A week after the Kaimuki offense was held to 47 total yards, the Bulldogs went out and rewrote the record book.
Junior quarterback Jonah Fa’asoa threw for a school-record 435 yards, breaking the previous mark by more than 100, in a 46-21 victory over Kaiser on Friday night at Skippa Diaz Stadium.
Sophomore receiver Koby Moananu, who a month ago was starting at quarterback for the Bulldogs’ junior varsity team, added 185 receiving yards on six receptions, also setting a school record. Justin Faimealelei‘s 177 receiving yards in a win over Leilehua had stood as the record for 18 years.
“Getting the ball to the playmakers, letting them do their thing, the linemen giving me time, it’s not just me, it’s everybody,” Fa’asoa said of the record. “It’s a team record.”
The Bulldogs improved to 5-0 in OIA Division II but were coming off a 13-0 loss to St. Francis, which is undefeated in ILH Division II play at 6-0.
Kaimuki has lost both of its out-of-league games after losing 28-26 to Sierra Vista (Nev.) in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Former quarterback Jordan Solomon, who is the only other Bulldog to throw for more than 300 yards in a game, had the previous mark of 331 yards he set as a sophomore against Waialua.
Solomon decided to transfer to Sierra Vista in the offseason, leaving Fa’asoa to step in as a junior after playing quarterback for the JV squad.
“He’s done an amazing job,” Kaimuki coach David Tautofi said. “We knew what we had with him since he was a freshman. We kept him where he needed to be and he’s stepped in where he’s needed to step in this year. What he’s already accomplished is already much more than we expected from him as a junior coming in this year. The potential is endless for him.”
Fa’asoa broke the school record on a 65-yard touchdown pass to Naomas Asuega-Fualaau in the third quarter after Kaiser cut a 19-0 halftime deficit to 26-21 on Jesse Stroede’s 75-yard interception return for a touchdown.
He then put the game away with all three of his touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to turn a close game into a 25-point win.
“I had to step it up. Those two picks were unacceptable,” Fa’asoa said. “Dumb plays by me and I had to bounce back and help everybody out.”
He got plenty of help from Moananu, who was called up to the varsity team at the beginning of the month for the team’s road trip to Nevada.
Moananu caught a 60-yard pass on the second play from scrimmage and added a 45-yard touchdown reception. His 185 receiving yards came on six catches.
“He just expands (our offense) a lot more,” Tautofi said. “We know where our strength is on the ground but to have the kind of weapons we have with the wideouts is huge.”
Nobody has been happier to have Moananu on the varsity squad that Fa’asoa, who threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns in the game against Sierra Vista.
“He adds a lot of diversity to our offense,” said Fa’asoa, who has thrown three touchdown passes in three of the four games since Moananu was called up. “He can catch the short passes, gain as much yards as he can, and he has some speed behind him so we try to catch him on the outside on some long balls.”
To view Kaimuki’s updated record book, click here.
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