Kahuku’s first game in more than 22 months looked like most of them do against Kapolei.
But only on the scoreboard.
Senior quarterback Jason Mariteragi completed 15 of 20 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns before sitting midway through the third quarter as the defending OIA champion Red Raiders unleashed an efficient air attack to beat the host Hurricanes 41-7 on Friday night.
Junior Kainoa Carvalho caught seven passes for 96 yards and scored three touchdowns and Kealoha Kaio had six catches for 90 yards and a TD as Kahuku threw early and often, something Big Red fans aren’t used to seeing.
“We’ve been playing Pylons ever since February and we entered a lot of tournaments and were very successful in it, so the confidence of our quarterbacks and our receivers is high,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said. “We’ve got to be able to take advantage. If they’re going to stack the box, play cover-zero on us, we’ve got to win those 1-on-1s on the outside.”
Kahuku added two defensive touchdowns in the second half to win its ninth straight and 11 out of 12 overall against Kapolei. Its last six wins in the series have been by an average of 35.7 points.
Mariteragi’s 176 passing yards in the first half alone were more than Kahuku had in any game in 2019 when it won the OIA title and played in the state final.
“We’re just going to be mixing it up a lot and taking what (the defense) gives us and whatever they give us we’ll be able to execute,” Mariteragi said. “(Kainoa Carvalho and Kaio) are everything. I just need two seconds from the O-line and put it in a spot and those guys are going to come down with it and they did.”
The Red Raiders scored 41 unanswered points after falling behind 7-0 midway through the first quarter.
Kapolei quarterback Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa, the brother of Notre Dame defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and cousin of quarterbacks Tua and Taulia Tagovailoa, marched right down the field on his first drive in his varsity debut.
The 5-foot-10 sophomore completed six of his first eight throws on a 14-play, 77-yard drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Mason Gomez.
“It was just nerves. They were running by tackles and we needed to settle down,” Sterling Carvalho said. “Once they did that they played lights out.”
Kapolei’s 7-0 lead lasted all off 22 seconds as Kainoa Carvalho returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for the first of his three touchdowns in the first half.
Kahuku finished with just 39 yards on the ground but aired it out 22 times, including 17 out of 25 plays in the first half.
Kaio had back-to-back receptions of 31 and 28 yards to set up Carvalho’s 6-yard touchdown reception from Mariteragi for a 14-7 Kahuku lead midway through the second quarter.
The Red Raiders tacked on another score on Mariteragi’s 8-yard pass to Carvalho to go up 21-7 with 39 seconds left before intermission.
After gaining 77 yards on its opening drive, Kapolei was held to 55 yards the rest of the half.
The Hurricanes brought in junior Esaiah Gideon at quarterback for the first drive of the second half and he was immediately sacked by defensive tackle Donaveyn Atuaia on third down to force a three-and-out.
Kahuku scored in four plays as Mariteragi found Kaio for a 4-yard touchdown on a fade in the corner for a 28-7 advantage.
Tagovailoa-Amosa ended up 13-for-29 for 88 yards and sat most of the fourth quarter . He was picked off twice in the third quarter and once early in the fourth quarter, with the last two returned for touchdowns.
Leonard Ah You returned one 25 yards for a score and Chansen Nicodemus-Garcia picked off a pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 45 yards before lateraling it to James Taufa, who took it another 15 yards to give Kahuku the final margin.
No. 3 Mililani 49, Waianae 6
Through some trial and error, the Trojans found a winning formula throughout the game to blow out the visiting Seariders in the Oahu Interscholastic Association season opener for both teams.
With two capable quarterbacks on the roster, Mililani opted to rotate them on each series throughout the game. The quarterback rotation of Treston McMillan and Emana Tarape proved to be effective, combining to throw five touchdowns. McMillan threw for 152 yards and three touchdowns and Tarape threw for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Tarape also threw a pair of interceptions.
