A year ago, only seven points separated Hawaii Prep from Kamehameha in their two meetings on the gridiron en route to Ka Makani claiming the BIIF Division II crown.
Times have changed.
In their BIIF opener Saturday night, Hawaii Prep had no answers for a Warrior team that was overwhelming from the first snap. Kamehameha’s Tobey Lau found the end zone less than four minutes after the opening kickoff, and the Warriors cruised to a dominant 45-0 victory. Lau was also a force on defense, racking up three sacks on the night, including a strip sack on the game’s opening possession to set up his rushing touchdown,
Four different Kamehameha receivers – Makaiokalani Snyder, Kekainalu Fuerte, Ty Watterson and Javan Feary – caught touchdowns, and senior kicker Elijah Dinkel connected on three field goals in the blowout win.
Hawaii Prep struggled in the field position battle, turning the ball over three times in addition to struggling in the punting game. Kamehameha took control of the game in the second quarter, racking up 25 points to give them a running clock in the second half.
Michael Perry led Kamehameha’s aerial attack, completing 12 of 20 passes for three touchdowns and 201 yards. Snyder was Perry’s favorite target, hauling in seven passes for 75 yards.
Defensively, the Warriors limited Hawaii Prep to just 87 total yards. Ka Makani’s Luke Hendricks completed just nine of his 26 passes for 60 yards.
Ka Makani (0-1) will have a chance to avenge Saturday’s loss when Kamehameha (1-0) travels to Waimea to take on Hawaii Prep on October 1.
Next week, Kamehameha will look to keep their momentum rolling as they stay at home against the Dagger of Pahoa on Thursday night; kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.. Hawaii Prep will return to Waimea to host Kau on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Hilo 52, Kealakehe 2
For a brief moment, the Waveriders had a chance to take control of Saturday’s BIIF opener against Hilo.
Leading 2-0 after forcing a safety on their first defensive play, Kealakehe had the ball on Hilo’s 36-yard line, poised to take a two-score lead midway through the first quarter.
It was all Hilo from that point forward.
The Vikings forced a turnover on the very next play, and then Xiah Kanae gave Hilo a 7-2 lead with a 46-yard scamper into the end zone.
Add in three more second-quarter touchdowns – two on the ground by Kanae and Kaohu Kaluna, one through the air from Kaluna to Kayden Silva – and Hilo had firmly taken control of the game away from the Waveriders.
Kealakehe found ways to sustain drives – primarily behind some hard-nosed running by Lawrence Nahakuelua – to dominate the time of possession in the first half, but failed to punch any drives into the end zone. Kealakehe turned the ball over seven times in the game.
A three-yard run by Kaluna midway through the third quarter pushed Hilo’s lead to 42-2, triggering a running clock.
Kealakehe (0-1) will travel to Konawaena next week to take on the Wildcats, while Hilo (1-0) will host Keaau at Wong Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff for both contests is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.