KEAAU – For nearly two quarters, it seemed like more of the same for Keaau: one step forward, two steps back. Too many turnovers. Try again next time ADVERTISING KEAAU – For nearly two quarters, it seemed like more of
KEAAU – For nearly two quarters, it seemed like more of the same for Keaau: one step forward, two steps back. Too many turnovers. Try again next time
Iokepa Laa, Junior Santiago and a stingy Cougars defense had other ideas.
Laa provided a spark at quarterback Friday night, running for two scores and throwing for another, and Santiago set the tone with a long touchdown run up the middle to open second half up as Keaau surprised Honokaa 30-15 to claim its first victory of the season.
The Cougars (1-3, 1-3 BIIF Division) entered the game with just two touchdowns on the season, but they came alive late in the second quarter, reeling off three touchdowns in a four-minute stretch spanning both halves, shrugging off four turnovers.
Santiago gave the Cougars the lead, lining up at quarterback on the first play of the third quarter and parting the field virtually untouched on a 75-yard run for his third long score of the season. The senior amassed 118 rushing yards.
The Dragons (2-3, 1-3 BIIF Division II) lost their third in a row and were hampered by myriad penalties. Ocean Guerp0-Beamer tossed two touchdown passes for Dragons, finishing 14 of 27 for 112 yards.
Honokaa managed just 93 yards on the ground and two fumbles in its territory helped Keaau pad its lead in the third quarter on touchdown runs by Laa, the second coming on fourth down.
Laa made timely completions and was an efficient 7 of 11 for 78 yards, giving his team the passing component it needed.
Through two quarters, Honokaa dominated time of possession and was positive four in the turnover battle, but the Dragons nursed just a one-point lead at halftime.
The Dragons ran 30 plays in the first half but gained only 115 yards. Their longest gain in the first two quarters, Kainalu Swift’s nifty 30-yard run on a reverse, was wiped out by a holding flag.
Keaau had run just 12 plays from scrimmage when it took over at Honokaa’s 40 late in the first half after a punt. Laa used six plays to find the end zone, completing three passes, the last from 4 yards out to Caine Lunsford for a touchdown that cut the score to 9-8 when Bronson Castro rumbled in for the first of his three two-point conversion runs.
Keaau fumbled on its only full possession in the first quarter, but the Dragons couldn’t capitalize, converting a fourth down in Cougars’ territory before settling for a long field missed field goal.
In the second quarter, Trey Gomes intercepted Keaau quarterback Caine Lunsford, giving Honokaa the ball at midfield, and this time the Dragons took advantage. They were stopped on fourth down, but a penalty sustained the drive, and after Klayton Gascon ran for 14 yards and Guerpo-Beamer scampered 10, Guerpo-Beamer found Kolten Caravalho in the end zone for a 7-yard scoring play.