Raymond Roller played a starring role for the Trojans, catching six passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns from his quarterback duo. Lando Werner-Celes added five catches for 41 yards, while Gavin Hunter chipped in with 19 yards on four receptions. Werner-Celes and Hunter each came down with a touchdown grab. Nehemiah Timoteo led the team with 69 rushing yards on six carries and a touchdown on the ground.
On the other side, Seariders quarterback Tarent Moniz-Babb was responsible for every Waianae pass thrown, finishing with 129 passing yards, a passing touchdown and a pair of interceptions. Alvin Quiquirin Sabagala led the Seariders with 50 yards rushing on 13 carries.
Mililani held the lead wire-to-wire, jumping on top early on McMillan’s 13-yard touchdown throw to Werner-Celes and never looking back. Tarape added a 3-yard TD to Hunter, while McMillan doubled up with a 16-yard dart to Roller. Trailing 21-0 in the first quarter, Waianae scored its only points of the day when Emmanuelle Carter scored on a 52-yard catch-and-run.
From that point on, the Trojans would go on to score 28 unanswered points, including Makanale’a Meyer’s 52-yard pick-6 off Moniz-Babb. After Kanoa Ferreira’s fourth-quarter touchdown grab for Mililani, a running clock was instituted for the remainder of the game, and Trojans running back Nehemiah Timoteo bulldozed the way to a Millilani victory.
Mililani extended its win streak in season openers to 12 straight. Next, the Trojans will head out on the road to take on Kapolei next Friday at 7:30 p.m., hopeful that fans will be allowed to return. Waianae will return home to host Leilehua next Friday at 7:30 p.m.
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Jonathen Chen, Star-Advertiser
No. 6 Campbell 38, Farrington 6
Campbell quarterback Chayne Kuboyama-Hayashi displayed flashes of brilliance and also showed his inexperience in the host Sabers’ victory over Farrington.
The good: 14-for-20 passing for 327 yards and three touchdowns.
The bad: three interceptions and two lost fumbles.
“His youth showed today, but we also saw some good things,” said Campbell coach Darren Johnson of his sophomore quarterback. “The good thing is we can go back to the drawing board and get him right and help him with his progress.”
The Sabers’ defense allowed only 12 passing yards and 39 on the ground. They also had four sacks, including two by Kana Nelson.
Hernandez credited defensive coordinator Kaikoa Kinoshita with preparing Campbell over the past two weeks.
“We really made them understand what we have to do to play good football, and play defense to the football,” Johnson said. “They did that and we’re proud of them. They stood out as a defensive unit.”
The Sabers’ Jourdain Berinobis-Pyne caught a 70-yard scoring pass on the first possession of the game. Kamaehu Kopa-Kaawalauole hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass and Diego Betancourt caught an 89-yard scoring pass in the second quarter.
Chauncee Lopez rushed for two scores and Zechariah Alualu-Tuiolemotu added another in the second half for Campbell (1-0).
Farrington (0-1) scored on Johnathan Gutierrez Irma’s 1-yard run, which made it 32-6 with 2:30 left in the third quarter. The Governors’ PJ Petelo, Jason Felipe and Micah Ito had interceptions.
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Kyle Sakamoto, Star-Advertiser
Pearl City 42, Kalaheo 6
Chargers sophomore quarterback Trey Dacoscos threw for 301 yards and six touchdowns and senior wide receiver Joshua Gleason had 144 yards receiving and two scores as the Chargers earned their 10th consecutive victory over the Mustangs (0-1) in a season-opening win at Pearl City on Friday.
Senior wide receiver Joshua Gleason scored the first touchdown of the game on a 26-yard catch and junior wide receiver Bradley Kansou (5 yards) and senior wide receiver Micah Higa (35 yards) also had scoring grabs in the first quarter.
Gleason scored on an 11-yard pass early in the second quarter and Kansou caught two more passes of 20 and 11 yards in the end zone.
