GAME NIGHT 8/5: Waianae/Kamehameha

It’s opening night in the 808 with seven high school football games scheduled for Oahu.

The only matchup featuring two ranked teams takes place at Kunuiakea Stadium as the eighth-ranked Waianae Seariders make the bus ride into town to face the No. 4-ranked Kamehameha Warriors. Live updates for the 7 p.m. kickoff will follow.

No. 8 Waianae 26, No. 4 Kamehameha 20, FINAL.

At Kunuiakea Stadium
Waianae (1-0) 0 0 12 14 — 26
Kamehameha (0-1) 0 0 0 20 — 20
Wain—Kanai Mauga 25 interception return (kick blocked)
Wain—Rico Rosario 4 run (run failed)
KSK—Breden Akima 2 run (Micah Mizo kick)
KSK—Tiger Peterson 75 punt return (run failed)
Wain—Kade Ambrocio 99 kickoff return (Tate Ebel kick)
KSK—Akima 1 run (Mizo kick)
Wain—Isaiah Freeney 54 pass from Jaren Ulu (Ebel kick)

RUSHING—Waianae: Rosario 10-56, Ulu 4-19, Javen Towne 5-8, Solofua Grey 2-0, team 1-(minus 2). Kamehameha: Akima 20-70, Brayden Miyamoto 11-31, Thomas Yam 7-17, Sundance Solatorio 1-6, Justice Young 2-2, team 1-(minus 9).
PASSING—Waianae: Ulu 13-21–0-124. Kamehameha: Yam 10-20-1-143, Young 2-3-0-12.
RECEIVING—Waianae: Isaiah Freeney 6-85, Rosario 2-26, Ambrocio 2-13, Jorell Pontes-Borje 1-5, Jeresalem Tootoo 1-(-2), Grey 1-(-3). Kamehameha: Solatorio, 5-75, Chris Ah Mook Sang 4-50, Matthew Aio 2-27, Pinao Awai 1-3.
Junior varsity — Kamehameha 20, Waianae 12

FOURTH QUARTER

Yam with the pass back to Trever Kahunahana who breaks a tackle. TOUCHDOWN! NO. Holding call on Kamehameha. Looked like a good call. Ball on 16. Yam scrambles. He throws. INCOMPLETE. WAIANAE WINS IT 26-20. HOLY SMOKES.

Last chance for KSK. Fourth-and-8 from its 23 with 44 seconds remaining. Yam bides time and comes back across the field. Ah Mook Sang with the catch for 10 yards and Kamehameha is still alive. First-and-10 at 33. Yam finds Aio for 14 yards and Kamehameha spikes it with 16 seconds left from the 47. Yam to Solatorio for 40 yards and he goes out of bounds as time expires. But it’s a defensive holding. No time on the clock. Flag on the field. UNTIMED DOWN FROM THE WAIANAE 6. This will be an interesting call. How do you enforce the hold AND include the play AND give Kamehameha an untimed down? If play stands, game should be over? Anywhere here we go. No time on clock from the 6.

KSK ball on its 20 with 1:05 remaining. Four touchdowns have been scored in last 5 minutes of game time.

Friendly reminder: This game was 0-0 at halftime…

Javen Towne ALMOST breaks it. A 36-yard return gets it out to the Waianae 46 where Seariders take over down 1 with 1:24 remaining. First play Ulu dodges a defender, he steps up as he takes a HUGE hit and it’s ON THE MONEY. Isaiah Freeney, 54-yard TD pass as he falls into the end zone. Freeney is hurt but so what right now. Fourth lead change of the game. Waianae back in front. 26-20, 1:14 left as XP is good.

Yam stays at QB. Third-and-3 after two runs net 7 yards. Akima stopped for 2 yards but it looks like Waianae is going to get a 15-yard personal foul call. Horrible penalty on Waianae gives Kamehameha the first down at the 48. 4:17 and counting…Akima picks up 3 yards. Yam up top to Ah Mook Sang and he comes down with it. 32-yard completion to the 17. Akima runs for 11 to the 6. Yam looks like he has the TD but Cabral with a GREAT tackle to stop Yam at the 1. Third-and-goal. Akima 1-yard TD run with 1:34 remaining. Micah Mizo, subbing for the injured Adam Stack, converts the extra point, KSK up 1 with 94 seconds left.

