From No. 2 Kahuku’s very first offensive play from scrimmage, the Red Raiders had Radford on its heels and didn’t let up on both sides of the ball in a 64-0 rout.
Enoch Nawahine glided across the field for a 58-yard touchdown on said play and finished with a game-high 121 yards on nine attempts despite playing just the first half.
It was the Red Raiders’ first game since a 17-0 loss to Bingham (Utah) on Sept. 9 in Las Vegas. The setback resonated throughout the entire team.
“It was just coming back from Bingham and Las Vegas without a win, we had that taste in our mouths and we wanted to unload on another team,” Nawahine said. “We practiced hard this whole week like we didn’t have a win this entire season. We just wanted to come back stronger than we did before.”
Nawahine finished with four touchdowns in total as he continued to carry the load offensively in his first season for the Red Raiders despite being a senior. The first three years of his prep career were spent at Punahou.
“I just wanted to come home and play with family and friends, and get the ball a lot more,” he said.
The Red Raiders defense had its third shutout of the season, stymieing Radford’s offense and holding the Rams to just 75 yards.
“It was homecoming for the kids. They just wanted to come out and play,” Kahuku coach Makoa Freitas said. “We had a bye last week and before that was our loss. We were excited.”
Kahuku played its second consecutive game without starting quarterback Sol-Jay Maiava, who is still dealing with an injury on his non-throwing arm. The sophomore was seen throwing to receivers during warm-ups and Freitas declined to comment further on his condition. Backup Thorton Alapa did a serviceable job in lieu of Maiava, finishing 9-for-19 with 126 yards and two touchdowns.
The Rams dropped to 1-6 overall and 1-5 in OIA Blue play, while Kahuku improved to 6-1 and 6-0 with a divisional title on the line against Campbell on Friday.
More photos of the game between Kahuku and Radford. Opens in a new tab
