The Kaiser Cougars secured their place in the OIA Division II playoffs with a 21-14 win over the Kalaheo Mustangs on Saturday night at Kaiser Stadium.
“It’s been like every other game. Like every game we’ve played this year, it came down to the wire,” Kaiser coach Tim Seaman said. “We’ve kind of accepted that every game is going to be tooth and nail. Credit Kalaheo — they did an outstanding job. That’s a really tough bunch of kids over there. The whole Division II this year, every game has been a battle. The margins have been one score or less. It’s good competitive football.”
Both offenses put up big numbers in the tightly contested matchup. The victorious Cougars finished with 335 total yards of offense. Absent leading rusher Dillon Reis, the Kaiser running backs put up 260 yards collectively. The group was led by Jayvien Smith’s 130 yards on 20 carries.
“It starts with the offensive line. I thought our offensive line has gotten better as we’ve gone through the year. Our offense goes as our offensive line goes,” Seaman said. “I’m happy to see those young kids run hard, Jayvien and Brady (Kim). But the guys up front, those are the guys that drive the engine.”
On the other side, Kalaheo finished with 372 total yards of offense. The Mustangs came by those yards differently, as junior quarterback Jude Weber set a school record with 333 passing yards and a touchdown on 19-for-35 passing. The previous record of 317 yards was set by Shawn Withy-Allen in 1997.
Kamalu Anoba-Jordan tallied 232 offensive yards, including a game-high 172 receiving yards on seven catches, and 60 rushing yards on eight carries.
Opposing those potent offenses were a pair of bend-but-don’t-break defenses. Despite the statistical eruption, both defenses kept the scoring to a minimum with two shutout quarters. The defenses combined for five turnovers, while a further five drives ended on turnovers-on-downs.
“I wish we’d bend a little less,” Seaman joked about his team’s defense. “I give our kids credit. When their backs were against the wall, they just kept making plays when we needed it.”
The game started with four straight turnovers. Kaiser turned the ball over on downs after a 10-play opening drive. Kalaheo followed suit as Weber threw an interception to end the Mustangs’ first drive. Weber’s pick was the first of three interceptions over the next four plays. Kaiser quarterback Sean Connell gave the ball right back with an interception, only for the Cougars to pick off Weber again on the next play.
After a scoreless first quarter, Kaiser tallied the first points of the game on the first play of the second quarter. Quarterback Sean Connell scored on a 3-yard run to cap an 8-play drive.
Kalaheo avoided being shut out in the first half by scoring on its final drive of the second quarter. Weber started the drive with a 42-yard completion to Anoba-Jordan, then finished it with an 18-yard touchdown throw to Anoba-Jordan with less than a minute left in the half. Weber completed all four of his passes for 80 yards on the five-play drive.
Both defenses pitched another shutout in the third quarter. Kaiser missed a 30-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, but the Cougars came back with Connell’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Keagan Lime.
Kalaheo matched the score on Anoba-Jordan’s 3-yard touchdown run one drive later. Anoba-Jordan tacked on a 2-point conversion on a run to tie the game 14-14 with six minutes left.
With under two minutes left to play, Kaiser put together an eight-play, 69-yard drive to clinch a playoff spot. With the game’s leading rusher Smith injured earlier on the drive, the Cougars called on Kim, who answered with a 33-yard touchdown run. Teahi Fukumitsu forced a Kalaheo fumble and Kila Nutt recovered it to seal the win.
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At Kaiser Stadium
Kaiser (5-3, 5-2) 0 7 0 14 — 21
Kalaheo (2-4, 2-4) 0 6 0 8 — 14
KAIS—Sean Connell 3 run (Keagan Lime kick)
KALH— Kamalu Anoba-Jordan 18 pass from Jude Weber (kick missed)
KAIS—Lime 24 pass from Connell (Bijan Yarbabaev kick)
KALH—Anoba-Jordan 3 run (Anoba-Jordan run)
KAIS—Brady Kim 33 run (Yarbabaev kick)
RUSHING—Kaiser: Jayvien Smith 20-130, Kim 7-53, Connell 12-49, Lime 8-34, Teahi Fukumitsu 1-0, Team 2-(minus 6). Kalaheo: Anoba-Jordan 8-60, Marcus Sasaki 10-11, Zayden Napulou 1-2, Team 1-(minus 8), Weber 6-(minus 26).
PASSING—Kaiser: Connell 5-20-1-75. Kalaheo: Weber 19-35-2-333.
RECEIVING—Kaiser: Lime 2-33, Jesse Shinagawa 2-27, Mason Nelson 1-15. Kalaheo: Anoba-Jordan 7-172, Vinny Bandini 3-45, Napulou 2-33, Matthew Pyne 2-33, Toalagi Tevaga 4-28, Chance Baqui 1-15, Sasaki 0-7.
