Kahuku is one win away from ending its longest state-tournament drought in football.
The OIA champion Red Raiders grinded out a 21-0 victory over a pesky Campbell team in the Open Division semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships on Saturday at Skippa Diaz Stadium.
Quarterback Jason Mariteragi had a hand in all three Kahuku touchdowns and the Red Raiders (9-0) held Campbell (5-4) to 133 total yards to reach the state final for the second time in a row.
“This was our goal at the beginning of the year,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said. “The OIA championship was great but we want a state championship. Our boys, our community, this is what we are hungry for.”
The Red Raiders haven’t won a state championship in football since 2015, which is the longest stretch they’ve gone without a trophy since the format was created in 1999.
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The previous longest was five years between state titles in 2006 and ’11.
“I really believe that we deserve this,” said junior linebacker Liona Lefau, who had five tackles and tipped a pass that resulted in an interception. “This is not a surprise to any of us that we’re here. It’s time to go to work.”
Mariteragi threw for 115 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a score.
Kahuku finished evenly split on offense with both 167 yards passing and rushing and controlled the ball for nearly 29 of 48 minutes of game time.
“We played pretty calmly tonight,” Carvalho said. “No sense of urgency because we wanted the clock to run.”
Clyde Taulapapa led the Red Raiders with 78 yards on 13 carries.
Kahuku kept Campbell from crossing the Red Raiders’ 39-yard line until there was 7:11 left in the game.
Mariteragi started at quarterback and led the Red Raiders to an opening touchdown less than two minutes into the game.
He completed all four of his passes on Kahuku’s first drive and hit a wide-open Kainoa Carvalho for a 14-yard touchdown and a 7-0 advantage.
Kahuku’s quick-strike offense it has generated for much of the season turned old school for the rest of the first half.
After the Red Raiders were stopped on fourth down to end their next series, Mariteragi came back in at quarterback for Waika Crawford and engineered a 13-play drive.
His 6-yard scoring run on a scramble out to his right on the first play of the second quarter doubled Kahuku’s advantage to 14-0.
Kahuku had another drive that lasted 14 plays, but the Campbell defense stopped Crawford’s fourth-and-goal run 2 yards shy of the end zone to keep Kahuku from adding to its advantage before the break.
“We had a good game plan coming in,” Kainoa Carvalho said. “We started off fast and then slowed down but a win is a win and we get to move on and get ready for next week.”
Mariteragi was a perfect 8-for-8 passing in the first half for 100 yards with Carvalho catching seven passes.
Campbell was held to 71 yards in the first half, with 35 coming on a pass from Chayne Kuboyama-Hayashi to Kamaehu Kopa-Kaawalauole early in the second quarter for the Sabers’ first first down.
Mariteragi finished off the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kealoha Kaio early in the fourth quarter.
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At Skippa Diaz Stadium
Campbell (5-4) 0 0 0 0 — 0
Kahuku (9-0) 7 7 0 7 — 21
Kah—Kainoa Carvalho 14 from Jason Mariteragi (Kainoa Carvalho kick)
Kah—Mariteragi 6 run (Carvalho kick)
Kah—Kealoha Kaio 7 pass from Mariteragi(Carvalho kick)
RUSHING—Campbell: Rowen-Ray Bucao 9-25, Tana Tofagau-Tavui 5-22, Chauncee Lopez 2-1, Falaniko Scanlan 2-(minus 1), Chayne Kuboyama-Hayashi 6-(minus 12). Kahuku: Clyde Taulapapa 13-78, Mariteragi 5-36,Kana Loa Kaluna 7-30, Carvalho 1-18, Waika Crawford 5-6, Kelsyn Tangaro-Kanoa 3-1.
PASSING—Campbell: Chayne Kuboyama-Hayashi 8-18-1-94, Tofagau-Tavui 1-4-0-4. Kahuku: Mariteragi 12-15-0-115, Crawford 4-10-0-52.
RECEIVING—Campbell: Tofagau-Tavui 5-50, Kamaehu Kopa-Kaawalauole 2-43, Lopez 1-4, Dallas John Fonseca-Juan 1-1. Kahuku: Carvalho 9-100, Kaio 3-32, Kingsley Ah You 3-26, Kaimana Carvalho 1-9.
