Hilo and Kealakehe may be the popular early picks for the BIIF Division I crown, but both Big Island squads got all they could handle from two of the ILH’s top teams in preseason action on Saturday.
Hilo (0-1) and Kealakehe (1-1) were outscored by a combined 96-0 against Punahou (2-0) and Iolani (2-0).
The Vikings fell 59-0 to the Buffanblu and the Waveriders 37-0 against the Raiders.
Kealakehe was looking to build off a 28-7 victory over Maui High last week, but couldn’t get its offense going against Iolani. The Waveriders had just eight yards in the first half.
Meanwhile, the Iolani offense hummed along, reeling off all 37 points before halftime. Conor Hannum led the way for the Raiders, hauling in six passes for 77 yards and three touchdowns.
Bruising senior back Kobe Antolin was the linchpin for the Waveriders’ offense against Maui, but an injury kept him on the sideline against Iolani. Ini Paio — another one of Kealakehe’s top options in the back field — missed his second preseason game with a leg injury. Kealakehe had seven net rushing yards and averaged just 0.4 yards per carry against the Raiders.
Kealakehe looked to the passing game after falling behind early. However, neither senior Markus Degrate (4-10, 76 yards, 1 INT) or sophomore Anthony “Head” Trevino (4-14, 29 yards, 1 TD) could consistently find their targets against the stingy ILH squad.
A lone highlight seemed to come after slotback Riggs Kurashige hauled in a pass for a score, but the play was negated by a penalty.
A positive takeaway for the Waveriders can be that the defense — despite having to be on the field a ton — did not allow a point in the second half. Pulama Louis recorded seven tackles, and Howard Cosare and Tuitahi Faleofa had a sack apiece for the ‘Riders.
Hilo — looking to replace 12 first team All-BIIF selections from last season’s BIIF championship squad — didn’t fair any better against Punahou.
The Buffanblu raced out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter behind two touchdown passes from Ephraim Tuliloa and a 13-yard run from Wayne Taulapapa. Punahou went on to score on seven of its eight first half possessions and entered the break with a 49-0 lead.
Tuliloa finished the first half 15 for 20 for 245 yards and four touchdowns, and backup quarterback Nick Kapule entered the game. Kapule didn’t take long to get going out of the break. He went 5-5 for 91 yards on the opening drive, which ended with a 13-yard strike to Ethan Takeyama.
Kaale Tiogangco got the start for the Vikings at quarterback. He completed 14 of 22 passes for 74 yards. Senior Viking Kahale Huddleston rushed for 46 yards.
Punahou outgained Hilo on offense 587 to 103 yards.
The preseason schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Vikings, who host Kamehameha-Kapalama on Aug. 21. Kealakehe will take on Canadian foe Vincent Massey High School Aug. 22.