HILO — All those days Hilo spent intent on climbing Mount Kealakehe must seem like a distant memory.
The Vikings tower above the rest of Division I these days.
Tristin Spikes ran for three touchdowns on a rainy Friday night at Wong Stadium, and the Vikings’ defense dominated the Waveriders as Hilo rolled 32-0 to repeat as Big Island Interscholastic Federation football champions.
On a slippery track, Hilo’s running game, led by quarterback Sione Atuekaho, churned out five touchdowns and did well to hold on to the ball.
The same couldn’t be said of Kealakehe (4-5 BIIF), which fumbled seven times in the first half as its offense and special teams put its defense in harm’s way.
Hilo (9-0 BIIF) wrapped up its second consecutive unbeaten league season to once again advance to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament. That’s a far cry from the winless campaign the Vikings endured in 2011, a year before coach David Baldwin took the reins.
The Waveriders’ first-half offensive numbers were as ugly as parts of the muddy Wong turf: zero first downs, minus-20 yards, one pass completed.
Atuekaho rushed for 127 yards and Spikes added another 84.
Hilo’s best drive came on its first drive. Atuekaho set the tone, scampering 40 yards on a quarterback keeper and then hooking up with Cohlby Espaniola on a 32-yard passing play to set up Spikes’ 10-yard touchdown run.
The Vikings didn’t need to travel as far on their next two scoring drives of the first quarter thanks to a pair of Kealakehe mistakes.
Atuekaho ran 17 yards for a touchdown after Hilo took over at Kealakehe’s 43 after a mishandled punt snap, and Craiglen Lapilio punched it on from 2 yards after a Louie Garcia fumble.
Kealakehe’s defense did well to dig in down 18-0, but the Waveriders managed only 15 yards of offense.
Kaimi Wilson got the majority of snaps for Kealakehe. Under constant pressure, he finished 7 of 20 for 29 yards.
Kealakehe 0 0 0 0 — 0
Hilo 18 0 14 0 — 32