While most quarterbacks like to air it out, Waimea’s Kameron Apilado takes pride in running a ground-oriented wing-T offense.
Even if it means not throwing a single pass, as was the case Saturday against King Kekaulike.
Apilado rushed 11 times for 228 yards and two long touchdowns as third-seeded Waimea beat top-seeded King Kekaulike 45-6 in the Division II final of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Championships at Mililani.
“I want to thank the (offensive) line,” said Apilado, a 5-foot-9, 145-pound junior. “Throughout this whole season they put in the work. They did their job, us as skills (players) we did our job and we got this game.”
Waimea (9-2) was making its first state tournament final appearance.
“We’ve been talking about it all year. This is the goal, to get here,” said Waimea coach Kyle Linoz. “It was a really high goal, but we’re glad it came true for us.”
Apilado punctuated the victory with a 70-yard keeper to make it 31-6 with 3:31 left in the third quarter and an 85-yarder, which made it 38-6 with 8:42 remaining in the game.
“It feels great,” he said. “I didn’t expect those. I just trusted my gut and when I made a cut, I just saw open grass.”
Waimea had a huge cheering section, with one side of the bleachers filled with fans wearing blue.
“We love this crowd. They come out to every game and they support us,” Apilado said. “They cheer for us every second. We love this crowd.”
The only pass attempted by the Menehunes came after a lateral to Rhaziah Tacub-Taniguchi, who threw incomplete into the end zone with under two minutes to go in the first half.
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There was no need for Waimea to attempt a pass with its ground game dominating.
The Menehunes overwhelmingly won the battle of wing-T offenses. Waimea rushed 48 times for 443 yards, while King Kekaulike (5-7) had 40 attempts for 158 yards.
“We base our offense on three-and-a-half yards per handoff. We do the math, we’re not really smart, but that makes 10-and-a-half yards (on three plays),” Linoz said. “A first down keeps us on the field. We like to play physical football even though we’re not that big. That’s how they were brought up on the West side.”
Apilado threw only one pass — an interception against Honokaa — in Waimea’s previous two state tournament games. The Menehunes threw a combined five passes in the state tournament, with Zyden Vea attempting three.
When asked about not throwing the ball much, Apilado simply said: “We just have a really good running offense.”
In the last two Division II state finals, the KIF has outscored the MIL 106-13. Last season, Kapaa routed Kamehameha-Maui 61-7.
