Week 2 of the Hawaii high school football season begins Friday with five games on Oahu and two others involving Oahu teams taking place on Maui.
The defending state champion Kahuku Red Raiders open the year on a 13-game winning streak and have never lost under second-year head coach Vavae Tata. This is just the fifth time since 2002 Kahuku has opened the season against an OIA team. Leilehua’s last win against Kahuku came in the 2008 state tournament when quarterback Andrew Manley tied the game with a 14-yard TD pass with 1:37 remaining and then threw the game-winning TD pass to Cheves Aberilla-Ramento in OT for the win.
Kickoff is scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m. Live updates will follow below:
No. 1 Kahuku 49, Leilehua 15
At Hugh Yoshida Stadium
Kahuku (1-0, 1-0) 14 14 7 14 — 49
Leilehua (0-2, 0-1) 0 7 0 8 — 15
Kah—Royce Pao 5 run (Stokes Nihipali-Botelho kick)
Kah—Kesi Ah-Hoy 82 fumble return (Nihipali-Botelho kick)
Lei—Kona Andres 5 run (Kaleo Aloha Piceno kick)
Kah—Harmon Brown 11 run (Nihipali-Botelho kick)
Kah—Brown 1 run (Nihipali-Botelho kick)
Kah—Pao 23 pass from Sol-Jay Maiava (Nihipali-Botelho kick)
Kah—Sitaleki Tongi 53 pass from Cameron Renaud (Nihipali-Botelho kick)
Lei—Charles Watson 19 pass from Andres (Vitale Afoa pass from Andres)
Kah—Nihipali-Botelho 94 kickoff return (Nihipali-Botelho kick)
RUSHING—Kahuku: Brown 18-123, Steven Lombard 4-48, Pao 4-25, Maiava 4-19, Micah Wong-Lau 4-18, Tongi 1-10, Renaud 1-2. Leilehua: Piceno 5-13, Kalika Anderson Seumanutafa-Bryant 11-10, Andres 7-2, Afoa 1-1, Keanu Hirota 1-(minus 2).
PASSING—Kahuku: Maiava 8-20-0-108, Renaud 2-3–0-53. Leilehua: Andres 26-38-1-208.
RECEIVING—Kahuku: Kesi Ah-Hoy 3-36, Pao 2-31, Kai’ea Dowling 2-31, Kawika Macy 2-10, Tongi 1-53. Leilehua: Piceno 8-38, Kawai Phifer 6-43, Hirota 4-26, Watson 3-48, Kendrick Beitzel 3-40, JayJay Antolin 2-13.
Junior varsity — Kahuku 26, Leilehua 0
FOURTH QUARTER
GOODBYE. Holy smokes Kahuku’s return game is unbelievable this year. Stokes Nihipali-Botelho with the 94-yard kick return for a TD and he kicks his seventh extra point for good measure. 49-15, 2:23.
Charles Watson, the Washington State commit for Leilehua, comes up with three catches for 48 yards on that drive, including a 19-yard TD catch over the middle. Andres gets time from his OL to make pass. Vitale Afoa catches the 2-point conversion and it’s 42-15 with 2:38 left.
Renaud has a 36-yard TD pass to Dowling on the next play called back by a hold. Nice throw though. After a timeout for an injured Leilehua player. Renaud with an even better throw hitting Sitaleki Tongi on the MONEY. 53-yard TD pass makes it 42-7 with 7:29 remaining. Running clock. Helluva throw from Renaud.
Andres goes deep but it’s underthrown and an easy INT for Ah-Hoy, who is clearly going to be in the player of the year race.
Cameron Renaud in at QB. Micah Wong-Lau getting some run at RB. Two carries net 16 yards. Kahuku trying to move the clock…no Renaud keeps and tries a pass that is incomplete. Renaud stuffed for 2-yard gain and a Kahuku punt.
Mules start third-and-8 at own 22. Deep ball into double coverage doesn’t have a chance and it’s a punt. Kahuku’s defense has stepped up this second half. Nowhere for Andres to go with the ball.
THIRD QUARTER
Vimahi and Logan Matagi in on a sack. Third-and-8. Injured player is OL Pita Posoa but he looks OK. Ankle maybe?
