Kickoff will be around 8:20 p.m., my guess. Running clock in the second half of the JV game sped things up. It’s homecoming night for Waianae. They’re going to do their homecoming court festivities before the varsity game.
FIRST QUARTER
Seariders forced Kaiser into a three and out, then drove 65 yards in six plays. Jaren Ulu to Isaiah Freeney on a go route for a 28-yard TD. WAIN 7, KAIS 0, 7:58.
Solofua Grey recovers Waianae’s pooch on the ensuing kickoff. On the next play, Royce Carrick races around left end for a 21-yard TD run. WAIN 14, KAIS 0, 7:43.
Kaiser with a solid drive deep into Waianae territory, but OL Solomon Haole goes down with a leg injury. The Cougars finish the drive with a score. Jensen McDaniel scores up the middle for a 3-yard run on fourth down. He already has 12 carries for 44 yards. WAIN 14, KAIS 7, 1:05.
SECOND QUARTER
Big stop by the Cougars. They stonewall Javen Towne on fourth and 1 and take over at their 47. But three plays later, Nic Tom is hurried and his pass floats into the arms of Waianae safety Mosiah Brame. WAIN ball at its 35.
Seariders march 65 yards in five plays despite a holding call. Ulu connects again with Freeney on a deep go route, this one for 31 yards. Towne then scores up the gut for a 4-yard run. WAIN 21, KAIS 7, 7:54.
Kaiser is back at its 7-yard line when the shotgun snap sails over QB Tom’s head and out of the end zone for a safety. WAIN 23, KAIS 7, 7:42.
The home team drives 45 yards in 11 plays, a deliberate march capped by a fourth-down, 21-yard TD pass from Ulu to Towne. WAIN 30, KAIS 7, 3:04.
Tom takes the kickoff back 85 yards to paydirt, right up the middle. That’s the second time I’ve seen Waianae give up a kick return for a TD. Just a fluke, right? Andrew Kaufusi misses the PAT Kick. WAIN 30, KAIS 13, 2:49.
The Cougars drive to the Waianae 25 in the final minutes of the first half, but that’s it.
HALFTIME
At Raymond Torii Field
Kaiser (3-3, 3-2) 7 6 — 13
Waianae (5-1, 5-0) 14 16 — 30
WAI—Isaiah Freeney 28 pass from Jaren Ulu (Tate Ebel kick)
WAI—Royce Carrick 21 run (Ebel kick)
KAI—Jensen McDaniel 3 run (Andrew Kaufusi kick)
WAI—Javen Towne 4 run (Ebel kick)
WAI—Safety, Kaiser center snap sails out of the end zone
WAI—Towne 21 pass from Ulu (Ebel kick)
KAI—Nic Tom 85 kick return (kick failed)
JV—Waianae 49, Kaiser 8.
RUSHING—
Kaiser:
#24 McDaniel 13-47
#13 Tom 6-4
#10 Parker Higgins 1-1
team 1-(-7)
Waianae:
#20 Jurick Valdez 5-26
#14 Ulu 2-4
#4 Carrick 2-22
#3 Towne 5-4
#43 Solofua Grey 1-0
#25 Kade Ambrocio 2-16
#26 Kana‘i Mauga 1-23
#37 Charles Mamala 1-5
#15 Jorell Pontes-Borje 1-(-2)
PASSING—
Kaiser:
Tom 6-8-1-39
Waianae:
#14 Ulu 4-7-0-92
RECEIVING—
Kaiser:
#18 Jalen Pinks 3-9
#24 McDaniel 2-17
#28 Kaa Nueku-Mossman 1-13
Waianae:
#7 Fa‘aoli Luafutu 1-12
#11 Freeney 2-59
#3 Towne 1-21
THIRD QUARTER
Waianae drives 31 yards after a 49-yard kick return by Towne. Kade Ambrocio scores from 1 yard out. WAIN 37, KAIS 13, 8:57.
Kaiser marches 75 yards in five plays. Tom nearly scores on a 24-yard keeper before McDaniel muscles in for a 1-yard TD. WAIN 37, KAIS 20, 6:02.
Ebel powers a 38-yard field goal that had more than 5 yards to spare. BOOM. WAIN 40, KAIS 20, 4:11.
Kaiser driving, but Tom is woozy after taking a low hit. He may have dipped his head down as the tackler made the hit. He leaves the game, 15-yard penalty on the Seariders. Even with Tom out and everybody here knowing the ball’s going to McDaniel, he’s tough as nails and so is his O-line. He gains 3, 8 and 14 yards before bolting up the middle for a 10-yard TD. McDaniel now has 117 yards on 21 carries running behind Michael Eletise & Co. Impressive. WAIN 40, KAIS 27, 1:52.
Kaiser needs stops, just not a lot of depth. Eletise had a great tackle for loss (minus 6 yards) on the previous Waianae series, but how much gas is left in their tank?
