KAPA‘AU — In a Saturday afternoon game against Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Division II opponent Kohala football, nobody was more prepared to play than Hawaii Prep star running back Alaka‘i Aipia.
In Ka Makani’s 42-14 rout over the Cowboys, Aipia rushed for 24 carries for 338 yards and five touchdowns. In reference to Aipia’s dominance, the all-time state record for most rushing yards in a game was 379 — set in 2010. The senior also grabbed an interception while playing defensive back on the other side of the ball.
“He was incredible; he’s very important (to our success),” head coach Lincoln Kalama told West Hawaii Today postgame. “The way he’s able to get yardage is special.”
Aipia’s superstar performance set the tone for the rest of the team in the beatdown. While Kohala struck first after quarterback Hezekiah Wilson found Jordan Manantan for a 40-yard touchdown throw, HPA answered back after Aipia punched it in from 10 yards out to tie the game.
The two squads then traded turnovers until the next score — as Aipia picked off Wilson, and Cowboys defensive back Tirus Perez intercepted Ka Makani quarterback Hayden Kalama in Kohala’s own territory. However, HPA linebacker La‘akea Hunt recovered a Cowboys’ fumble on the ensuing drive, setting up another Aipia rushing touchdown. Ka Makani then quickly got the ball back, and Aipia notched two big runs to score once more — right as time expired in the first half.
HPA scored three more times in the second half — two more Aipia touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter and a Kalama quarterback sneak at the end of the third.
Perez secured another pick for Kohala in the third quarter. Aukai Reyes also punched in a rushing touchdown for Kohala in the final minute of regulation to earn the last points of the afternoon.
“We started slow, but we picked things up,” Lincoln Kalama added. “There’s a few things we need to clean up in the passing game, but I loved how we executed.”
Ka Makani moved to 4-1 on the season and currently sit in the No. 2 spot of BIIF Division II. Winners of three straight, HPA will next be tested against BIIF DII-leading Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i at 2 p.m. Saturday at home. The game will come as a rematch to when the two schools last met on Sept. 6, in which the Warriors won 42-14.
Averaging over 35 points per game and allowing less than 17 through five games, Kalama believes his boys can hit another gear during the second half of the season, and this weekend’s upcoming game against KSH serves as a big opportunity to begin that process.
“We can definitely hit another level,” he said. “We shouldn’t be satisfied with what we’ve done so far; we should always be hungry and striving to get even better. We should always be trying to move forward.”
Kohala (1-5 overall, 1-4 BIIF) will next take the long drive to Pahala to face Ka‘u at 1 p.m. Saturday on the Trojans’ home field. During the two teams’ last meeting on Sept. 7, Ka‘u won 23-8.
KSH 30, Honoka‘a 13
KS-Hawai‘i football won its sixth straight overall and second consecutive against Honoka‘a on Friday night in Kea‘au. The Warriors outlasted the Dragons 30-13.
KSH’s run game was the bright spot in the team’s execution, as Xander Hoopai led the way with a game-high 24 carries for 178 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Backfield teammate Dallas Enriquez added 52 rushing yards of his own.
Warriors kicker William Henderson carried a portion of the team’s offensive load, hitting 3 field goals of 20 yards or more. Teammate Clay Ching additionally secured a 30-yard punt return at the end of the fourth quarter to effectively seal the deal.
Unbeaten in BIIF competition at 6-0 (7-1 overall), KSH remains in the No. 1 spot in BIIF DII. The Warriors are now in a three-game season with three matchups left in the BIIF slate, starting with HPA on Saturday afternoon in Kamuela.
Honoka‘a (3-4 overall, 3-3 BIIF) will get a rematch against Pahoa at 6 p.m. Friday in Honoka‘a town. The Dragons blasted the Daggers in their last matchup on Sept. 5, winning 51-8.
Waiakea 26, Kealakehe 20
Waiakea football won its second game of 2024 in a 26-20 bout with Kealakehe on Saturday afternoon in Hilo.
Per ScoringLive, 2024 is the first season the Warriors have reached multiple wins since 2018.
West Hawaii Today and Hawaii Tribune-Herald could not obtain a box score from this game by Tuesday’s deadline.
Waiakea (2-4 overall, 2-3 BIIF) is currently ranked fourth in the BIIF DI standings. Hilo currently owns the tiebreaker between the two. The Warriors’ next test won’t be until Oct. 11 — when they’ll travel to Kealakekua to play Konawaena on Julian R. Yates Field.
The Waveriders (0-5) sit in the basement of BIIF DI. Kealakehe will face local rival Konawaena on Thursday night in Kealakekua.
Campbell 50, Kea‘au 14
Kea‘au football lost its second straight game Saturday afternoon at home — falling to the visiting Campbell Sabers from the O‘ahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) 50-14 in a non-conference matchup.
West Hawaii Today and Hawaii Tribune-Herald could not obtain a box score from this game by Tuesday’s deadline.
Despite recent struggles, the Cougars remain in second in BIIF DI at 3-1 (3-2 overall). They’ll next play Hilo on Friday night at Wong Stadium. Junior varsity will play first at 5 p.m.
Pahoa 28, Ka‘u 16
Pahoa football earned its first win of 2024 with a convincing 28-16 win over Ka‘u on Thursday at Kea‘au High School.
West Hawaii Today and Hawaii Tribune-Herald could not obtain a box score from this game by Tuesday’s deadline.
Now at 1-4, the Daggers, Trojans and Cowboys hold a three-way tie for fourth in BIIF DII.
Pahoa will next play Honoka‘a on Friday night on the road, while Ka‘u will play Kohala on Saturday afternoon in Pahala.