Nearly 3000 miles away from their home at Julian Yates Field, the Wildcats of Konawaena opened their season with a tough contest against the Lancers of Granger High School in Utah on Friday, falling 30-7
While they did not ultimately leave Utah with the victory, there were a handful of bright spots for the Wildcats.
Sophomore receiver Abraham Ogata notched the only touchdown for Konawaena, hauling in a touchdown pass from quarterback Keoki Alani in the third quarter. A spread-out Konawaena passing attack saw seven players make at least one reception, with four – Ogata, Jacob Ah Mook Sang, Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio and Hezekiah Anahu-Ambrosio – catching seven passes apiece. Alani connected on 35 of his 55 passes, racking up 257 yards to go along with his one touchdown pass.
Kawelu Kaiawe led a rushing attack that took a back seat to the passing game as the contest progressed, recording 36 yards on six carries.
Defensively, the Wildcats were able to force three turnovers – two interceptions by Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio and one fumble recovery by Ro’o Satta-Ellis – throughout the night. Trez Uemoto recorded Konawaena’s lone sack of the game.
The Wildcats now turn their focus to the Big Island; they’ll open their Division I BIIF title defense at Waiakea on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.