Except for a penchant for penalties, No. 5 Campbell didn’t blink, drubbing Hilo 54-14 in a nonleague football opener for both schools Saturday night in Ewa Beach.
“Penalties,” Sabers coach Darren Johnson said with annoyance after the victory. “One guy (official) threw six on us in a row. We want to finish and we want to finish right. We want to be a lot more disciplined. We want to play fast and penalty- and mistake-free football.”
He got most of that from the Campbell boys, except for persistent personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct flags. Otherwise, it was a thumping, offensively and defensively.
Peter Manuma rushed for 91 yards, and two quarterbacks — Krenston Kaipo and Kaniala Kalaola — combined to throw for 211 yards. On the other side of the ball, Bryson Tuisaloo, RJ Tadeo, Brandon Frysinger and Tyrese Tafai, among others, stuffed the Vikings’ running game. Tafai also had an interception, and safety Pokii Adkins-Kupukaa also made his presence felt in the backfield.
“We did awesome,” said Adkins-Kupukaa, who separated the ball from Hilo receivers twice on plays in which the ball-catchers would have had a reception without the physical safety butting in. “Too many penalties. We gotta fix that. We gotta be humble.”
When asked where Campbell was headed, he socked it out of the park: “Oh, we’re going to the championship game for sure. I’ve got that in my mind.”
Adkins-Kupukaa was a two-way beast. He also scored on a 33-yard pass from Kalaola on a play in which he was hit but did not go down, kept his balance and kept going. That play gave the home team a 34-0 lead with 4:28 left in the first half.
Kaipo wound up throwing three TD passes for the Sabers — one each to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala and Jalen Henderson.
Tuisaloo got into the scoring act as well, recovering a high Hilo punt snap in the Vikings’ end zone.
Hilo quarterback Kyler Aguiar, normally a receiver, had a hand in both Vikings touchdowns. On the first one, he sprinted for a 75-yard score on a play in which it looked like he was going to be pushed out of bounds about 20 yards in. He somehow avoided a hit and kept on going down the right sideline. On the Vikings’ other touchdown, he hit Guyson Ogata in the right corner of the end zone on a fade route.
“Aguiar stepped up,” said Hilo coach Kaeo Drummondo, who arrived midway through the first quarter after attending the funeral in Hilo of fellow police officer Bronson Kaliloa, who was killed in the line of duty. “He surprised us. He didn’t get many (practice) reps, but when he got into space he was able to make plays. He gave us some positive yards, extended drives and broke one long.”
NEXT WEEK
FRIDAY
OIA-ILH Open Division
>> Kapolei vs. Kamehameha, at Aloha Stadium, 5 p.m.
>> Saint Louis vs. Waianae, at Aloha Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
OIA-ILH Division I
>> Nanakuli at Aiea, 7:30 p.m.
>> Moanalua at Castle, 7:30 p.m.
>> Leilehua at Kailua, 7:30 p.m.
>> Damien at Radford, 7:30 p.m.
OIA-ILH Division II
>> Kalani vs. Kaimuki, at Skippa Diaz Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
>> Kalaheo at Kaiser, 7:30 p.m.
Nonleague
>> Kauai vs. Maui, at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.
>> Waimea at Honokaa, 7 p.m.
Nonleague 8-man
>> Molokai at Pahoa, 6 p.m
SATURDAY
OIA-ILH Open Division
>> Farrington at Mililani, 6:30 p.m.
>> Punahou at Kahuku, 6:30 p.m.
OIA-ILH Division I
>> Waipahu at ‘Iolani, 3 p.m.
OIA-ILH Division II
>> McKinley vs. St. Francis, at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium, 3 p.m.
>> Pac-Five at Roosevelt, 5:30 p.m.
>> Pearl City at Waialua,6:30 p.m.
Nonleague
>> King Kekaulike at Hawaii Prep, noon
>> Bartlett (Anchorage, Alaska) vs. Baldwin, at War Memorial Stadium, 6 p.m.
>> Kapaa at Konawaena, 6 p.m.
Aguiar was one of three QBs Hilo used, but the coach said the top two QBs on the depth chart are among the many players on academic probation.
Despite the big loss, Drummondo is not too concerned, since Campbell is in the Open Division and the Vikings are the defending Division I state champions.
“I’ll be shocked in the league if we play a more physical or faster team or a more efficient one on offense,” he said.
—
GAME SUMMARY
No. 5 Campbell 54, Hilo 14
At Campbell
>> Hilo (0-1) 0 6 0 8 — 14
>> Campbell (1-0) 20 20 7 7 — 54
Campbell — Peter Manuma 6 run (Jadon Arola kick)
Campbell — Pookela Piilani 1 run (kick failed)
Campbell — Jalen Henderson 34 pass from Krenston Kaipo (Arola kick)
Campbell — Titus Mokiao-Atimalala 19 pass from Kaipo (Arola kick)
Campbell — Pokii Adkins-Kupukaa 33 pass from Kaniala Kalaola (Arola kick)
Campbell — Bryson Tuisaloo fumble recovery in Hilo end zone (run failed)
Hilo — Kyler Aguiar 75 run (run failed)
Campbell — Tamatoa Mokiao-Atmalala 20 pass from Kaipo (Arola kick)
Campbell — Sky Lactaoen 5 run (Arola kick)
Hilo — Guyson Ogata 9 pass from Aguiar (Aguiar run)
RUSHING — Hilo: Aguiar 11-124, Elijah Apao 1-20, Ogata 1-18, Lyle Silva 11-0, Hunter Pulgados 1-0, Kalae Akui 3-(minus-2), TEAM 1-(minus-23). Campbell: Manuma 11-91, Lactaoen 6-48, Kalaola 1-30, Ta. Mokiao-Atimalala 1-5, Piilani 1-1, TEAM 1-(minus-1).
PASSING — Hilo: Ogata 1-4-0-6, Aguiar 4-17-1-17, Akui 1-3-0-(minus-4). Campbell: Kalaola 5-8-0-77, Kaipo 7-11-0-134.
RECEIVING — Hilo: Ogata 1-9, Akui 1-9, Pulgados 1-6, Apao 2-(minus-1), Silva 1-(minus-4). Campbell: Henderson 3-54, Ta. Mokiao-Atimalala 3-44, Ti. Mokiao-Atimalala 3-43, Pokii Adkins-Kupukaa 1-33, Christian Quiambao 1-20, Zavier Ceruti 1-17.
