Sylas Alaimalo amassed 162 yards and three touchdowns from scrimmage in one half as Damien overwhelmed Nanakuli 42-7 on Saturday night at Skippa Diaz Stadium.
The senior running back rushed for 70 yards and two TDs, both on 1-yard runs, on 11 carries. He added six receptions for 92 yards and one TD. Damien (2-1) was largely in sync, going no-huddle, warp-speed attack at the start. Junior quarterback AJ Tuifua was highly efficient with 191 yards and three touchdowns on 13-for-18 passing while Damien utilized Alaimalo from sideline to sideline.
“Off the bat, we came out firing. Uptempo is definitely something that we wanted to put in this week,” Alaimalo said. “Our linemen are big, but they’re athletes. It’s only up from here for all of us. This game was just a testament to all the hard work we’ve been putting in this summer and preseason. Just looking to move forward and get better.”
Damien’s offense was in high-potency mode early, with five touchdowns on its first five possessions.
“We practice it. The boys have been in this system for a long time, so we have the luxury to do that,” Monarchs coach Anthony Tuitele said. “Hat’s off to the boys. Being disciplined, executing, going down and scoring. We’ve got to continue to execute, be humble and stay the course. Continue to work hard and continue to get better. We cannot become complacent.”
Temperature at kickoff was 81 degrees with humidity at 75%. Trade winds were 8 mph.
The Monarchs marched 58 yards in 10 plays, going hyper speed mode with no huddle. Alaimalo accounted for 42 yards as a rusher and receiver, tumbling over the goal line on a 1-yard TD with 9:37 to go in the opening quarter.
Nanakuli responded with smashmouth football. Zade Kalua, a 6-foot, 170-pound junior, carried the pigskin six times for 39 yards as the Golden Hawks invaded Damien territory. After a Damien timeout, Kalua found less room to run. On fourth-and-4, he was stonewalled by the Monarchs defense for a 1-yard loss.
Damien slowed the pace just a bit on a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive. Tuifua fired a strike to Kaysen Dulay-Gorai in the middle of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. Damien led 14-0 with 4:10 left in the first quarter.
After a Nanakuli three-and-out, Damien needed just 36 seconds to cover 67 yards for another score. Tuifua found Champ Buffett on a crossing route, and the speedy senior went 42 yards to pay dirt, giving the Monarchs a commanding 21-0 lead with 2:11 remaining in the first quarter.
Tuifua kept the pressure on Nanakuli’s secondary. Alaimalo made a scintillating, 20-yard tip-toe catch on the left sideline, then hauled in a 35-yard TD toss as Damien opened the lead to 28-0 with nine seconds left in the first quarter.
Alaimalo already had 141 yards and two TDs from scrimmage entering the second quarter.
His 1-yard dive into the end zone extended Damien’s lead to 35-0 with 8:40 to go before intermission. Tuifua and Alaimalo were done for the night.
Nanakuli got on the scoreboard with 5:59 remaining on a 24-yard TD pass from Kingston Salausa to Talitonu Keohuhu.
The young Golden Hawks played without two starting defensive linemen, including Shaysen Akiona, as well as quarterback Kanoa Torres, due to injuries. They had just three penalties.
“Shout out to Nanakuli. They’re a scrappy team. Once they figure it out, they’re going to be scary, especially with that offense,” Tuitele said. “Hopefully, when they get their quarterback back, they’ll make a run, too.”
Nanakuli will meet Aiea on Friday, at Radford, in an OIA Division I opener.
Damien will play Kamehameha I-AA on Saturday, also at Radford.
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At Skippa Diaz Stadium
Nanakuli (1-3) 0 0 0 7 — 7
Damien (2-1) 28 7 0 7 — 42
DMS—Sylas Alaimalo 1 run (Samuel Kawakami kick)
DMS—Kaysen Dulay-Gorai 11 pass from AJ Tuifua (Kawakami kick)
DMS—Champ Buffett 42 pass from Tuifua (Kawakami kick)
DMS—Alaimalo 35 pass from Tuifua (Kawakami kick)
DMS—Alaimalo 1 run (Kawakami kick)
NAN—Talitonu Keohuhu 24 pass from Kingston Salausa (Kekoa Asinsin kick)
DMS—Wyatt Ho-Williams 35 rtun (Jacob Inocencio kick)
RUSHING—Nan: Zade Kalua 11-59, Kingston Salausa 11-50, Kamuela Farias 10-41, Kohuhu 10-27, Kingston Kanekoa-Slate 1-(-6), Kekona Laa 3-12. DMS: Alaimalo 11-70, Ho-Williams 3-40, Kameron Castillo 12-29, Kaysen Dulay-Gorai 1-16, Tuifua 1-4.
PASSING—Nan: Salausa 10-15-1-42. DMS: Tuifua 13-18-0-191, Ho-Williams 3-5-2-50.
RECEIVING—Nan: Richard Federico 4-4, Farias 3-5, Kohuhu 2-27, Vai Fanuaea 1-6. DMS: Alaimalo 6-92, Buffett 3-59, Dulay-Gorai 3-35, Kawakami 1-28, Castillo 1-4, Reiyn Carvalho 1-16, Blazyn Toafe 1-7.
Also
Mililani 26, Liberty (Nev.) 9
Coronado (Nev.) 55, Kailua 34
Moanalua 59, Waiakea 0
Kapolei 35, Kapaa 16
