaders for just the sixth time in 24 meetings dating back to 2000.
Saint Louis quarterback Kawai Mook-Garcia threw for 293 yards and had all three touchdown passes go to junior receiver Jeremy Tabuyo, who finished with seven grabs for 177 yards.
Tabuyo, defensive back Frank Flores and offensive lineman Reeve Koehler all left the game in the second half with injuries.
Koehler was carried off the field late in the third quarter by two teammates and Flores was carted off early in the fourth.
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Tabuyo was carried off the field after returning a kickoff following Kamehameha’s go-ahead touchdown.
Kamehameha had all the momentum early, using big plays on defense and special teams to take a 17-0 lead.
Raymond Pedrina had a 52-yard punt return to the Saint Louis 2 moved back 15 yards due to a penalty, but the Warriors still cashed in on a 27-yard field goal by Kanekoa Pawn-White to take a 3-0 lead.
After a 16-yard run by Bronson Barretto made it 10-0, Kanai Hanohano intercepted Mook-Garcia’s pass and returned it 59 yards to the Saint Louis 22. Four plays later, Barretto cashed in on a 5-yard run to put the Warriors up 17-0.
With the running game struggling to get going, Mook-Garcia and Saint Louis took to the air, throwing the ball six straight
times on the next drive. After consecutive completions to Aaron Goo, Mook-Garcia found a streaking Tabuyo down the sideline for a 39-yard touchdown.
Saint Louis stole the momentum heading into halftime as Mook-Garcia found Tabuyo, converting a fourth and 11 in the final 2 minutes, from 34 yards out to make it 17-14.
Saint Louis took the lead three plays into the second half when Mook-Garcia hit Tabuyo for a 68-yard touchdown.
The Crusaders led 21-20 when Kamehameha nearly forced its third turnover of the game. Goo hauled in a quick slant, but fumbled the ball on the 20. It rolled all the way into the end zone before Kamehameha’s Tanner Asuncion emerged from the pile with the ball.
A face-mask penalty before the fumble allowed the Crusaders to keep the ball, but the Warriors managed not to give up any points as Goo’s 31-yard field-goal try bounced off the left upright.
Kamehameha then marched 80 yards in 13 plays with Camanse-Stevens, one of two quarterbacks the Warriors used, plunging into the end zone from 2 yards out for the winning score. Nephi Stevens, the other Kamehameha quarterback, then hit Keoni Bush-Loo for the 2-point conversion to give the Warriors a 28-21 lead.
Tyler Meditz and Barretto combined to carry the ball 30 times for 125 yards against a Saint Louis defense led by junior Colton Goeas, who had 10 tackles, three of them for losses.
Saint Louis (3-1, 0-1) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | — | 21 |
Kamehameha (2-2, 1-0) | 3 | 14 | 3 | 8 | — | 28 |
KS–FG Kanekoa Pawn-White 27
KS–Bronson Barretto 16 run (Pawn-White kick)
KS–Barretto 5 run (Pawn-White kick)
StL–Jeremy Tabuyo 39 pass from Kawai Mook-Garcia (Aaron Goo kick)
StL–Tabuyo 34 pass from Mook-Garcia (Goo kick)
StL–Tabuyo 68 pass from Mook-Garcia (Goo kick)
KS–FG Pawn-White 38
KS–Cid Camanse-Stevens 2 run (Keoni Bush-Loo pass from Nephi Stevens)
RUSHING–Saint Louis: Kamana Pimental 17-79, Adam Noga 2-17, Mook-Garcia 9-14. Kamehameha: Barretto 11-63, Tyler Meditz 19-62, N. Stevens 3-17, Alika McGuire 1-5, Camanse-Stevens 2-4, Brandon Kahookele 2-2.
PASSING–Saint Louis: Mook-Garcia 21-37-1-293. Kamehameha: Camanse-Stevens 3-6-0-19, N. Stevens 4-7-0-36.
RECEIVING–Saint Louis: Tabuyo 7-177, Goo 8-81, Dallas Tuumalo 3-11, Joseph Kea 2-18, Kainoa Abreu 1-6. Kamehameha: Keoni Bush-Loo 2-19, Barretto 1-14, Meditz 1-9, McGuire 1-9, Raymond Pedrina 1-5, Tristan Peterson 1-(-1).
No. 7 ‘Iolani 42, Damien 0
Reece Foy threw four touchdown passes for the Raiders (1-0, 3-1), who opened ILH play with a win over the Monarchs (0-1, 0-3).
For the second time in 14 days, a Damien player was forced to leave the field in an ambulance. Linebacker Mika’ele Nakamura, a 5-foot-10, 220-pound junior, suffered a neck injury while covering a punt during the fourth quarter.
He laid face-first on the turf for 25 minutes before EMS personnel arrived on the scene. He was eventually put on a stretcher, but managed to wave two fingers at the crowd before he was wheeled into the ambulance.
Damien coach Eddie Klaneski said after the game Nakamura never lost consciousness and was being treated for a neck injury.
Two weeks ago, starting quarterback Alan Mohika suffered a concussion during a game. He will not play football again this season.
At Aloha Stadium
Damien (0-3, 0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
‘Iolani (3-1, 1-0) | 7 | 13 | 20 | 2 | — | 42 |
Iol–Tanner Nishioka 38 pass from Reece Foy (Jordan Lee kick)
Iol–Lee 66 pass from Foy (Lee kick)
Iol–Kody Mento 1 run (kick blocked)
Iol–Kasey Takahashi 26 pass from Foy (kick failed)
Iol–Dane Arakawa 26 pass from Foy (Lee kick)
Iol–Mento 15 run (Bryan Pham kick)
Iol–Safety, ball snapped out of end zone
RUSHING–Damien: Rusty Kauahikaua 8-31, Edwin Aumua 5-11, Christopher Gonsalves-Chang 1-24, team 1-(minus 9), Syles Choy 9-(minus 10). ‘Iolani: Mento 10-100, Lee 5-25, Max Maneafaiga 8-20, Chad Hanaoka 1-9, Pham 1-3, Ryan Sato 1-(minus 2), Foy 1-(minus 9).
PASSING–Damien: Choy 17-28-0-132. ‘Iolani: Foy 9-14-0-220, Easton Tsubata 3-3-0-27.
RECEIVING–Damien: Kealii Kaanapu 5-59, Dylan Flores 4-30, Kauahikaua 3-12, Dustin Munar 2-20, Trevor Caspillo 2-11, Lyle Alloy-Glover 1-0. ‘Iolani: Arakawa 3-35, Lee 2-72, Takahashi 2-63, Nishioka 2-59, Sheldon Gallarde 1-12, Chase Kanekuni 1-10, Sato 1-(minus 4).