Penalty on the kick return but boy Kahuku is going to be dangerous on special teams. Kahuku working on the passing game with mixed results. Lombard does rip off a 31-yard run to save the drive. Maiava 7-19, 85 yards. Has hit a few intermediate routes but noting deep yet. And then he sticks it in my face firing a bullet over the middle to Royce Pao. 23-yard TD pass is the first of Maiava’s career. 35-7, :27, Q3.
Mules three-and-out as Watson has a catch broken up by Nihipali-Botelho at the last second.
Mules facing fourth-and-1 from their own 31 and call timeout. They decide to punt. Ah-Hoy goes back all the way to his own 9 to field it and then breaks a bunch of tackles. 41-yard return to the 50 before he trips over himself or he may have been gone. Ill-advised throw from Maiava is almost picked off. Third-and-10 from the 35. (Leilehua had 15-yard penalty added to punt return). Steven Lombard rumbles for 7 on his first carry. Fourth down. Brown carries for 2 yards but is stopped just short. Another turnover on downs.
Kahuku starts on its 25. Royce Pao in at “QB”. He runs twice for 22 yards and then Maiava in at QB. He hits Pao for 8 yards but then throws two incomplete passes. Kahuku working on its passing game. Third down and Maiava fires a strike to the chest of Ah-Hoy for 14 yards. Nihipali-Botelho drops a pass and it’s third-and-10 again. Quick pass out to Ah-Hoy for 11 yards but it’s 4 yards short because of a false start. Brown runs 3 yards to the 22 but needs 4. Turnover on downs.
Mules start on their own 10. Ah-Hoy almost has a pick-six on the first throw but can’t make the catch. Leilehua moves early on third-and-1 for a costly penalty. Pass to Piceno is blown up and Leilehua punts.
HALF NOTES: Red Raiders got off to a huge start scoring TDs on both their first offensive and defensive drives of the year. Mules hung around and cut it to 14-7 after forcing Kahuku’s only turnover. QB Kona Andres (13-18, 106 yards) has been able to find holes in the Kahuku secondary. Leilehua’s quick up-tempo offense has had Kahuku off balance at times but there’s no stopping Harmon Brown running behind 10 blockers. Brown with 118 rushing yards on 16 carries. Freshman Sol-Jay Maiava (3-8, 44 yards) has attempted every Kahuku pass.
On Kesi Ah-Hoy‘s fumble return TD it was Tema Lindsey with the forced fumble.
HALFTIME BOX
At Hugh Yoshida Stadium
Kahuku (0-0) 14 14
Leilehua (0-1) 0 7
Kah—Royce Pao 5 run (Stokes Nihipali-Botelho kick)
Kah—Kesi Ah-Hoy 82 fumble return (Nihipali-Botelho kick)
Lei—Kona Andres 5 run (Kaleo Aloha Piceno kick)
Kah—Harmon Brown 11 run (Nihipali-Botelho kick)
Kah—Brown 1 run (Nihipali-Botelho kick)
RUSHING—Kahuku: Brown 16-118, Sol-Jay Maiava 3-24, Pao 2-3. Leilehua: Piceno 5-13, Kalika Anderson Seumanutafa-Bryant 7-7, Andres 4-(minus 1).
PASSING—Kahuku: Maiava 3-8-0-44. Leilehua: Andres 13-18-0-106.
RECEIVING—Kahuku: Kai’ea Dowling 1-31, Kesi Ah-Hoy 1-11, Kawika Macy 1-2. Leilehua: Piceno 4-29, Keanu Hirota 4-26, Kawai Phifer 3-24, Kendrick Beitzel 2-27.
Junior varsity — Kahuku 26, Leilehua 0
SECOND QUARTER
Short punt gives Kahuku ball on the Mules 47. Maiava in at QB and hits Ah-Hoy for 11 yards and then an impressive scramble nets 21 yards. Kids has some moves. Good footwork in the pocket to allow a receiver to get open but then he misses him. Beitzel knocks down a pass to the corner on D. Brown runs for 12 and 2. Second-and-goal at 1. TO Mules, 36 seconds remaining. Brown 1-yard TD run. Brown now 16 carries, 118 yards, 2 TD. 28-7, :33, Q2.
Nihipali-Botelho pounds another one into the end zone. Mules ball at their 20. Andrew has Beitzel open on third down for a nice gain but just underthrows it. Three-and-out but there continues to be holes in that Kahuku secondary.
