BIIF Football: Kohala takes control of eight-man race

PAHALA — Kohala’s seniors shined, especially quarterbacks Joey Salvador and Isaiah Villacorte-Caravalho, and linemen Austin Racoma-Salvador and Chase Kalua’u, in a ground-and-pound production.

Salvador ran for two scores, and the Cowboys defeated Ka’u 30-8 in a BIIF eight-man football showdown on Saturday at Pahala Ball Park, in the last home game for the Trojans.

It was supposed to be a feel-good sendoff for eight senior Trojans: Kalamakoa Waiwaiole, Kamaehu DeRamos, Isaac Kailiawa, Gregory Ysawa, Evan Manoha, Duane Santiago, Trieson Pascubilio and John Kaawa-Kaluau.

But the Cowboys (2-0) gashed Ka’u (1-2) for 245 yards on 42 carries for a healthy 5.8-yard per rush average. Salvador led the way with 105 yards on seven attempts, and his tag-team partner Villacorte-Caravalho rushed for 83 yards on 16 attempts.

Racoma-Salvador, Kalua’u and junior lineman Steven Medeiros frequently sealed the perimeter for Kohala’s off-tackle plays, and Salvador and Villacorte-Caravalho alternated with long gains on quarterback keepers.

It’s Salvador’s first year for football. He’s a pitcher on Kohala’s baseball team, but figured to try something different in his senior year.

“Football is always exciting. It’s an adrenaline rush,” he said. “Everything clicked for us. The best thing was watching everybody do what they’re supposed to do.”

An air attack wasn’t really necessary. Salvador went 0 for 2 in passing. Villacorte-Caravalho didn’t attempt a pass.

The loss likely eliminates the Trojans’ bid for a BIIF championship repeat. If the Cowboys beat Pahoa twice, they would capture the title.

Ka’u never looked comfortable, and couldn’t find any type of rhythm. There were several bad snaps that led to easy points for Kohala. It didn’t help the Trojans that they practiced just twice because of road closures and weather conditions.

“It was a tough one,” Ka’u coach DuWayne Ke said. “Kohala came here, played better and they won.”

While the Cowboys stretched the field with their speed, the Trojans mostly ran between the tackles and found a lot of resistance. They gained 118 yards on 37 carries, a 2.8 average.

“Our defense played hard and we stopped the run,” Kohala coach Reggie Tolentino said. “We made sure our ends were out there. We wanted to spread our offense, and run off-tackle, and control the clock

“We’ve got some big guys, and we wanted to sustain our block. Our guys did a great job.”

Manoha charged for 108 yards on 14 carries, but that includes a 41-yard fourth-quarter touchdown when the game was out of reach. DeRamos went 4 of 11 for 30 yards.

Moses Hooten set up Kohala’s first score when he sacked DeRamos on fourth-and-6 from the Cowboy 25-yard line. On the ensuing play, Salvador ran for a 65-yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper out of the spread formation.

In the second quarter, Nathan Canionero-Carvalho’s sack set up a safety when he dropped DeRamos at the Ka’u 25. Two plays later, the snap for a punt went into the end zone.

The Trojans’ s special team problems carried over into the third quarter when a bad snap on another punt was downed at the Ka’u 23. Two plays later, Stylez Alvarez rushed for a 13-yard touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, another bad snap on a punt attempt put the ball at the Trojan 23. The Cowboys capitalized on the gift when Isaiah Villacorte-Caravalho scored on a 15-yard run for a 30-0 cushion.

Manoha gave the hometown crowd a reason to cheer when he rumbled for a 41-yard score on the Trojans’ ensuing possession. He also ran in for the two-point conversion.

Honorary Trojan

The game was played in memory of Trojan senior Kobie Biving, who recently passed away from bone cancer.

The school honored him on Friday, wearing yellow ribbons, and the Trojans signed a No. 21 jersey for his parents. It was the number he wore for Pop Warner.

“He was a quiet, nice kid,” Ka’u athletic director Kalei Namohala said. “He loved football and he wished he could play, but he couldn’t.”

Kohala 7 2 13 8 — 30

Ka’u 0 0 0 8 — 8