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Kaimuki will get a shot at redemption from its toughest loss of the season.
After blowing out Kalaheo 49-7 to close the OIA Division II regular season on Friday night at Skippa Diaz Stadium, the Bulldogs can now turn their attention to a rematch of a 17-15 loss to Pearl City three weeks ago.
The two teams will meet in the semifinals of the OIA D-II playoffs on Friday at Pearl City. Kaimuki (5-3. 5-2) is in the postseason for the third straight season under third-year coach David Tautofi, who inherited a program that hadn’t made the playoffs in four straight seasons before his arrival.
“There’s no words to describe how good that feels, especially when you know how much it means to these kids,” Tautofi said. “It means a lot for these guys and it means a lot for the community, because the better these guys do, the better the community feels and there’s a lot more positive energy.”
Quarterback Jordan Solomon rushed for 118 yards and threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns, both to receiver Kaulana Kaluna Jr.
Ieke Seei-Cleveland added 131 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries for the Bulldogs, who had lost their previous two games after starting the year 4-0 in league play.
“I’m happy with how the boys handled the game tonight. They didn’t take it easy,” Tautofi said. “They didn’t overlook Kalaheo at all. The score is the score, but in all honestly, that’s the respect they had for Kalaheo. They came out and played their best.”
Kaimuki scored on four of its first five drives, with Seei-Cleveland fumbling at the Kalaheo 1-yard line on the second drive.
Kalaheo quarterback Noa Lapera threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Justus Neufeldt early in the second quarter to make it a 14-7 game.
Kaimuki then scored 35 unanswered points.
Kalaheo (2-6, 2-5) suited up just 20 players in its season finale after starting the season with 19 in a 35-28 loss to Kamehameha-Maui.
Despite having to forfeit a game and struggling with low turnout, the Mustangs were in the playoff hunt with two weeks left in the regular season and doubled their win total from last season.
“We weathered the storm for the season with the amount of guys we had,” Kalaheo coach Darrell Poole said. “We are a young team and I expect big things from them next year. They have this never-say-die attitude and I’m proud of them.”
Kaimuki will likely be without its kicker, Richard Burton, for the game against Pearl City after he injured his knee in a freak accident during halftime.
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