KEAAU — There were many happy Kamehameha parents in the stands Saturday night at Paiea Stadium.
Everybody contributed in a 40-6 victory against Keaau.
Five different players scored touchdowns, eight caught a pass, eight had at least one carry and the defense hardly took a backseat as the Warriors won their BIIF opener. Heck, even the backup field-goal kicker got into the act as Kamehameha once again claimed the Kipimana Cup.
The Cup celebrates goodwill in the Keaau community, but the Warriors’ defense had bad intentions. Kamehameha has won all seven of the trophy games.
Cougars quarterback Caine Lunsford was under siege all night and was dropped for negative yardage on 11 plays.
Kaimi Like was crisp at quarterback for the Warriors (3-1, 1-0), finishing 12 of 18 for 114 yards, including touchdown passes to Paniau Lindsey and Noah Carvalho.
The Warriors scored touchdowns on five consecutive first-half possessions after their first drive ended with a missed field goal.
The theme of the night for Kamehameha’s offense was short fields.
Justin Kenoi’s interception, his third in the past two games, set up the Warriors at the Keaau 33, and the drive ended with Isaac Ysaguirre’s short touchdown run around the left side for a 21-0 lead.
Late in the first half, Kamehameha sacked Lunsford and recovered a fumble at Keaau’s 12. On the ensuing play, Kilohana Hassenritter ran in for a score.
The Cougars (0-1 BIIF Division I) didn’t have the benefit of a preseason game and it showed in the form of myriad penalties.
Kamehameha’s longest scoring march was its first, a 66-yarder that started with a pass, and then went exclusively to the ground. Israel Bowden took an inside handoff and ran 8 yards to cap it off.
Keaau was held to minus 13 yards of offense in the first half, but Junior Santiago provided a highlight for the Cougars with a 76-yard scoring burst in the fourth quarter, and senior finished with 130 yards on the ground.
Kenoi missed a 44-yard field goal, but he had plenty of leg on an extra point that came from 40 yards out after Kamehameha was called for penalty.