Kaiser showed it has a little resolve in it.
Tested for the first time this season, the undefeated Cougars nearly gave away a 22-point lead in the second half before pulling away for a 45-31 win Friday night at Kaiser Stadium over Kaimuki, a Division II state semifinalist last season.
Freshman quarterback Easton Yoshino threw six touchdowns passes — three to sophomore Kamakana Mahiko — and the Cougars (6-0, 4-0 OIA Division II) handed the Bulldogs (4-2, 3-1) their first loss in league play to move into a first-place tie with Roosevelt at the midway point of the regular season.
“I felt like we battled back good,” said Yoshino, who was 11-for-19 for 279 yards. “(Mahiko) was hot and I kept feeding him. We have a bunch of playmakers.”
>> Click here to see photos of the game between Kaiser and Kaimuki.
Mahiko caught five passes for 124 yards and Dre Falls added 108 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including a 27-yarder on the first play of the second half for a 31-9 lead.
Kaimuki quarterback Jayden Maiava, who threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns, hit Matt Williams, who intercepted a pass to end Kaiser’s previous drive, for a 92-yard touchdown in the third quarter to pull within 31-16.
The Cougars then fumbled a punt snap and tried to run for a first down, but gave the ball back to the Bulldogs inside their 30.
“You could just sense them coming back,” Kaiser coach Tim Seaman said.
Bulldogs receiver Koby Moananu, who caught eight balls for 156 yards, had an interception on defense and then scored on a 19-yard TD to cut the lead to 31-24 in the fourth quarter after a successful 2-point conversion.
Yoshino responded with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Mason Yoshino for his only catch of the night, and then hit Mahiko for a 60-yard score to put the game away. Mason Yoshino is the team’s leading receiver this season.
“We’ve got a lot of skill guys that can help,” Seaman said. “Tonight was Kamakana, and Dre had some big plays, Cavin (Lim’e) running the ball in the fourth quarter was big. We’ve got a variety of skill guys, so it’s kind of what read the quarterback makes and the protection we get. There’s a lot to it.”
Maiava threw for a career high in yards but was just 15-for-41 passing. Kaiser held Kaimuki to 62 rushing yards on 29 carries.
“(Kaiser) is a fast team, they move fast and they come hard. They’re a hard team to break,” Kaimuki coach David Tautofi said. “Knowing that (running the ball) is our strength, they did a really good job to take away what is usually our (strength).”
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Kaiser 45, Kaimuki 31
At Kaiser
>> Kaimuki (4-2, 3-1) 6 3 7 15 — 31
>> Kaiser (6-0, 4-0) 17 7 7 14 — 45
Kaiser — FG Kyler Halvorsen 30
Kaimuki — Jonah Fa’asoa 35 pass from Jayden Maiava (kick failed)
Kaiser — Kamakana Mahiko 8 pass from Easton Yoshino (Halvorsen kick)
Kaiser — Dre Falls 21 pass from Yoshino (Halvorsen kick)
Kaiser — Mahiko 12 pass from Yoshino (Halvorsen kick)
Kaimuki — FG Kawamoto 25
Kaiser — Falls 27 pass from Yoshino (Halvorsen kick)
Kaimuki — Matt Williams 92 pass from Maiava (Kawamoto kick)
Kaimuki — Koby Moananu 19 pass from Maiava (Fa’asoa pass from Maiava)
Kaiser — Mason Yoshino 24 pass from E. Yoshino (Halvorsen kick)
Kaiser — Mahiko 60 pass from E. Yoshino (Halvorsen kick)
Kaimuki — Naomas Asuega-Fualaau 89 pass from Maiava (Kawamoto kick)
RUSHING — Kaimuki: Asuega-Fualaau 17-42, Blade Pfeiffer-Kekoa 4-16, Maiava 8-4. Kaiser: Cavin Lime 9-54, Kilohana Lacanilao 7-15, Ethan Lynch 7-10, Hunter Phelps 1-2, TEAM 3-(minus 3), Halvorsen 1-(minus 3), E. Yoshino 7-(minus 53).
PASSING — Kaimuki: Maiava 15-41–1-417. Kaiser: E. Yoshino 11-19-2-279, Brock Perreira 0-3-1-0.
RECEIVING — Kaimuki: Moananu 8-156, Asuega-Fualaau 3-111, Fa’asoa 2-45, Williams 1-92, Kaulana Kaluna Jr. 1-13. Kaiser: Mahiko 5-124, Falls 4-108, M. Yoshino 1-24, Jesse Stroede 1-23.
