BELLFLOWER, Calif. >> The visiting bleachers at Panish Family Stadium were filled to capacity a full hour before kickoff on Saturday night.
The Kahuku faithful, who began lining up outside the entrance gate at 3:30 p.m. for a 7:30 kick, had to wait all game to let the confetti fly as national No. 1 St. John Bosco bottled up Hawaii’s No. 1-ranked team in a 34-7 victory to cap the Trinity League vs. USA Showcase.
The shutout was averted with 2:03 remaining when Kahuku quarterback Waika Crawford threw a dart to converted defensive back Aiden Manutai, who found out just a day earlier he would be used on offense.
Manutai took a pass over the middle and made the safety hit the ground after crossing up his ankles on a 30-yard touchdown pass to make it 34-7.
A boisterous Kahuku crowd, which never stopped making noise all game, sent confetti flying everywhere as the Red Raiders took their lumps for much of the contest but were able to leave the field with some positive vibes after the score.
“If we can hang with these guys, we can hang with anybody else, and that’s why we take on these challenges — to make ourselves better,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said. “They’re the nation’s best for a reason — size across the board, 11 deep. They got studs. But it was really good for us.”
The Braves (4-0), who won the national championship in 2019, had won their first three games by a combined score of 143-21. Their 34 points scored was a season low.
“We knew coming in this was going to be one of the toughest games in our nonleague schedule,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said. “Against a front as talented as those guys with a (linebacker) going to Texas (Liona Lefau), we did a pretty good job. They’ve got size up front and they played with pretty good technique, so for us to run the ball on them was pretty impressive.”
Junior Cameron Jones led a stable of Braves running backs with 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
Deandre Moore and Chauncey Sylvester also rushed for touchdowns as St. John Bosco finished with 278 rushing yards on 43 carries.
“We gave it our all, that’s all we could do,” Kahuku safety Brock Fonoimoana said. “We’ve got to get better and work harder. That’s what we learned.”
Fonoimoana intercepted Braves quarterback Pierce Clarkson late in the first quarter for the only turnover of the game by either team.
Kahuku went three-and-out on its first two possessions and clearly missed reigning Star-Advertiser Offensive Player of the Year Kainoa Carvalho, who missed his fifth straight game with an ankle injury.
Younger brother Kaimana Carvalho carried the lead on offense with 10 receptions for 106 yards.
Crawford was efficient with his throws, finishing 24-for-34 for 214 yards and a touchdown. The big play threat just wasn’t there without Kainoa Carvalho until Manutai scored his touchdown late after Kaimana Carvalho came up with two big catches to set up the score.
“That was my first time playing both sides. We have a lot of defensive guys that can play offense very well, and that’s what we did out there,” Manutai said. “It was a deep dig and I already knew I was getting the ball, so it was pretty good.”
Lefau had four catches for 28 yards and Kingsley Ah You finished with five grabs for 29 yards.
Kahuku just couldn’t sustain drives, as St. John Bosco was able to record four sacks at critical moments.
“(Crawford) did a magnificent job controlling the game, but like anything else, if we miss a pass here or take a sack there it puts us behind, especially with a team like this,” Sterling Carvalho said. “Every play counts and execution has to be there.”
St. John Bosco finished with just 124 passing yards for the entire game. Clarkson, a Louisville commit, was 10-for-15 for 90 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Negro, who has brought his team to Hawaii to play Saint Louis and Mililani in recent years, will bring the Braves back next year to play Kahuku on the North Shore.
“One of the things that I really wanted to try to present to our community was bringing Kahuku out here and allowing them to see it,” Negro said. “I knew if we were to get them in here in our stadium with this atmosphere, it was going to be electric, and I’m about creating memories for young people. I think the Kahuku family and community came out here and showed us what real support is for their high school athletes.”
At Panish Family Stadium
Kahuku (5-1) 0 0 0 7 — 7
St. John Bosco (4-0) 7 14 7 6 — 34
SJB — Cameron Jones 2 run (Marcus Lee kick)
SJB — Deandre Moore 14 run (Lee kick)
SJB — Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa 4 pass from Pierce Clarkson (Lee kick)
SJB — Jones 3 run (Lee kick)
SJB — Chauncey Sylvester 1 run (kick failed)
Kah — Aiden Manutai 30 pass from Waika Crawford (Zayden Mariteragi kick)
RUSHING—Kahuku: Va’aimalae Fonoti 6-22, Kaimana Carvalho 1-5, Clyde Taulapapa 1-3, Waika Crawford 6-(minus 12). St. John Bosco: Jones 12-89, Sylvester 9-63, Clarkson 6-49, Khalil Warren 8-48, Moore 1-14, Caleb Sanchez 2-13, Laighton Scott 1-4, Gabriel Burch 1-1, team 3-(minus 3).
PASSING—Kahuku: Crawford 24-34-0-214, Carvalho 1-1-0-5. St. John Bosco: Clarkson 10-15–1-90, Sanchez 3-5-0-34.
RECEIVING—Kahuku: Carvalho 10-106, Manutai 2-35, Kingsley Ah You 5-29, Liona Lefau 4-28, Fonoti 2-10, Kachie Kaio 1-6, Keona Poouahi-McPherson 1-5. St. John Bosco: Moore 4-39, Sylvester 2-27, Tommy Maher 2-27, Max Stober 2-15, Eric Denham 1-10, Viliamu-Asa 1-4, Jhalil McClain 1-2.