“Tonight we were just excited to play,” coach Robin Kami said. “We didn’t worry about the score, we just wanted to make sure we had fun after two years of not playing. We wanted to just get back on the field and get back to reality.”
Kalaheo got its final touchdown of the game during the third quarter when junior quarterback Riis Weber threw a 66-yard pass to senior wide receiver Isaiah Akiu.
Kansou recorded a team-high three scores and 84 yards receiving.
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Noelle Kakimoto, Special to the Star-Advertiser
OIA
No. 4 Kahuku 41, No. 8 Kapolei 7
At Kapolei High School field
Kapolei (0-1) 7 0 0 0 — 7
Kahuku (1-0) 7 14 14 6 — 41
Kapo—Mason Gomez 4 pass from Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa (Hurley Kennedy kick)
Kah—Kainoa Carvalho 92 kickoff return (Horyzen Farley kick)
Kah—Carvalho 6 pass from Jason Mariteragi (Carvalho kick)
Kah—Carvalho 8 pass from Mariteragi (Carvalho kick)
Kah—Kealoha Kaio 4 pass from Mariteragi (Carvalho kick)
Kah—Leonard Ah You 25 interception return (Carvalho kick)
Kah—James Taufa 15 interception return (kick failed)
RUSHING—Kapolei: Ezra Sidotti 8-36, Tryton Keli’ikipi 5-21, Tagovailoa-Amosa 3-19, Gomez 1-13, Caleb Dela Pena-Pihana 4-11, Mike Higa 1-0, Esaiah Gideon 8-(minus 34). Kahuku: Clyde Taulapapa 2-22, Kelsyn Tangaro-Kanoa 3-17, Kingsley Ah You 2-8, Kana Loa Kaluna 2-3, Mariteragi 3-(minus 11).
PASSING—Kapolei: Tagovailoa-Amosa 13-29–3-88, Gideon 2-4-0-44, Gomez 0-1-0-0. Kahuku: Mariteragi 15-20–0-202, Waika Crawford 0-2-1-0.
RECEIVING—Kapolei: Gomez 4-32, Riley Camarillo 3-46, Hala’i Kamohali’i 4-26, Ale’a Nahulu-Mahelona 2-7, Garrett Hayes 1-14, Keli’ikipi 1-7. Kahuku: Carvalho 7-96, Kaio 6-90, Kaluna 1-11, Liona Lefau 1-5.
Junior varsity — Kapolei 6, Kahuku 6
No. 3 Mililani 49, Waianae 6
At John Kauinana Stadium
Waianae (0-1) 0 6 0 0 — 6
Mililani (1-0) 14 7 14 14 — 49
Mili—Lando Werner-Celes 13 pass from Treston McMillan (Makel Paiva kick)
Mili—Gavin Hunter 3 pass from Emana Tarape (Paiva kick)
Mili—Raymond Roller 16 pass from McMillan (16 yards) (Paiva kick)
Waian—Emmanuelle Carter 52 pass from Tarent Moniz-Babb (Alvin Quisquirin-Sabagala miss)
Mili—Makanale’a Meyer 52 interception return (Paiva kick)
Mili—Roller 40 pass from McMillan (Paiva kick)
Mili—Kanoa Ferreira 16 pass from Tarape (Paiva kick)
Mili—Nehemiah Timoteo 4 run (Paiva kick)
RUSHING—Waianae: Quisquirin-Sabagala 13-50, Tevin Wilbur 9-19, Moniz-Babb 11-(minus 58). Mililani: Timoteo 6-69, Tykea Johnson Jr. 5-58, McMillan 2-32.
PASSING—Waianae: Moniz-Babb 7-19-2-129. Mililani: McMillan 14-22-0-152, Tarape 10-17-2-56.
RECEIVING—Waianae: Carter 4-93, Chayce Gomes 2-35, Wilbur 1-1. Mililani (leading receivers): Roller 6-91, Werner-Celes 5-41, John Herold-Namu 2-20, Paiva 2-20, Hunter 4-19.
