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Tama Amisone contributed through the air and on the ground Friday night as No. 6 Kapolei beat host Waianae 35-21 in in an OIA Open Division game.
The dual threat completed 12 of 23 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 14 times for 140 yards and two more scores.
“Going into this game I had big confidence in my O-line,” said Amisone, a sophomore, who excelled on scrambles. “My O-line stepped up in the second half, wide-open gaps.”
Amisone’s big game overshadowed the power running of Waianae’s Jamal Plunkett. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound back rushed 22 times for a school-record 260 yards and a score. The previous record was held by Kolu Quisquirin-Sabagala, who rushed for 250 yards in 2019.
The Hurricanes (1-0) reduced Plunkett’s effectiveness in the second half by putting a spy on him.
“We had some adjustments at halftime because they were running us over,” said Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez. “They’re very physical up front and we just couldn’t find an answer to their run game.”
The Hurricanes took a 28-21 lead on a 24-yard run by Amisone, who was aligned at running back, with 11:20 left in the game. The touchdown was set up by a 13-yard punt, which put the ball at the Seariders’ 34.
Kapolei added another score on Amisone’s 20-yard pass to Riley Camarillo with 6:44 remaining.
“The confidence went up, but we don’t want to be too big-headed,” said Amisone, who also lined up at receiver. Most of his rushing yards came on scrambles.
Camarillo and Mareeno Te’o had interceptions in the second half for Kapolei.
“It was hard fought. The kids worked hard,” Hernandez said.
Both teams scored on their first two possessions.
The Hurricanes got on the board on the game’s first possession on a 47-yard pass from Amisone to Hala’i Kamohali’i, who caught the ball on the left side and weaved his way into the end zone. Hurley Kennedy’s PAT kick made it 7-0 with 10:06 left in the opening quarter.
The Seariders (0-2) answered on a 20-yard scoring run by Tevin Wilbur. Kaden Nauer’s PAT kick tied it at 7 with 6:11 left in the quarter. The drive was aided by an encroachment penalty on Kapolei on fourth-and-5 from the Hurricanes’ 25. Wilbur scored up the middle on the next play.
Kapolei made it 14-7 on Amisone’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Diezel Kamoku with 3:00 left in the first quarter, and Waianae got within 14-13 on Wilbur’s 1-yard run with 13 seconds remaining.
Amisone scored on a 52-yard scramble to put the Hurricanes ahead 21-13, but the Seariders answered on the next play from scrimmage, with Plunkett scoring on a 63-yard run with 5:29 left in the half. Plunkett’s 2-point conversion run tied it 21-21
Amisone finished the first half with 111 passing yards and 80 rushing for Kapolei.
Plunkett had 11 carries for 201 yards and Waianae had only 4 passing yards before halftime. Tarent Moniz-Babb finished with 57 passing yards.
Kaimuki 69, McKinley 20
Ofa Vehikite rushed for more than 200 yards for the third consecutive game and the Bulldogs (2-2, 2-1 OIA Division II) set a school record for most points scored in a win over the Tigers (0-4, 0-3).
Vehikite rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries and caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Iosefa Letuli, who finished 8-for-12 for 221 yards and three TDs.
Dante Peltier caught a 75-yard touchdown pass and Jeremiah White had six receptions for 78 yards and a TD for the Bulldogs, who had 606 total yards and led 62-7 after the third quarter.
Freshman Agi Togafau finished 16-for-36 for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Preston Note had nine catches for 106 yards to lead the Tigers, who have lost 17 in a row dating back to 2019.
Kaiser 45, Waialua 28
Easton Yoshino threw for 405 yards and six touchdowns and the Cougars (2-2, 2-1 OIA Division I) scored 39 points in the second half to defeat the Bulldogs (1-3, 1-2).
Three Kaiser receivers each caught two touchdown passes, including Makana Naleieha, who finished with 13 receptions for 203 yards to join Kamakana Mahiko from last year as the only players in school history to record a 200-yard receiving game.
Donovan Reis caught six passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns and Keagan Lime added six grabs for 82 yards and two TDs. Jesse Palmer capped the scoring with a 51-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 3:10 remaining.
Tyson Apau finished 12-for-27 for 174 yards and a touchdown and added 131 rushing yards and three TDs on the ground to lead Waialua.
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KAPOLEI 35, WAIANAE 21
At Waianae
Kapolei (1-0) 14 7 0 14 — 35
Waianae (0-2) 13 8 0 0 — 21
Kap—Hala’i Kamohali’i 47 pass from Tama Amisone (Hurley Kennedy kick)
Wain—Tevin Wilbur 20 run (Kaden Nauer kick)
Kap—Diezel Kamoku 8 pass from Amisone (Kennedy kick)
Wain—Wilbur 1 run (kick failed)
Kap—Amisone 52 run (Kennedy kick)
Wain—Jamal Plunkett 63 run (Plunkett run)
Kap—Amisone 24 run (Kennedy kick)
Kap—Riley Camarillo 20 pass from Amisone (Kennedy kick)
RUSHING—Kapolei: Amisone 14-140, Tryton Keli’ikipi 7-30, Caleb Dela Pena-Pihana 5-22, Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa 2-(minus 1), team 1-(minus 2). Waianae: Plunkett 22-260, Wilbur 8-18, Brandon Tai Tin 0-0, Tarent Moniz-Babb 2-(minus 10).
