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Bishop Gorman beats Kahuku in Las Vegas

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DAVID BECKER / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Bishop Gorman’s Amod Cianelli (26) avoids a tackle from Kahuku’s Kekaula Kaniho (1) during the first half.

Tate Martell accounted for five touchdowns to lead Bishop Gorman, the No. 1-ranked team in the country, to a 35-7 win over No. 17 Kahuku on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Martell threw for four touchdowns and ran for another to extend the Gaels’ winning streak to 44 games.

Freshman Sol-Jay Maiava scored on a 45-yard touchdown run in the second quarter for Kahuku (5-1), which had its 18-game winning streak snapped.

Kahuku gave up more points against Bishop Gorman than it had allowed in its first five games total this season.

Running back Elvis Vakapuna had 57 rushing yards on 20 carries. Kahuku was held to 142 total yards and only 43 yards in the second half.

Maiava finished 3-for-9 for 33 yards passing.

Kahuku returns home to play at Moanalua next Saturday.

71 responses to “Bishop Gorman beats Kahuku in Las Vegas”

  1. iwanaknow says:

    ….well, they did their best……..

    • AlohaKakou says:

      Yep, always good to be humble cause there’s always someone better, faster and stronger. If you’re a big fish in a little pond, life’s different when you go to the big pond…

  2. islandstyl says:

    Dive left and dive right may work here in Hawaii but apparently not against better competition. Throw the ball on first down! Flea flicker or some kind of trickery. But to be content with just relying on two plays the whole game is pathetic.

      • islandstyl says:

        Haha! It doesn’t take a coach to see how pathetic the play calling was.

        • dogchow says:

          Kahuku was doing what Kahuku does best. They were not physically out-classed, o-line and d weren’t pushed around. Early on, they were getting the short yardage and eating up the clock keeping BG off the field. Did you expect to suddenly see a JJ offense implemented? On defense, Kaniho was bringing it with the hard hits. No win but Kahuku should be proud of how they represented Hawaii.

        • cbvierra says:

          You are just jealous that they actually did better than the #3 & #7 teams in the Elite 25 ……#getoverit

        • cbvierra says:

          Dog chow no sense trying to reason with this person, Jealousy was sure going to rise after the game, Kahuku played their game, and like I said did much better than I expected

        • hanabatadayz says:

          they should’ve ran the fake right and qb run to the left more..that play worked..they just didn’t use it much

        • rossi says:

          So you have a team in Hawaii that could have done better? Couch coaches like you have all the answers. Pick any other team in Hawaii to do better against the number one team in the nation.

      • 808warriorfan says:

        I agree with “Iwanaknow” … Kahuku can do that vs all the public schools on Oahu … very 1 dimensional in their offense … won’t work vs a team like BG … doesn’t take a football “Einstein” to figure this one out …

        • cbvierra says:

          808warriorfan you might want to make a correction to your statement and add Private Schools too, 1 dimensional or 100 playing an Elite Team like BG was an experience that many of our players from Hawaii will never have. You are right that one doesn’t have to be an “Einstein” to know Kahuku were out matched by a better program, and you don’t need to be a doorknob to understand that BG pays for what they have. One thing is certain is they didn’t back down from the challenge, everyone on this post is so pathetic complaining about their offense……. it is the same offense the spanked everyone last season and will be the same one that will spank every one again this year.

    • islandfever says:

      Apparently dive left and dive right is enough to be Champs in Hawaii. The boys did great and played their hearts out. No excuses just licking our wounds and coming back to Hawaii to finish off the season.

    • cbvierra says:

      Sorry and can I get the name of the team you are coaching?……….. talk about pathetic #wakeup

    • allie says:

      True..Kahuku is a distinctly inferior team compared to elite mainland teams which are better coached and have far more skill.

      • cbvierra says:

        Allie you may want to add that ALL Hawaii teams are inferior, many of the Elite teams are schools that pay to have the best players, not even our own private schools can compete with that. I am not an alumnus but I am proud that Kahuku played the best team in the nation and did their best. What is funny is that no other school in Hawaii is rated as high as the Red Raiders.

    • amela says:

      Gee give the boys a break. If you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything. You Trump supporters are something else.

  3. moondog73 says:

    At least no bolo head.

  4. islandstyl says:

    True. At least they got in the end zone. It’s a good thing Kahuku’s strength is their defense. That score is not a true measure of what the RR defense accomplished. That unit did all they can to limit that powerful offense but they can only do so much. The offensive play calling was pathetic, to say the least.

  5. jussayin says:

    Gorman is awesome. It was easy to tell. Would be fun to see them play UH. Congrats to Kahuku for scheduling the game and playing hard. It should be a good learning experience going forward.