No. 6 Campbell 38, Farrington 6
At Campbell
Farrington (0-1) 0 0 6 0 — 6
Campbell (1-0) 6 14 12 6 — 38
Camp—Jourdain Berinobis-Pyne 70 pass from Chayne Kuboyama-Hayashi (kick failed)
Camp—Kamaehu Kopa-Kaawalauole 29 pass from Kuboyama-Hayashi (pass failed)
Camp—Diego Betancourt 89 pass from Kuboyama-Hayashi (Chauncee Lopez run)
Camp—Lopez 3 run (run failed)
Camp—Zechariah Alualu-Tuiolemotu 1 run (kick failed)
Farr—Johnathan Gutierrez Ioramo 1 run (kick failed)
Camp—Lopez 5 run (kick failed)
Rushing-Farmington: Faleao Malouamaua 1-29, Christian Baruela 6-28, Josiah Chaffin 11-20, Syracuse Kahakai 4-15, Gutierrez Ioramo 2-6, Cyrus Falefia 1-1, MJ Moreno 5-(minus 11), Cade Rodriguez 3-(minus 15), Team 2-(minus 34). Campbell: Lopez 15-73, Rowan-Ray Bucao 5-41, Kuboyama-Hayashi 2-15, Teva Feliciano 1-5, Berinobis-Pyne 1-4, Alualu-Tuiolemotu 1-1, Sean Ahuna-Quinola 2-(minus 13), Team 1-(minus-20).
PASSING-Farrington: Moreno 2-5-0-8, Baruela 1-10-0-4. Campbell: Kuboyama-Hayashi 14-20-3-327, Ahuna-Quinola 4-4-0-39, Team 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING-Farrington: Falefia 2-11, Chaffin 1-1. Campbell: Dominick Espinda 5-52, Berinobis-Pyne 4-91,Kopa-Kaawalauole 3-108, Dallas John Fonseca-Juan 2-13, Bucao 2-13, Betancourt 1-89, Malik Jackson 1-0.
Pearl City 42, Kalaheo 7
at Bino Neves Stadium, Pearl City High School
Kalaheo (0-1) 0 0 7 0 — 7
Pearl City (1-0) 21 21 0 0 — 42
PC – Joshua Gleason 26 pass from Trey Dacoscos (Marcus Rodriguez kick)
PC – Bradley Kansou 5 pass from Dacoscos (Rodriguez kick)
PC – Micah Higa 35 pass from Dacoscos (Rodriguez kick)
PC – Gleason 11 pass from Dacoscos (Rodriguez kick)
PC – Kansou 20 pass from Dacoscos (Rodriguez kick)
PC – Kansou 11 pass from Dacoscos (Rodriguez kick)
KALH – Isaiah Akiu 66 pass from Riis Weber (Angele Seltmann kick)
RUSHING—Kalaheo: Weber 14-27, Jayden Fargas 1-22, Trentin Leahy 5-12, Damian Ruano 1-1, TEAM 1-(minus 5). Pearl City: Caleb Kaai 10-66, Trey Dacoscos 5-36, Leland Parker-Kamakawiwoole 4-34, Micah Higa 1-30, Triton Taimanao 1-20, Bobby Best 1-15, Ryan Littlejohn 1-10, TEAM 3-(minus 20).
PASSING—Kalaheo: Weber 4-19-1-79. Pearl City: Dacoscos 15-24-0-301, Littlejohn 1-3-0-9.
RECEIVING—Kalaheo: Akiu 3-72, Alaka’i Uemura 1-7. Pearl City: Gleason 5-144, Kansou 6-84, Micah Higa 2-40, Marcus Rodriguez 1-25, Caleb Kaai 1-9, Cameron Galutira 1-8.
Other scores
Moanalua 28, Damien 6