PASSING—Kapolei: Amisone 12-23-1- 219, Tagovailoa-Amosa 4-5-0-44. Waianae: Moniz-Babb 8-21-2-57.
RECEIVING—Kapolei: Camarillo 4-77, Malachi Tapaoan 4-54, Kamoku 3-47, Kamohali’i 2-62, Esaiah Gideon 2-15, Amisone 1-8. Waianae: Wilbur 4-6, Akoni Halemano 2-6, Plunkett 1-31, Joshua Santiago 1-14.
Junior Varsity—Waianae 16, Kapolei 8
KAISER 45, WAIALUA 28
At Toshi Nakasone Field
Kaiser (2-2, 2-1) 0 6 19 20 — 45
Waialua (1-3, 1-2) 0 7 15 6 — 28
Kais—Keagan Lime 10 pass from Easton Yoshino (kick failed)
Wail—James Zara 24 pass from Tyson Apau (Makoakai Fierro kick)
Kais—Donovan Reis 53 pass from Yoshino (kick blocked)
Wail—Apau 10 run (Apau run)
Kais—Reis 24 pass from Yoshino (Ian Shearer kick)
Kais—Makana Naleieha 25 pass from Yoshino (kick failed)
Wail—Apau 3 run (FIerro kick)
Kais—Lime 35 pass from Yoshino (Shearer kick)
Kais—Naleieha 40 pass from Yoshino (kick blocked)
Wail—Apau 2 run (run failed)
Kais—Jesse Palmer 51 kickoff return (Shearer kick)
RUSHING—Kaiser: Kai Blackston 15-77, Kai Strawn 2-8, team 1-(minus 1), Yoshino 1-(minus 15). Waialua: Apau 15-131, Fierro 11-34, Kingston Pascual 6-15, Zara 1-(minus 5), Riley Jacob Pascua 3-(minus 6).
PASSING—Kaiser: Yoshino 27-40-1-405. Waialua: Apau 12-27-2-174, Zara 1-1-0-3.
RECEIVING—Kaiser: Naleieha 13-203, Reis 6-105, Lime 6-82, Jesse Shinagawa 1-9, Blackston 1-6. Waialua: Zara 5-110, Ryz Miranda Perreira 4-33, Jack Amancio 2-27, Fierro 2-7.
KAIMUKI 69, MCKINLEY 20
At Ticky Vasconcellos Field
Kaimuki (2-2) 21 21 20 7 — 69
McKinley (0-4) 7 0 0 13 — 20
Kaim—Ofa Vehikite 73 run (Jeremiah White kick)
McK—Tanner Hiromasa 23 pass from Api
Togafau (Noa Hattori-Crozier kick)
Kaim—Vehikite 85 run (White kick)
Kaim—Josiah Luaifoa 24 fumble return (White kick)
Kaim—Vehikite 68 pass from Iosefa Letuli (White kick)
Kaim—Vehikite 23 run (White kick)
Kaim—Iose. Letuli 1 run (White kick)
Kaim—Dante Peltier 75 pass from Iose. Letuli (White kick)
Kaim—White 15 pass from Iose. Letuli (kick failed)
Kaim—Avin Tanioka 72 run (White kick)
McK—Makana Williams 18 run (PAT failed)
Kaim—Sonasu Latu 21 run (White kick)
McK—Hiromasa 29 pass from Togafau (Crozier kick)
RUSHING—Kaimuki: Vehikite 9-209, Tanioka 2-78, Iosua Letuli 6-35, Iosefa Letuli 9-23, Tristan Louis 1-21, Niotupuivaha Uluvale 1-12, Latu 2-7, Ezekiel Kuife-Matias1-0. McKinley: Williams 2-20, Togafau 5-5.
PASSING—Kaimuki: Iosefa Letuli 8-12-1-221. McKinley: Togafau 16-36-2-197.
RECEIVING—Kaimuki: White 6-78, Peltier 1-75, Vehikite 1-68. McKinley: Preston Note 9-106, Hiromasa 2-52, Williams 2-16, Richard Kaneshiro 2-9, Kashen Kaichi 1-14.
Also:
Radford 42, Magnolia (Calif.) 6
Neighbor Islands:
Konawaena 51, Hilo 6
Keaau 35, Waiakea 0
Maui 24, Kekaulike 0
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