The Clint Onigama effect is in place, but the Kaimuki Bulldogs can grind out victories with the best of them.
Onigama’s wide-open offensive schemes, a product of his ‘Iolani background, bring out the explosive potential of quarterback Nahoa Spencer and playmakers such as Brandon Kekoa.
But when the Bulldogs get a lead, they can ground and pound. Spencer tossed two touchdown passes, Kekoa scored on a 70-yard kickoff return and the 10th-ranked Bulldogs gained 179 rushing yards against a physical Waipahu defense en route to 35-7 win last night.
Kekoa had a big night, scoring Kaimuki’s first three touchdowns via three different ways. He gained 80 yards on nine carries, including a 56-yard gain, and caught two passes for 41 yards in addition to the kick return.
"This was a really good, physical Waipahu team. Our guys hung in there," Onigama said. "Their offense is dangerous and their defense is physical. We were fortunate to get away with this one. We’ve still got to build. We had a lot of mistakes."
A crowd of about 1,500 at Kaiser Stadium saw Kaimuki (7-0 OIA White, 8-0 overall) continue its unbeaten run. The Bulldogs had already clinched a berth in the Oahu Interscholastic Association White playoffs and will face Pearl City, also unbeaten in league play, next week for the top seed.
"We had a lot of determination. The team is working hard and we put it all together," said Spencer, who rushed for 42 yards. "We wanted them to chase the pass."
Waipahu (5-3, 5-2), which has also sealed a playoff berth, came into the game with key injuries. Quarterback Drake Yoshioka (ribs) and running back Gregorio Alip (calf) saw limited action, and the results were obvious. Waipahu had minus-8 yards rushing and finished with 62 total yards, averaging 1.3 yards per play.
"The hard part of the season is coming up. Our defense did well, on offense after halftime we picked things up," said Siaosi Hala‘api‘api, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior. "Our line worked hard."
Kekoa wasted no time getting the Bulldogs off to a rousing start by returning the opening kickoff 70 yards to paydirt. After Waipahu’s offense went three and out, the Bulldogs drove 66 yards in 12 plays for another score. Spencer found Kekoa open on the left sideline on a flood play, and the speedy senior scored on a 28-yard touchdown pass — on third and 15 — to give Kaimuki a 14-0 lead with 8:19 to go in the opening quarter.
A muffed punt return by Kaimuki was recovered by Joseph Kahele at the 2-yard line, and Alip scored from the 1 to bring the Marauders within 14-7 with 10:40 remaining in the second quarter.
From there, Kaimuki scored 21 unanswered points. Spencer’s 39-yard bootleg run set up a 1-yard blast up the gut by Kekoa for a 21-7 lead with 8:05 to go in the first half.
With Yoshioka out for most of the night, Waipahu relied on wide receiver Brandon Espiritu at quarterback. The Marauders went three and out three times in a row to start the second half. Kaimuki got a 12-yard touchdown pass from Zac Bastatas to Nick Motellang on a fake field goal to make it 28-7 with 1:32 remaining in the third.
Most of the second half was smashmouth football by Kaimuki, occasionally out of a power-I formation. Hala‘api‘api, who starts at linebacker, had his fill at fullback, dragging several defenders on carry after carry. With Hala‘api‘api and Randon Tuitama sharing the load in the second half, the Bulldogs milked the clock and got one more touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Spencer’s bullet to to Daylan DeMello on a 14-yard touchdown pass made it 35-7 with 5:48 remaining.
Kaimuki’s only flaw may have been penalties: 14 for 118 yards.
At Kaiser Stadium
Kaimuki (8-0, 7-0) 14 7 7 7 — 35
Waipahu (5-3, 5-2) 0 7 0 0 — 7
Kai—Brandon Kekoa 70 kick return (Keoki Kaiahua kick)
Kai—Kekoa 28 pass from Spencer (Kaiahua kick)
Wai—Gregorio Alip 1 run (Jayson Gonsales kick)
Kai—Kekoa 1 run (Kaiahua kick)
Kai—Nick Motellang 12 pass from Zac Bastatas (Kaiahua kick)
Kai—Daylan DeMello 14 pass from Spencer (Kaiahua kick)
RUSHING—Kaimuki: Spencer 7-42, Kekoa 9-80, Randon Tuitama 8-40, Hala‘api‘api 6-30, Chansen Exzabe 3-(-2), Henry Welley 1-1. Waipahu: Kekoa Marshall 10-11, Mason Corpuz-Slade 4-(-10), Brandon Espiritu 8-0, Alip 3-2, team 1-(-7), Drake Yoshioka 1-(-4).
PASSING—Kaimuki: Spencer 6-17-0-77, Bastatas 1-1-0-12. Waipahu: Espiritu 8-20-1-73, Yoshioka 1-3-0-(-3).
RECEIVING—Kaimuki: DeMello 1-14, Kaiahua 1-9, Hala‘api‘api 1-15, Kekoa 2-41, Motellang 2-10. Waipahu: Efren Peralta 3-33, Corpuz-Slade 1-14, Kingsley Albano 1-6, Micah Luke 1-7, Matapua Tulafale 3-10.
Waianae 49, Radford 13
No statistics were reported.