NO WAY! KADE AMBROCIO ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HOUSE CALL ON THE KICKOFF RETURN. 99 YARDS. Waianae back in front, 19-13 after XP with 5:53 remaining. He waited and let that ball bounce before getting it at the 1, paused, broke outside and was OFF TO THE RACES. Incredible.

TIGER PETERSON! He breaks four tackles and somehow gets outside and he has a blocker in front of him for the last defender. He’s gone. 75-yard punt return for a TD and Kamehameha takes the lead with 6:13 remaining. Game changer right there. 2-point try is no good as Waianae stuffs the run.

Waianae will start on its 21. Ulu hit as he throws it by Aleki and LB Akalea Kapono has an INT but he can’t hold on. Warriors miss huge change. Ulu hits Freeney for 7. Big third-and-3. Ulu scrambles and gets it off before about three guys bear down on him and Freeney somehow collects it for 5 yards and a first down. Heckuva play by Ulu who is balling out this second half. Hold on next play makes it first-and-20. Manageable third-and-7 after a 9-yard pass to Rosario but it’s incomplete. Waianae will punt with 6:38 remaining.

DB Tony Cabral really impressive for Waianae. KSK has third-and-5 at the Waianae 47. Yam fakes handoff and it looks like Solatorio makes a crazy catch behind him but it’s ruled incomplete. Kamehameha going for it. Yam throws it just wide of Solatorio’s reach but Waianae is called for a late hit. Tough call there but it’s part of the new rules emphasizing those hits. Personal foul keeps drive alive. Ball at Waianae 32. Solatorio goes 14 yards on the shovel pass. Akima with some tough runs behind his OL. Breden Akima 2-yard TD run. XP is good with 8:34 remaining.

THIRD QUARTER

Waianae starts on its 20. 4:50 to go in third. After an incomplete pass, Rosario gets to the outside and then breaks two tackles, rumbling for 32 yards into Kamehameha territory. Longest offensive play of game for either team. That nearly matched Waianae’s entire first-half yardage output. Ulu bides time and finds Ambrocio for 10 yards but a late black-in-back wipes it out. Ulu bides time again and then a nice touch pass to Rosario out of the backfield who turns it up for 17 yards to the KSK 33. Three straight completions and a personal foul on KSK moves the ball inside the 10. Towne gets two handoff from the 8 and runs right behind his giant O-line. 4 yards and then Rosario goes 4 yards on same dive play for the Waianae TD. 2-pt conversion no good. 12-0, 1:16, Q3. 9-play, 80-yard drive. Seariders putting it together.

Yam back in and keeps on the fake handoff and rumbles for 16 yards. INT might have fired him up. Akima with a nice run but then DB Sireadan Sana comes up with a big stop and Kamehameha will go for it, but it’s a delay of game. Now comes the punt.

KSK ball on its 15. Akima starts with a nice 12-yard run but a holding penalty hurts on next play. Waianae’s Kanai Mauga comes up with a HUGE interception in the flat. Read perfectly. First turnover of the game is returned 25 yards for a touchdown and Waianae leads 6-0, 7:15, Q3, after extra-point is blocked.

Seariders start on their 29. Ulu has time and hits Freeney on a 5-yard out and he takes it 12 yards for a first down. Ulu with a quick pass to Kade Ambrocio for 5 yards and Waianae moves it a little but Desmond Unutoa and Jonah Welch stuff a run and third-down pass is incomplete.

Waianae tries an onsides kick but Kamehameha holds on despite a huge hit. Warriors start at their own 47. No LB Jaylen Gonzales for Waianae whose shoulder is wrapped. Yam back in at QB but fumbles the handoff on the second play after a 7-yard run by Akima. Three-and-out after long ball is overthrown.

