Pearl City’s offense was in quick-strike mode and its defense was in shutdown mode Friday against Waialua.
Makoa Cooper rushed seven times for 140 yards and four touchdowns in the first quarter and the Chargers’ defense held the visiting Bulldogs to minus-15 yards of total offense in a 64-0 rout.
Pearl City (3-1, 3-0 OIA Division II) put up 36 points in the first quarter with five touchdowns coming on only 14 offensive plays.
“We played good, but Waialua made some mistakes to help us score a lot. We didn’t play that dominant,” said Pearl City coach Robin Kami.
Cooper scored on a 68-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. He also scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and a 34-yarder.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Cooper said of the first scoring run. “I just saw two (line)backers in the hole and I just bounced out. I just saw the alley.”
The Chargers extended the lead to 51-0 at halftime.
Pearl City’s Isaiah Asinsin threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Mock and a 13-yarder to Chase Cudimat before halftime.
The second touchdown pass was a beautifully thrown ball to the back-left corner of the end zone.
“The second pass, it was a good connection to No. 11,” said Asinsin, who finished 7-for-11 for 74 yards. “It’s challenging because you have to time it and make sure it’s perfect.”
Waialua (0-3, 0-2) didn’t gain a first down in the first half and had minus-39 yards of total offense. Its longest gain from scrimmage before halftime was 4 yards.
For the game, the Bulldogs completed four passes for 11 yards and threw four interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns.
“Defense did a great job tonight. They took advantage of the interceptions and made a big difference on the scoreboard,” Kami said.
The Chargers’ Kasey Kikuyama had two interceptions in the first half, including a 40-yard pick-6.
“Once I caught the football, I just trusted my blockers to go and score. I credit the D-line for the pressure,” Kikuyama said.
Shayden McMoore returned an interception 56 yards for a score in the third.
Waialua’s initial first down came via penalty with 2:07 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs’ longest play from scrimmage was a 12-yard run by quarterback Tevesi Toia on the final play on the game.
Waialua also had trouble on special teams. A bad snap in punt formation led to the Chargers gaining possession at the 1. Cooper scored on the next play.
Another botched snap in punt formation led to a safety.
The Bulldogs have been outscored 127-0 in their first two league games.
Waialua has six seniors on its roster and only four see playing time, according to coach Lincoln Barit.
“I don’t expect (success) this year, but next year maybe we can rebound,” he said.
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