Stokes Nihipali-Botelho with a 72-yard kick return to the 27 of Leilehua. Back-to-back tackles for loss by Leilehua including another by Victor makes it third-and-13 from the 30. Mules inspired here late in the first half. Maiava rolls out to his left and takes off for 19 yards and a first down to the 11. Injured Leilehua defender on the play near where Maiava went out of bounds. Sophomore OLB Kenoa Tiliimwar hurt on the play but he’s up and looks good. Ball at Mules 11. Harmon Brown 11-yard TD run. 3:41, Q2. 103 rushing yards on 13 carries for Harmon Brown.
Andres has time and steps up and goes deep. Flag comes flying. Defensive holding. Ball on 28. Aliki Vimahi and Samson Reed team up on a second to forced third-and-10 but Andres finds Phifer for 12 yards. Penalty puts ball on 7 and Andres tries a fade to Charles Watson but he can’t haul it in. Piceno stopped for no gain and it’s fourth-and-1 at the 7. Timeout Mules. Andres sneaks for 2 and then is in for a 5-yard TD run. 14-7, 5:36, Q2.
A 53-yard punt is downed by Leilehua at the 1. Red Raiders backed up. A 20-yard gain by Brown but Kendrick Beitzel forces fumble and Sunny Kanamu Jr. recovers. Ball on Kahuku 38.
Mules start from own 25. Andres 7-7, 72 yards. Andres makes it eight in a row with a 5-yard pass to Piceno but misses Piceno, who had gotten open in the gap for what could have been a big play on third down. Three-and-out. Nope. Piceno keeps the punt snap and outruns the Kahuku special teams to the sideline for 15 yards. First down at the 47. Andres goes deep on third down but overshoots receiver. Now a punt.
Brown with eight carries for 62 yards in the first quarter. Quarter starts with Kahuku third-and-6 at midfield. Maiava scrambles and looks like he has space up the middle but two receives are streaking deep. He throws it long but airmails everyone. Kahuku punts.
FIRST QUARTER
Red Raiders start on own 34. Brown runs for 2 and 10. Kahuku pounding away. Victor with another nice tackle for the Mules. Maiava in to pass and can’t connect.
Mules start from own 20 after touchback. Andres with two more completions but Kendrick Beitzel is hit and fumbles after a 21-yard reception. Kahuku ball.
Mules will start on their 31. Kona Andres at QB. Hurry-up offense and Leilehua has a nice drive going mixing run and pass. Kalika Anderson Seumanutafa-Bryant, who is 5-7, 250, with some tough runs. Andres is 5-5 for 44 yards as Leilehua gets inside the 20 but Seumanutafa-Bryant has the ball ripped out of his hands and Kesi Ah-Hoy scoops it up. 82-yard fumble return for TD. 14-0, 2:24, Q1. Nick Abramo reports Ah-Hoy also forced the fumble.
Leilehua tries an onsides kick to start the game but is called for offsides. Kahuku will start from its 27 after a 20-yard return by Kekaula Kaniho. Harmon Brown starts at QB and Kahuku opens up with a jumbo look. Brown carries for 10 yards and then 2. Just what they did last year with Kesi Ah-Hoy at QB. After three runs, freshman Sol-Jay Maiava in at QB and Kahuku goes four-wide. It’s almost picked off. Brown back in and he runs out of the jumbo set for 18 yards to the 30. Maiava back in to throw but it’s a false start on Kahuku. Maiava bootlegs to the left side and is sacked for an 8-yard loss by LB Donavon Ugalino. They try an I-formation handoff to Brown from Maiava but he’s stuffed by DL Braxton Victor for no gain. Third-and-23 and Maiava stands in the pocket and fires a nice ball to Kai’ea Dowling who makes a defender miss and picks up 31 for the first down. Brown for 7 and then Royce Pao 5-yard TD run. 7-0, 6:38, Q1. Kahuku goes 73 yards in 10 plays, drive 5:22.
PREGAME
Kahuku will receive.
Captains
Kahuku: Kekaula Kaniho, Kesi Ah-Hoy, Aliki Vimahi, Vili Fisiiahi
Leilehua: Kaleo Aloha Piceno, Sunny Kanamu Jr., Kalaika Sinclair, Austin Michael
JV FINAL: Kahuku 26, Leilehua 0
Finally able to get a Kahuku roster so here it is.
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