KEAAU — Kamehameha’s offensive line gave senior quarterback Micah Kanehailua time to throw, and he put on an efficient aerial show, gunning for nearly 400 yards and firing five touchdowns with no interceptions.
Kealakehe didn’t register a sack, and when Kanehailua was pressured he relied on his mobility to escape and still complete scoring strikes, especially to his new favorite target, Bayley Manliguis.
The Warriors defeated the Waveriders 35-21 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation football game on Friday night at Paiea Stadium that didn’t seem as close as the two-touchdown score indicated.
It was a long night for the Warriors (2-1 BIIF Division II, 2-1) and Waveriders (2-1 Division I, 2-2). The game didn’t start until 8:10 p.m. because Kealakehe’s bus broke down on the way to Hilo.
The Waveriders left most of their offense, especially their ground game, back in West Hawaii. They rushed for 41 yards on 33 carries, a 1.2-yard average.
Kamehameha senior Pono Davis was a defensive nightmare. He finished with three sacks and two tackles for loss while sparking a relentless attack against the Waveriders, who were bigger across the board.
The power-running glory days of Kealakehe, which won seven BIIF Division I titles in nine years from 2004 to ’12, seem like a long ago memory. As usual, there is pretty good size on the offensive line, but not the run production from years past.
Senior quarterback Kaimi Wilson was 11 of 26 for 122 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Sequoia Iona went 1 for 8 for 35 yards with a TD. That was about it for the offense, which piled up 198 yards. Tuitahi Faleofa-Taumoefolau led the way with 19 yards one six carries.
In stark contrast, the Warriors resembled an offensive juggernaut with 539 yards of offense. Kanehailua was 24 of 38 for 374 yards with five touchdowns, and no picks.
Manliguis had nine catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Grant Shiroma caught four balls for 72 yards and one TD. Alapaki Iaea had four catches for 51 yards and a touchdown, and Caleb Baptiste had three receptions for 52 yards and one TD.
Chase Peneku offered a bit of run balance with 74 yards on 17 attempts while Kaeo Batacan added 42 yards on 10 carries. The Warriors finished with 165 yards on 43 carries, a 3.8-yard average.
In the first half, Kanehailua showed that when he gets on a roll with a nice rhythm with his receivers he’s pretty much unstoppable.
He engineered one long drive (55 yards on nine plays) and a quick-strike one (58 yards on three plays) in the second quarter to lift the Warriors to a 21-14 lead at halftime.
The first scoring drive displayed Kanehailua’s poise and mobility. He scanned the field, went through his progressions, and escaped from a rush before he tossed a 6-yard touchdown to Manliguis.
On the second scoring march, the Warriors went with a fast-paced tempo, and needed just three plays. Kanehailua’s offensive line provided a comfortable pocket and he went through his reads from left to right before he fired a fastball to an open Iaea for a 32-yard score.
Preston Kalai followed with an onside kick, and the Warriors recovered but couldn’t score despite reaching Kealakehe’s 1-yard line. Both teams finished with one turnover.
In something of a hair-pulling stat for the Waveriders, they had 13 possessions and 10 times started from at least their 40-yard line. Despite those great starting points, the visitors managed just three touchdowns.
In the third quarter, Kanehailua wiggled away from a Kealakehe pass rush and whipped a 13-yard scoring strike to Baptiste. He later threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Shiroma for a 35-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In the junior varsity game, it was Kamehameha 20, Kealakehe 7.