HALFTIME BOX

At Kunuiakea Stadium
Waianae (0-0) 0 0
Kamehameha (0-0) 0 0

RUSHING—Waianae: Rico Rosario 7-22, Jaren Ulu 3-15, Javen Towne 4-4, Solofua Grey 2-0, team 1-(minus 2). Kamehameha: Brayden Miyamoto 11-31, Sundance Solatorio 1-6, Breden Akima 2-2, Justice Young 2-2, Thomas Yam 1-(minus 6), team 1-(minus 9).
PASSING—Waianae: Ulu 2-5-0-(minus 5). Kamehameha: Young 2-3-0-12, Yam 2-3-0-8.
RECEIVING—Waianae: Jeresalem Tootoo 1-(-2), Grey 1-(-3). Kamehameha: Chris Ah Mook Sang 2-8, Solatorio, 1-9, Pinao Awai 1-3.
Junior varsity — Kamehameha 20, Waianae 12

SECOND QUARTER

Ulu fakes the kneel down and then goes deep but overthrows his receiver. Now he takes a knee.

Kamehameha continues to dominate field position taking over at the Waianae 43. This is a throwback game to the 70s and 80s so far. No real offense from either team. Young stays in the game and hands off twice to Miyamoto for 5 yards. Third=and-5. Another run right up the middle but the o-line opens a hole for Miyamoto who picks up 9 yards to the 29. Inside 2 minutes. A 9-yard flick pass on the sweep to Solatorio is good for 9 yards. Breden Akima in at RB and he is stopped for a loss of 2 by Tony Cabral but comes back to pick up 4 and a first down at the 18. Timeout Kamehameha with 34 seconds remaining. You’d like to have Adam Stack available here. Young scrambles out to the flat adn runs it out of bounds for 2. Dayne Evangelista stops Young for a loss of 1. That goes down as a sack. Another timeout with 18 seconds left. Young throws one up to Ah Mook Sang in the end zone and it’s broken up. Mizo in to try a 32-yard field goal but it’s a bad snap and he doesn’t even get a shot at it.

Waianae will start on its 12. Towne gets 4 yards and Rosario gets a yard but a false start makes it third-and-10. Ulu goes deep on the go route to Isaiah Freeney and lofts up a perfect ball 30 yards downfield but Freeney can’t make the catch. Great throw. Instead it’s a punt.

Kamehameha starts on Waianae’s 44. Justice Young in at QB with 6:42 left in second quarter. Yam is 2-for-3 for 8 yards. Two straight runs make it third-and-7. Short pass to Pinao Awai is good for 3 yards but Gonzales with a nice play from his LB spot to force a punt.

Waianae starts on its 10 after a friendly roll on punt for Kamehameha. Kalawai’a Pescaia with a huge stop on Rosari for a loss of 2. Both offensive lines struggling to handle opposing D-lines. Pescaia with another stop near the line of scrimmage for no gain and a quick three-and-out.

Defense’s dominating as Kanai Mauga wraps up Miyamoto for a loss of 1. LB Jaylen Gonsalves stops Miyamoto for no gain on third-and-6 as Kamehameha tries a run play. Interesting there. Two darn good front sevens on defense for both teams.

Aleki with a big stop on second-and-1 to stop Towne for no gain. It’s third-and-1. Aleki STUFFS Grey this time for no gain. Third huge play of the half by Aleki. Waianae will go for it. Fourth-and-1 at KSK 45. Apo gets help and stuff Towne and Waianae is stuffed.

FIRST QUARTER
Waianae gets a 9-yard run by Rosario to end the first quarter.

Kamehameha will start on the 50 after a short punt. A holding call stalls a drive and Yam fumbles on third down but Kamehameha recovers. High snap and Mizo does a great job to get off a punt from back near his 20 but Waianae takes over on the 46.