FOURTH QUARTER
Seariders plowing forward against a tough, but tiring Kaiser defensive unit. Valdez scores on a five-yard surge up the gut, and then scores on the 2-point run. WAIN 48, KAIS 27, 9:55.
With Tom out of the game — possible concussion — the load is entirely on McDaniel. Three carries in a row, plus the four in a row during the end of the previous series. He’s on fumes, but fighting hard. 24-yard gain, but he gets stopped twice for no gain. Then the backup QB, Kamalu Simeona, throws into triple coverage and is picked off by Ikaika Pa‘ao‘ao-Pahina.
Waianae’s Mosiah Brame picks up a fumble and returns it 45 yards to the Kaiser 5. Nicholas Keliikoa scores two plays later on a 1-yard run. WAIN 55, KAIS 27, 4:41.
Waianae gets the ball back after a 4-yard punt by the Cougars. Kade Ambrocio runs right, cuts back against the grain and goes 38-yards for a TD. WAIN 62, KAIS 27, 1:43.
EPILOGUE
Great effort by both teams. Penalties didn’t help Kaiser (12 for 82 yards) or Waianae (10 for 100 yards). It came down to depth, no question about it. That’s what Waianae coach Walter Young and his staff game planned for, as he said after the game, and Kaiser gave all it had. It was an odd sight to see such a small roster for Kaiser.
Looking beyond this season, the Cougars might be one of those competitive programs that wins enough to hold its ground in Division I, but struggles to match up depth-wise with the OIA’s powerhouse programs. They will probably always have enough talent to notch victories, but the sight of 70 or so players on Waianae’s sideline and less than half of that on the other side, I’m not sure if that’s what classification is all about. In fact, I know that’s not ideal and I’m certain nobody would disagree.
Good game, hopefully Nic Tom’s injury isn’t serious enough to cost him any games. Safety first.
At Raymond Torii Field
Kaiser (3-4, 3-3) 7 6 14 0 — 27
Waianae (6-1,5 6-0) 14 16 10 22 — 62
WAI—Isaiah Freeney 28 pass from Jaren Ulu (Tate Ebel kick)
WAI—Royce Carrick 21 run (Ebel kick)
KAI—Jensen McDaniel 3 run (Andrew Kaufusi kick)
WAI—Javen Towne 4 run (Ebel kick)
WAI—Safety, Kaiser center snap sails out of the end zone
WAI—Towne 21 pass from Ulu (Ebel kick)
KAI—Nic Tom 85 kick return (kick failed)
WAI—Kade Ambrocio 1 run (Ebel kick)
KAI—McDaniel 1 run (Kaufusi kick)
WAI—Ebel FG 48
KAI—McDaniel 10 run (Kaufusi kick)
WAI—Jurick Valdez 5 run (Valdez run)
WAI—Nicholas Keliikoa 1 run (Ebel kick)
WAI—Ambrocio 38 run (Ebel kick)
JV—Waianae 49, Kaiser 8.
RUSHING—Kaiser: McDaniel 26-147, Tom 15-65, Parker Higgins 3-18, team 1-(-7), Kamalu Simeona 1-(-10), Jonny Hanawahine 2-0, Jalen Pinks 1-2. Waianae: Jurick Valdez 10-66, Ulu 2-4, Carrick 3-33, Towne 7-33, Solofua Grey 3-0, Kade Ambrocio 4-55, Kana‘i Mauga 1-23, Charles Mamala 2-5, Jorell Pontes-Borje 5-24, Keliikoa 3-8, Ezekiah Moniz-Hopeau 2-4.
PASSING—Kaiser: Tom 7-9-1-42, Simeona 2-4-1-14. Waianae: Ulu 6-14-0-113.
RECEIVING—Kaiser: Jalen Pinks 6-26, McDaniel 2-17, Kaa Nueku-Mossman 1-13. Waianae: Fa‘aoli Luafutu 1-12, Freeney 3-69, Towne 1-21, Jeresalem Tootoo 1-11.
PRE-GAME
This is what I blogged back on Aug. 7, when Waianae hosted Kamehameha in a preseason game to start the season.
Is it hot? Yeah, but not scorching. Just overcast and humid, probably around 85 degrees. For those of us who sat in traffic between Ko Olina and past Maili for a good 45 minutes (think there was an auto accident, three ambulance trips into town), arriving here is a blessing. There’s a reason why editor Jerry Campany calls this the most beautiful football stadium in the world. It’s all about the view, and with this overcast weather, the sunset promises to be classic.
All of that was true again, except traffic was smooth — just the normal after-school slowdown at Nanakuli — and the sunset is more promising this time. Less cloudy and more centered. Jerry knows sunsets, being a Leeward Oahu resident. And this time, I squeezed in a trip down Makaha side just for fun, natural beauty and tranquility. I would’ve stopped to get some homemade pasteles, but I already gorged on ahi poke and fries with special sauce.
JV update: Waianae 49, Kaiser 8, final.
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