With a roster of just 30 players, Hilo had more than enough firepower to dominate crosstown rival Waiakea 49-18 in a preseason football game Saturday at Wong Stadium.
Tristin Spikes rushed for 112 yards on 12 carries, and quarterback Sione Atuekaho added 89 yards on just six attempts, and accounted for five touchdowns — three in the air and two on the ground.
Jordan Caoagdan was Atuekaho’s favorite target with five catches for 65 yards, including a 13-yard scoring strike. Atuekaho was just 10 of 22 for 111 yards, but was quite productive with three TD passes and no picks.
The Vikings piled up 203 rushing yards on 33 carries for a 6.2 yard-per-rush average with zero turnovers. The Warriors finished with three turnovers, two that Hilo turned into touchdowns.
Hilo backup quarterback Nainoa Kawailima played most of the second half and went 3 of 4 for 48 yards with a TD strike.
Waiakea rushed for 181 yards on 42 carries for a 4.3 yard-per-rush average. Safune Wilson picked up 60 yards on one thrilling run in the second quarter. Take that away and Waiakea’s rush average drops to 2.9 yards.
Senior quarterback Kainalu Fejeran went 3 of 11 for 47 yards with no TDs or interceptions for the Warriors.
Wilson, a senior, finished with 71 yards on five attempts while Joe Ongais, a junior, added 47 yards on 11 carries for the Warriors, who were almost victim to the 35-point mercy rule.
But after Hilo’s Kaonohiokala Botelho snagged a 35-yard scoring pass from Kawailima to bump the score to 49-13, Waiakea junior Pono Auwae scored on a 73-yard kickoff return.
That was the Warriors’ highlight of the game, a shining light during a game that crawled at a turtle’s pace. There were only 37 passes thrown, compared to 75 rushing attempts, but the marathon lasted three hours.
In the junior varsity, Hilo defeated Waiakea 41-0.