Two teams with opposite results to open the season meet in the first game of a doubleheader tonight at Aloha Stadium. Kaimuki is coming off an impressive 63-0 blowout of defending OIA D-II champion Waialua while Kalani suffered a 22-16 overtime loss to Pearl City after an incredible fourth quarter comeback to force the extra period.
Kaimuki Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0)
Head coach: David Tautofi
2017 Bulldogs roster
VS.
Kalani Falcons (0-1, 0-1)
Head coach: Scott Melemai
2017 Falcons roster
Kaimuki 41, Kalani 34
at Aloha Stadium
Kalani (0-2, 0-2) 14 13 0 7 — 34
Kaimuki (2-0, 2-0) 14 14 7 6 — 41
Kaim—Ieke Seei-Cleveland 8 run (Richard Burton kick)
Kaim—Jordan Solomon 3 run (Burton kick)
Kaln—Zachary Wong 22 pass from Seth Tina-Sobarano (Wayne McClellan kick)
Kaln—Ryu Yamane 25 pass from Tina-Sobarano (McClellan kick)
Kaim—Seei-Cleveland 4 run (Burton kick)
Kaim—Mana Mahiai 7 pass from Solomon (Burton kick)
Kaln—Yamane 62 pass from Tina-Sobarano (McClellan kick)
Kaln—Wong 4 pass from Tina-Sobarano (kick failed)
Kaim—Seei-Cleveland 19 run (Burton kick)
Kaim—Solomon 2 run (kick failed)
Kaln—Tina-Sobarano 37 run (McClellan kick)
RUSHING—Kalani: Tina-Sobarano 20-52, Ikaika Holden 7-6, Jerick Robinson 1-1, Justin Yasutake 2-0, team 1-(minus 5). Kaimuki: Seei-Cleveland 24-159, Solomon 12-101, Naomas Asuega-Fualaau 8-29, Clein Palik 1-4, team 1-(minus 2).
PASSING—Kalani: Tina-Sobarano 18-27-0-257. Kaimuki: Solomon 8-16–0-128.
RECEIVING—Kalani: Jerick Robinson 6-48, Yamane 5-121, Wong 3-33, Travis Tagad 2-34, Yasutake 2-21. Kaimuki: Seei-Cleveland 5-85, Palik 1-25, Saburban Castillo 1-11, Mahiai 1-7.
Kalani with no timeouts. Must recover the kickoff. Seei-Cleveland gets it for Kaimuki. Ball game.
Falcons force a turnover on downs and have the ball back with 2:44 on own 33. Tina-Sobarano quickly into Kaimuki territory but is sacked by Evangelist Paama. Timeout Falcons. Third-and-18 and Tina-Sobarano with an impressive 37-yard TD run with 30 seconds to go. 41-34.
Falcons can’t get the punt off and Kaimuki takes over on the Kalani 21.
Kalani gets the ball back on its own 22 with 6:17 to go down two scores. DL Richard Moon III with one of two more sacks by Kaimuki and Kalani has to punt.
Kalani gets out to midfield but Uhatafe Jr. gets his second sack. Tina-Sobarano trying to dance but is taking way too long and is sacked again. Kalani will punt.
Jordan Solomon‘s 2-yard TD run puts Kaimuki ahead 41-27, 11:25.
Kaimuki with two 100-yard rushers for first time since Justin Paderes (129) and Josh Gacusana (124) in a 2007 win over Waialua.
*****
Third quarter ends with both Seei-Cleveland and Solomon over 100 yards rushing.
Falcons move 68 yards in five plays, helped out by two Kaimuki penalties, but Holden fumbles at the 2 and Faimealelei recovers for Kaimuki.
Bulldogs go to the ground and pound away. Seei-Cleveland with his third rushing TD, a 19-yard score. 35-27, 5:39.
Falcons give it right back with a fumble.
Kaimuki’s Seei-Cleveland with a 10-yard run but fumbles. Kalani ball on its 35. Three turnovers for Bulldogs.
Falcons to receive. Kaimuki’s Seei-Cleveland, who has 2 TD runs, adds a sack on defense. Kalani will punt.
HALFTIME BOX
at Aloha Stadium
Kalani (0-1, 0-1) 14 13
Kaimuki (1-0, 1-0) 14 14
Kaim—Ieke Seei-Cleveland 8 run (Richard Burton kick)
Kaim—Jordan Solomon 3 run (Burton kick)
Kaln—Zachary Wong 22 pass from Seth Tina-Sobarano (Wayne McClellan kick)
Kaln—Ryu Yamane 25 pass from Tina-Sobarano (McClellan kick)
Kaim—Seei-Cleveland 4 run (Burton kick)
Kaim—Mana Mahiai 7 pass from Solomon (Burton kick)
Kaln—Yamane 62 pass from Tina-Sobarano (McClellan kick)
Kaln—Wong 4 pass from Tina-Sobarano (McClellan kick)
RUSHING—Kalani: Ikaika Holden 5-4, Justin Yasutake 1-2, Tina-Sobarano 7-1. Kaimuki: Solomon 8-78, Seei-Cleveland 12-46, Naomas Asuega-Fualaau 3-9.
PASSING—Kalani: Tina-Sobarano 9-15-0-180. Kaimuki: Solomon 7-13–0-122.
RECEIVING—Kalani: Jerick Robinson 3-33, Yamane 2-87, Travis Tagad 2-34, Wong 2-26. Kaimuki: Seei-Cleveland 4-79, Clein Palik 1-25, Saburban Castillo 1-11, Mahiai 1-7.
