Unbeaten Radford outmuscles Kalani

Until the offense got in a groove, Radford turned to its defense.

With Mana Kakiva leading the way, the Rams looked every bit like a defense-first champion in a decisive 30-0 win over Kalani on Friday night before a raucous homecoming crowd at John Velasco Stadium.

The Rams improved to 5-0 in the OIA White (6-0 overall) and maintained their hold on first place.

Kalani slipped to 3-2 in league play (3-3 overall). Leading rusher Gavin Kim did not play.

The explosive Kakiva, who had three of Radford’s six sacks, was also instrumental in keeping a lid on Kalani’s ground game.

“They got to the red zone, to the 5-yard line,” Kakiva said of Kalani’s second-quarter scoring threat. “We did what we do best. We shut down the run first.”

Quarterback Cody Lui-Yuen overcame a rough start to pass for 320 yards (19-for-29 and two TDs). The scoring strikes — 44 yards to Randy Ramos and 43 yards to Chris Jackson — came in the second half and put the game well out of reach.

Jackson was a bullet-quick slasher out of Radford’s shotgun and ace formations. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior finished with 168 rushing yards on 20 carries, and added three receptions for 69 yards.

Noah Brum, one of the hottest passers in the OIA White, was limited to 205 yards (21-for-43) while being harassed all night. Defensive end Michael Thomas, linebacker Skylar Babb and defensive back Logan Soakai each had a sack in Radford’s tenacious pass rush.

The Rams ended a scoreless stalemate on Cayman Conley’s 38-yard field goal with 9:26 left in the first half.

They then drove 80 yards in six plays, and scored the only touchdown of the first half on a 4-yard keeper by Lui-Yuen for a 9-0 lead with 3:07 before the break.

Lui-Yuen, a 6-3, 205-pound junior, avoided a sack and found Ramos, and the speedy senior raced for a 44-yard touchdown that opened the lead to 16-0 in the third quarter.

On their next series, Lui-Yuen sent a perfect fade lob to Jackson, and the senior raced down the sideline for a 43-yard touchdown and a 22-0 lead just before the third quarter ended.

Jackson’s 8-yard touchdown run late in the contest capped the scoring.

Kalani had a few highlight runs by senior Dru Reaves, who rushed for 85 yards. For the most part, though, Kalani’s yardage came between the 20s.

“Coach (Fred Salanoa) says to never be satisfied with what we’ve done. We take it day by day,” said Kakiva, a 5-11, 215-pound senior.

In the offseason, Radford had petitioned to move up to the Division I Red Conference, but no team in the higher classification was willing to trade spots.

“I can’t say what we could’ve done there,” Kakiva said, noting that the Rams held their own with Aiea in a preseason scrimmage.

Anuenue 42, Roosevelt 25
Kainalu Kaleo rushed 16 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns, and Anuenue Tui had 15 carries for 63 yards and three touchdowns as Na Koa beat the Rough Riders.

Kaiser 62, Waialua 6
Details were not reported.