The battle between Bulldogs went to the visitors from the southern shore, as Kaimuki traveled two hours north to Waialua and took care of business with a 53-33 win over the host Bulldogs at Toshiyuki Nakasone Football Field on Friday night.
“I’m proud of the kids,” Kaimuki coach Reid Yoshikawa said of the win. “They endured a long bus ride, almost two hours to get there. The play was a little sloppy tonight, the intensity was a little bit down, but overall we’re progressing. We’re getting better every day.”
Kaimuki’s offense was led by quarterback Iosefa Letuli, who threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns on an efficient 15-of-18 passing.
“He’s always been a great leader on and off the field,” Yoshikawa said about his quarterback. “He’s been the glue guy for the locker room. Not only for the varsity, but the junior varsity too. He takes a lot of the JV quarterbacks under his wings.”
His top receiver was Dante Peltier, who finished with 104 yards on five catches. Peltier was joined by a pair of near-100 yard receivers in Jeremiah White (89 yards) and Avin Tanioka (86 yards).
Kaimuki also had a standout performer in the run game. Ofa Vehikite toted the ball 18 times, erupting for a game-best 206 yards and two touchdowns.
“That kid is just a workhorse,” Yoshikawa said about Vehikite. “He’s one of those kids that’s first on the field, last to leave the field. He has a motor. Love that kid.”
Waialua drew first blood in the back-and-forth first half. Waialua took advantage of a Kaimuki turnover on the first drive of the game, moving the ball 68 yards on seven plays. Tyson Apau finished off the initial scoring drive with a 26-yard touchdown strike to Jayvie Arellano.
Putting the early turnover behind it, Kaimuki responded well to the opening score, driving 81 yards on just four plays. A sack and subsequent penalty pushed Kaimuki back to where it began, but it recouped the lost yards with Letuli’s 80-yard touchdown toss to Peltier.
The tight battle continued into the second quarter. Apau connected again with Arellano for the duo’s second touchdown of the half, a 34-yard catch-and-run score following a five-play drive.
Trailing 13-7 after the first quarter, Kaimuki’s offense erupted, scoring 20 points unanswered to start the second quarter. The first score came at the tail end of a nine-play, 75-yard drive that began in the first quarter. The drive was finished by Vehikite’s first touchdown, a 10-yard scamper. Jeremiah White intercepted a pass off Apau on the next drive, leading to a one-play scoring drive, a 23-yard touchdown run from Vehikite.
Apau was picked off again by White on the following drive. Kaimuki leaned on the legs of Vehikite, who led the team on a nine-play, 80-yard drive that ended on Letuli’s 4-yard touchdown run.
Looking to recoup some points in the final two minutes, Waialua called on Apau’s arm. He responded by completing five of eight passes, leading Waialua to the 1-yard line with less than twenty seconds left on the clock. Makoakai Fierro finished off the last-second drive with a goal-line touchdown run.
Kaimuki’s momentum carried over into the second half, scoring on four straight drives to put the game away. Kaimuki turned a Waialua turnover on downs into a four-play scoring drive. Letuli threw his second touchdown pass, an 11-yard strike to White.
Apau threw his third interception of the game on the following drive, and Letuli responded with his third touchdown throw, a 52-yarder to Tanioka. The Letuli brothers finished the next two drives, with older brother Iosefa carrying the ball into the end zone from 24 yards out, followed by little brother Iosua Letuli’s goal-line touchdown.
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KAIMUKI 53, WAIALUA 33
At Toshiyuki Nakasone Football Field
Kaimuki 3-2, 3-1) 7 20 20 6 — 53
Waialua (2-4, 1-3) 13 6 6 8 — 33
Wail—Jayvie Arellano 26 pass from Tyson Apau (Makoakai Fierro kick)
Kaim—Dante Peltier 80 pass from Iosefa Letuli (Jeremiah White kick)
Wail—Arellano 26 pass from Apau (kick missed)
Kaim—Ofa Vehikite 10 run (White kick)
Kaim—Vehikite 23 run (White kick)
Kaim—Iosefa Letuli 4 run (kick missed)
Wail—Fierro 1 run (run failed)
Kaim—White 11 pass from Iosefa Letuli (White kick)
Kaim—Avin Tanioka 52 pass from Iosefa Letuli (White kick)
Wail—Fierro 1 run (run failed)
Kaim—Iosefa Letuli 24 run (kick missed)
Wail—James Zara 23 pass from Apau (Fierro pass from Apau)
Kaim—Iosua Letuli 1 run (kick missed)
RUSHING—Kaimuki: Vehikite 18-206, Iosefa Letuli 8-75, Iosua Letuli 5-37, Tanioka 2-30, Sonasi Latu 3-18. Waialua: Fierro 20-134, Apau 10-89, Kingston Pascual 1-7, Zara 1-3.
PASSING—Kaimuki: Iosefa Letuli 15-18-0-285. Waialua: Apau 14-38-3-268.
RECEIVING— Kaimuki: Peltier 5-104, White 5-89, Tanioka 4-86, Josiah Hicks 1-6. Waialua: Arellano 3-105, Zara 6-76, Ryz Miranda Perreira 3-44, Jack Amancio 2-43.