    • tigerwarrior says:

      Tate Martell, a five-star prospect is the top QB in the nation. And Bishop Gorman’s defense is loaded with four-star recruits. So hats off to Kahuku players for playing their hearts out and being the class act of Hawaii football. BG could learn a lesson from the Red Raiders, by being willing to shake the hands of their opponents before the game instead of leaving them hanging.

  6. justmyview371 says:

    Really, Kahuka couldn’t get any more points. Pitiful. Your in the wrong division.

    • RetiredWorking says:

      just, you are correct. Kahuku is not in the same division as the number 1 team in the nation. However, I’m proud of them. They banged with America’s BEST!

      • allie says:

        Bishop played their second and third string in the second half according to the story. But why are these players not in school? Their future is in academics and getting a job for life. Football is not a reality for most of them. Please put academics first. Football is entertainment only.

        • cbvierra says:

          Allie Where did you get your source from, I seen the same numbers on the players that started the game playing the entire game ……… before you mention education first you might want to do your research on the educational expectations of the Kahuku FB team ….. and it is not a 2.0 gap either. #hater

    • kimchee says:

      Your grammar is in the wrong division as well. You’re = you are. Your = possession/belonging to. But thanks for writing in. Good luck with – YOUR – SAT score.

    • cbvierra says:

      Can you please learn how to spell the team name correctly before you try to dis them! #1 vs #17 cmon, they had their chances. I tell you one thing this lost is the best thing for them……Kahuku is still the top team in Hawaii

  7. bumbye says:

    Big fish in a small pond visited the big pond.

  8. HOSSANA says:

    Bishop Gorman plays a brutal non-conference schedule with the likes of nationally ranked No. 5 Cedar Hill of Texas, No. 3 rank St. John Bosco and then next week, I believe they play No. 4 (although some people rank them as No. 1 this year) and that’s St. Thomas Aquinas of Florida, a perennial nationally rank football team year in and year out……and don’t forget they have to come home and play in their conference which is heads and shoulders above the OIA with teams like Liberty who could beat Kahuku not to mention Silverado…..that’s tough man….of course, Kahuku is not to blame for the weak teams in their division like Radford and now next week, Moanalua……..Radford and Moanalua….what a joke….
    Kahuku will win the State Title again this year but I’m sure St. Louis will have something to say about that and maybe Punahou…..people forget that in August where Kahuku, Farrington, and Punahou scrimmaged each other, Punahou was able to move the ball well against Kahuku…oh, well….we’ll see come State Playoff time…..cheers.

  9. BluesBreaker says:

    Execution and technical skill prevails occasionally.

  10. MrsCD says:

    LOL No offense… NO Defense!
    Too bad vegas team let off the gas!

    • islandfever says:

      Really I saw two hail marys to the end zone when they could have taken a knee the last 20 seconds of the game, not only was it classless of them but I think they were also trying to make the point spread which Kahuku did a fine job of preventing. They lost the game but hey, being undefeated in Hawaii gets boring sometimes.

  11. UncleFester says:

    Think, you guys. Do you think BG is just a high school that makes a team out of the kids who live in the school district limits? It’s a football factory and attracts kids from across the country who for some reason think that BG is the ticket to the future.

    Someone wrote that BG’s defense is studded with 4 star players. How possible is it that any high school would have in its district so many high quality players?

    When you think about what the purpose of high school sports should be, I’ll take Kahuku’s program and philosophy over BG’s any day.

  12. HAJAA1 says:

    35-7 against the top team in the country? If BG had to fly over and come to Kahuku field this might have gotten real interesting.

  13. KonaWarrior says:

    To me the game was over even before it began, and I’m not talking about from a talent level, I’m referring to the psychological win. When I saw the Kahuku team being showcased during the Fremont experience the day before the game, I was thinking, “Why distract these young men to this the day before one of the greatest games of their young lives.” This played out perfectly into the hands of BG. Just like when UH puts the visiting teams up into the Waikiki hotels and provides the tourist experience as a distraction, I believe throwing out many of these players, some of whom may perhaps have never been to Las Vegas, let alone the mainland, was a poor coaching/administration move. I understand the incredible and passionate support that the community has for the team, but couldn’t this all have been done after the game? Even if they has still lost, they would have seen the huge support anyway but at least they would have been better prepared. Despite my rant, I am still proud of the effort that they displayed to (according to the YouTube broadcast team) one of the highest You Tube views of a BG game ever.

  14. akamairhino says:

    BG out coached Kahuku plain and simple. Kahuku had the talent on the field but ran the same plays over and over and expected a different result. My guess is that Hao wanted to mix it up this year and lost his job because of this. With no passing game, it was a matter of time before BG took control as this game’s score could have been 49-0 if BG didn’t turn it over. What this game really did was expose how to stop Kahuku;s offense and you can bet that other OIA and ILH schools will be reviewing the tape on this game. I would like to see Pun/STL play BG as it would have been a lot more entertaining to watch. Didn’t STL lose by less than 2 touchdowns just a few years ago to BG in Hawaii? Also, if I was Maiva’s parents I would really consider transferring to either Pun/STL as his Michigan offer will likely be rescinded if Kahuku sticks with their run only offense.

