Gonda’s return, running, receiving too much

Kai Gonda was ready to make a big play anytime, anywhere.

Gonda, who transferred back to Kaiser after a one-year stay at Kailua, returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown and finished with 78 rushing yards to help Kaiser outlast Pearl City 17-7 at Kaiser on Friday.

That gave first-year head coach Rich Miano his first victory as coach at his alma mater, evening its mark in Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference play at 1-1 (1-2 overall). Miano gave one of the game balls to Gonda, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior he compares to former UH and Damien standout Kealoha Pilares.

"I feel relieved. This was like Monday Night Football. We didn’t start until 8 o’clock, but our guys have worked so hard, I’m proud of them," Miano said. "We’ll take this one game at a time.

"I have much respect for (Pearl City coach) David (Hallums) and all his staff. They had traffic and the start of the JV game was delayed. They coach both games," Miano said of his counterpart.

Kaiser linebacker Fitou Fisiiahi returned from a foot injury suffered in an Argentinian rugby tournament to make a difference in his first game action of the season.

"The boys just tried to work together as a team," Fisiiahi said. "On the sideline, I couldn’t wait. I kept telling my boys to keep it up. I’m really happy because everybody in the OIA is doubting us. We’ll come back and prove them wrong."

Gonda also caught five passes for 47 yards and played defensive back in a gritty battle between first-year head coaches. Hallums’ Chargers fell to 0-3 (0-2 OIA White).

Makana Lyman, making his third start, passed for 232 yards and a touchdown (22-for-42) despite a stiff northerly wind from start to finish.

With the wind blowing in from the Koolaus at 15 to 30 mph, neither offense sustained a drive in the opening quarter. However, Gonda gave his team a spark on a punt return, but only after muffing it at the 20-yard line. He retreated to scoop up the pigskin and raced through a crowd between the hashmarks and down the right sideline for an 83-yard touchdown.

That gave the Cougars a 7-0 lead with 4:18 to go in the first quarter.

With the wind at their backs in the second quarter, the Chargers got a 63-yard punt by Daicorri Briscoe. Still, Kaiser marched 75 yards in just five plays to paydirt. Lyman connected on four passes, including a 45-yard sideline launch to Christian Clapp, who raced in for the TD. Kaiser led 14-0 with 9:25 left in the half.

A bizarre exchange of turnovers — three in less than a minute — left Kaiser with the ball at the Pearl City 25-yard line after a fumble recovery off a sack. That led to a 29-yard field goal by Clayton Sai to give the Cougars a 17-0 lead with 5:07 until intermission.

Kaiser’s defense had a lid on the Chargers until late in the third quarter, when Briscoe turned a third-down screen pass into a scintillating 92-yard touchdown. That brought Pearl City within 17-7 with 1:33 to go in the third quarter.

From there, however, the Chargers didn’t convert another first down in their final five possessions.

Kaiser, loaded with sophomores, committed 14 penalties for 143 yards.