Waianae 1st-and-10 on its 26. Andrew Aleki comes up with a big tackle for loss to force third-and-9. Ulu is sacked by Nakoa Pauole to force a three-and-out. Kamehameha’s defensive studs come up big on that drive.

Thomas Yam to start at QB for Kamehameha, which opens its first drive at its 20. Sundance Solatorio gets first carry of season for Kamehameha for 6 yards. Waianae jumps early on two of the first four snaps. Drop by Chris Ah-Mook Sang makes it 3rd-and-3. LB Lanaki Renon stuffs the run on third down to force punt. An illegal motion wipes out a good punt by Micah Mizo. Next punt is 20 yards shorter but Waianae is called for a hold so it comes close to evening out.

Waianae comes out with four-wide and tries a quick throw to Jeresalem Tootoo but it’s a loss for 2. DB Jonah Apo makes the play. Rico Rosario shows some nice moves on a 14-yard run and QB Jaren Ulu scrambles for 14 yards. Third-and-6 from the 41 and Ulu with a throw to Solofua Grey in the flat who is hit hard and riden down by Beau Pakele. Likely punt coming here.

*****

EXPECTED KICKOFF: 7:05 p.m.

6:45 p.m.: Also not suited up for Kamehameha is WR Jaykob Cabunoc, who had 50 catches for 581 yards and four touchdowns last year as a junior.

6:40 p.m.: Looks like Kamehameha senior kicker Adam Stack, who committed to Oregon last month, is in shorts and will not play tonight. “Medical reasons” according to Kamehameha staff.

For fun, here’s an 81-yard punt he had last year:

±±±±±±±±±±±

Last meeting: Kamehameha traveled to Waianae to open the season last year and came away with a 33-13 win behind Boogie Yam‘s 147 passing yards.

>> The teams have met nine times in the Prep Bowl and State Championship eras, with Kamehameha enjoying a 6-3 edge including the last three. The Seariders have not beaten the Warriors since 1998, when Waianae registered six sacks and held Kamehameha to -22 yards rushing.

>> Waianae hasn’t won a season opener since 2007, when it beat Farrington on its way to a 4-0 start.

>> Kamehameha is 7-1 when debuting a coach, the only Kamehameha coach to start his career with a loss was Doss Tannehill with a 16-0 loss to Kahuku in 2005. He lasted only one season.

2013: Doug Cosbie beat Castle 15-0
2007: David Stant beat Castle 21-12
2005: Doss Tannehill lost to Kahuku 16-0
1996: Kanani Souza beat Waianae 13-12
1989: Blaine Gaison beat Farrington 14-6
1988: Milton Holt beat Farrington 27-14
1985: Bernie Silva beat Pearl City 38-6
1968: George Naukana beat Kahuku 26-7

>> Kamehameha hasn’t opened a season with a loss since 2011 when it fell to Farrington at Kaiser.

>> Kamehameha has never had a QB throw for more than 195 yards against Waianae (Joe Tom with 195 in 1973) and never had a receiver break 100 yards. Jayson Rego was the last Warrior to rush for more than 100 yards against Waianae, going for 125 in 2004.

>> Waianae has never had a QB throw for more than 131 yards against Kamehameha (Victor Humalon in 1973) and never had a receiver go over 100 yards. When Jaren Ulu tossed for 106 against Kamehameha last year, it was the first time over 100 since 1973. Waianae hasn’t had a running back go over 100 yards on the ground since Feleti Brown churned out 124 in 1978.

>> Of the seven times Waianae has made it to the state tournament, it started the season with a win five times. Kamehameha has never made the state tournament after starting 0-1.

>> Kamehameha has not lost a preseason game since 2012, when it fell to Leilehua. That’s eight wins in a row.

>> Kamehameha has gone eight straight games with at least one receiver picking up 100 or more yards. The last time they failed to get a receiver over 100 was last year’s opener against Waianae, a streak of eight games. The school had never had more than two games in a row with a 100+ yard receiver before starting this streak.

>> If Kamehameha wins, it will be the first time Walter Young has lost two games in a row. They lost to Kahuku at states to close last year.