  15. Tempmanoa says:

    Kahuku has nothing to be ashamed as they fought hard, but if you know anything about Bishop Gorman, then you know this was a grossly unfair matchup. BG has a program more like a college than a high school. And they are like an all star team. An all star team from Hawaii would be a fair matchup– Tua from St Louis and the best running backs and linemen from Punahou, Kamehameha, St. Louis– and of course Kahuku with coaches picked from Tata, the Lee brothers, June Jones, and many more and we still might not win, but the match would be fair.

    • walaau808 says:

      Enough excuses. A loss is a loss. Nobody forced Kahuku to take the game. Tata chose to play and the community backed him because of their pride. Do you actually think Kahuku didn’t think they were going to win? Your tune would be different had they won, but since they didn’t here you are. Get over it and get back to work,

    • islandfever says:

      In 1997 Hawaii Allstars went up to Vegas and was beating LasVegas allstars in the second quarter 14-7 till a fight broke out and ended the game. I think if Kahuku had Tua at QB they wouldve had a chance, add to that other Hawaii talent and BG would be the underdog.

      Remember Kahuku alone has sent over 25 players to the NFL to BG’s 5.

  16. KonaGolden says:

    Kahuku is a small school, from a small community, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, they did their community proud. Was great to see that, win or lose, the community is still proud of their kids. Shame on all the haters posting pilau, these are kids who played and lost a game against a powerhouse and still gets trashed on. Put away all this animosity and give these kids the kudos they deserve.

    • RetiredWorking says:

      KonaGolden, totally agree. I couldn’t have said it any better. People, be proud! Remember that these are unsophisticated kids, many who’ve never been off island. I agree with KonaWarrior, too. The Vegas distraction should’ve been done after the game, like today. Good game. I hope no one got hurt. If you want to improve, play teams better than yourselves. Win or lose, let’s be proud of our kids. Hey, there were no riots in the stands(Remember that, years ago in LV?), no cheap shots and unsportsmanlike conduct. That shows character. Good job to the team, staff and supporters in the stands!

  17. frontman says:

    Bishop Gorman could beat UH at Aloha Stadium.

  18. NanakuliBoss says:

    There were more Kahuku fans then BG fans. That was awesome. I guess the players family couldn’t make the trip cross country to attend.

    • walaau808 says:

      If they felt it was going to be a better game, they might have!

      • KonaGolden says:

        Wow walaau808, you actually bashing kids for playing and unfortunately,they lost, a football game!? So sorry your life is so sad that you feel that you need to do this. but you know what, it doesn’t matter, when these young men return, their community will all turn out and welcome them home proudly, not very many communities would do that, does yours(?) highly unlikely. So you go on and continue your vapid hostility of these young men. God bless you.

      • brokenspoke says:

        Walaau’s comments are a bit negative but at least she is giving us her perspective which will only make Kahuku and other Hawaii teams pause for critical reflection. Kahuku played hard and likely gained valuable insight that will lead to improvement. Most of the 808 was rooting for Big Red and all teams from Hawaii who viewed the live streams can benefit. This year’s state tourney will be great if the OIA leadership doesn’t panty out of the new format.

        • motoxdad says:

          It makes walaau feel good that Kahuku ( a high school football team) loses a game. How pathetic is that? I just hope that you’re not an adult.

  19. tlkamai says:

    We all know that John Hao wasn’t running Kahuku’s offense last night. What happen to the Jumbo/Stanford formation and set, we didn’t see Kahuku run this offense once in the game. Kahuku’s offense was always looking to the sidelines for directions meaning they haven’t ran these plays before, getting delay of game, offense line confused on who to block due to the coach calling in new or makeup plays as the game went on. This game was very embarrassing to everyone from the state of Hawaii and the community and fans of Kahuku, and especially to the players, so why even go and challenge a top notch high school team like BG if you are not going to bring it?? Granted both schools have skilled and talented kids. Kahuku coaches should all be ashamed of yourselves by doing this to the players!! Kahuku AD, fire all the coaches and then yourself for being stupid and not watching out for the safety and welfare of the kids!!

  20. kimo says:

    Agree with KonaGolden and RetiredWorking. Hats off to the Red Raiders who played the best prep team in the country. They played hard, and they made us proud. Despite the odds, they took the field and played their hearts out for four quarters. No coach or fan could ask for more. Football is a sport, and in the end it’s not about being the best but playing the best. You gotta love and respect a coach, a team, and a community that’s willing to take on the best. Go Raid Raiders!

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