Kaiser’s Gonda adds to his bag of tricks

He hadn’t played a down of quarterback in his life, but Kai Gonda was a Cougar who played just fine as a wildcat playmaker Friday night.

Gonda, one of the most versatile players in the state, ran for two touchdowns out of the wildcat formation, and the senior tacked on a 60-yard kick return to the end zone as Kaiser pulled away in the second half for a 50-12 homecoming win over Anuenue.

Kaiser improved to 3-1 in the OIA White (3-2 overall), while Anuenue slipped to 1-3 (1-4 overall).

Gonda learned just enough of the wildcat in one week from assistant coach Cameron Higgins.

"It feels good," Gonda said of the wildcat. "I never played quarterback before. We knew Anuenue would be tough, but we were ready. We had a good week of practice."

Gonda’s second-half touchdown pass to Christian Clapp means he has now accounted for touchdowns five different ways in Kaiser’s first five games: kick return, punt return, rushing, receiving and, now, by passing. His versatility — playing running back, defensive back, returning kicks and now, a wildcat quarterback — is a big bonus for Kaiser.

The Cougars already have a prolific passer in Makana Lyman, who was 7-for-10 for 98 yards Friday. But with the possibility of Lyman, a talented catcher on the baseball team, going on a recruiting trip late in the season, Kaiser expanded the playbook just in case.

"I think he’ll end up staying for the Kalani game," Kaiser coach Rich Miano said of the regular-season closing game on Oct. 11.

There was little Anuenue could do to contain Kaiser junior Fitou Fisiiahi. Back recently from a foot injury, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound junior was explosive at times, racing in for a fumble recovery and touchdown on a botched punt snap by Anuenue, and using brute strength and speed to score on a 33-yard run — on a grounded shotgun snap.

"First quarter, we came out kind of soft," Fisiiahi said. "We talked at halftime about picking up the intensity."

Anuenue coach Kealoha Wengler’s squad rushed for 187 yards on 58 carries, getting 84 yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts from Kainalu Kaleo. Anuenue Tui had 71 yards on 12 carries, all in the second half.

Facing the throwback offense had Miano, a former NFL defensive back and ex-UH defensive backs coach, on his toes.

"All week long, we’ve had a lot of anxiety as a staff. The first half wasn’t great, but we’re pleased with the defensive effort, and the offense started clicking in the second half," Miano said. "I have total respect for Anuenue, the toughness they displayed, the sportsmanship, and they’re well coached. We don’t look forward to facing them. They run that offense better than anybody in the state."

Kaiser jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter by capitalizing on Anuenue mistakes,

With Kaleo gutting it out — he was limping on one leg from the first snap, but played almost every down both ways — the visitors did their best to control the clock and keep Kaiser’s passing attack on the sideline.

Self-inflicted mistakes hurt Anuenue in the first half. A botched handoff between Hemekana Yam-Lum and a running back allowed Fisiiahi to recover at Anuenue’s 23-yard line. Three plays later, Gonda lined up in a wildcat formation and kept the ball through the left side for a 5-yard touchdown.

Kaiser led 7-0 with 5:28 to go in the opening quarter.

Anuenue’s ensuing drive stalled, and the snap to Kaleo, the punter, sailed high and overhead. Fisiiahi was on the spot, scooping up the bouncing ball at the 1-yard line and scoring easily to give Kaiser a 14-0 lead with 28 seconds left in the first.

Kaiser’s time of possession in the first half: 6 minutes, 45 seconds. Anuenue controlled the ball for 17:15.

Fisiiahi’s 33-yard touchdown run opened the lead to 21-0 early in the third quarter, igniting a 29-0 period for the Cougars, who led 43-0 after three.