Tina-Sobarano with 180 pass yards and 4 TD in first half.
Kalani takes the Kaimuki penalty on the extra point on the kickoff and then gets the onside kick as Javan Montiho recovers for the Falcons at the Kaimuki 28. Clein Palik with a sack for Kaimuki. Tina-Sobarano buys time and hits Jerick Robinson for 16 yards. He gets hit and fumbles at the 5 but Yamane recovers. Kalani first-and-goal at the 4. Timeout with 1:04 remaining. Tina-Sobarano to Zachary Wong for a 4-yard TD. Extra point is no good however.
Ryu Yamane gets behind the defense as Tina-Sobarano scrambles and Tina-Sobarano throws a deep ball that gets to Yamane for a 62-yard TD. Looked like 50+ in the air. He’s had two of those throws tonight. Impressive score for Kalani. 28-21, 3:07.
Solomon with a 27-yard run into Kalani territory but then three straight incompletions. He’s 1-for-5 after starting 4-for-4. They go for it and it’s a nicely designed screen to Seei-Cleveland for 29 yards to the 9. Play-action pass is a 7-yard TD from Solomon to Mana Mahiai. 28-14 Bulldogs, 4:18.
On the next play, Tina-Sobarano has it stripped and Z.C.O. Uhatafe Jr. with the recovery all the way at the Kaimuki 35.
Bulldogs start on the Kalani 49. Seei-Cleveland has a 30-yard TD run called back because of a holding penalty. Asuega-Fualaau fumbles and Sheldon Chu returns it 60 yards to the Kaimuki 12.
Famealelei with his second sack and then Nisa gets one to set up third-and-22 for Kalani. Falcons three-and-out.
Asuega-Fualaau with a 66-yard punt return. Touchdown saving tackle at the Kalani 4 but the Bulldogs are in business. Nelson, who was hurt earlier in the game, came back in and is injured again. Looks like a left ankle/leg injury as he is carried off. Ieke Seei-Cleveland 4-yard TD run. 21-14 Bulldogs, 8:53.
Falcons on their 20. Tina-Sobarano escapes the rush on third-and-8 and picks up 17. Kaimuki’s Torey Faimealelei ends the drive though with a big time sack on third down.
Bulldogs will start with third-and-8 at the 20. Solomon has Seei-Cleveland open out of the backfield but overthrows the touch pass for his first incompletion. Kaimuki tries a 37-yard field goal and misses it short.
**********
Kaimuki converts a third-and-8 with a 19-yard pass from Solomon to Seei-Cleveland. Solomon then scampers for 22 yards. Solomon with his second fumble of the quarter but Kaimuki recovers at the 20 to end the quarter.
First play is a 25-yard TD pass from Tina-Sobarano to Ryu Yamane. Post route over the middle is open. Just like that it’s 14-14, 4:12.
Solomon is sacked and fumbles. Kalani recovers on the 25. Couldn’t see numbers, sorry.
Kalani answers in a hurry as Tina-Sobarano goes 3-for-3 for 54 yards on the drive, hitting Travis Tagad for 26 yards and then a 22-yard TD pass to Zachary Wong. 14-7, 5:25.
Naomas Asuega-Fualaau with a 36-yard punt return to the Kalani 16. Kalani DL Allen Nelson shaken up on a play but walks off under his own power. Solomon scores on a 3-yard TD run. 14-0, 6:37.
Falcons with a quick three-and-out. After missing on a deep shot on first play, Kalani was stuffed for a loss of 3 yards by Suliveti Nisa. Another incomplete pass and a punt.
Bulldogs will receive. Kaimuki opens with an 8-play, 63-yard drive. QB Jordan Solomon goes 3-for-3 for 42 yards and RB Ieke Seei-Cleveland follows up a 22-yard run with an 8-yard TD run. 7-0 Kaimuki, 8:57.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Kalani: Seth Tina-Sobarano, Joshua Titalii, Justin Gatewood, Cody Uehara
Kaimuki: Saburban Castillo, Jordan Solomon, Suliveti Nisa, Ieke Seei-Cleveland
Looks like about a 6:10 p.m. kick.
The Roosevelt/Pearl City junior varsity game is about to start the second half at 4:40 p.m. Don’t expect the varsity game to start before 6. We’re going to be here late tonight.
NOTES: Kaimuki leads the series 26-3 but Kalani won last year. The Falcons have never won two consecutive games against the Bulldogs. Kaimuki is making an appearance at Aloha Stadium for the third straight year, the first time they have done that since 2001-03. Kalani is playing at the stadium for the first time since its 2015 opener. Kalani hasn’t won at Aloha Stadium since 1996, when the Falcons beat Kohala 21-14 and haven’t beaten an Oahu team at the stadium since taking out Campbell 20-8 in 1982. That is a string of four losses at the stadium. Kaimuki hasn’t won at Aloha Stadium since a 48-12 win over Kalaheo in 2010, a string of two straight losses.
Kalani top passer vs. Kaimuki: Wilkins Kato, 243 yards in 2010
Kalani top rusher vs. Kaimuki: Sean Silas, 192 yards in 2015
Kalani top receiver vs. Kaimuki: Kapono Kamawiwaole, 84 yards in 1996.
Kaimuki top passer vs. Kalani: Keanu Pratt, 174 yards in 2015
Kaimuki top rusher vs. Kalani: Billy Masima, 183 yards in 2015
Kaimuki top receiver vs. Kalani: Kurt Pimenta, 129 yards in 1982
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