KEAAU – One week after a turnover-prone performance, Kamehameha went the sure-handed route.
Kaeo Batacan carried the ball exclusively on the Warriors’ first touchdown drive Friday night, and Kamehameha put on a first-quarter clinic in Getting Back on Track 101, blitzing Keaau 55-12 at Paiea Stadium in the fifth annual Kipimana Cup.
Coming off a rare mercy-rule home loss, Kamehameha (2-2 BIIF Division II, 5-2) looked like a team that was trying to get a foul taste out of its mouth. Batacan and Elijah Campbell each ran for two scores as the Warriors used good field position to record six touchdowns in the first 11 minutes.
Kamehameha, which turned the ball over seven times in a 41-6 loss to Hilo on Sept. 12, took advantage of two Cougars fumbles, got a 40-yard punt return from David Kalili to set up another score and held Keaau to seven yards in the first quarter while amassing 220.
Dallas J Duarte threw two touchdown passes to Kainalu Whitney, finishing 6 of 6 for 69 yards, and Israel Bowden scampered 34 yards for a score and caught a 38-yard pass to up another touchdown.
Kamehameha’s first-quarter domination gave way to second-quarter sloppiness – perhaps Kamehameha was looking ahead to a Division II showdown next Friday against undefeated Konawaena as its offense bogged down?
Harassed all night long, Dilan Santos tossed two touchdown passes for the Cougars (0-4 BIIF Division I, 0-5). Kaina Vierra won a jump ball and turned it into a 68-yard play, and Charles Caldwell-Kaai made a nifty catch in the end zone off a deflection.
Batacan surpassed 100 yards on the ground with his first carry of the third quarter, finishing with 118 yards on 11 carries. Seven of those carries came on the opening drive.
Sedrick Mahi finished with three of Kamehameha’s seven sacks, limiting Keaau to negative yardage on the ground.
Keaau 0 12 0 0 —12
KS-Hawaii 41 0 0 14 — 55