Roosevelt took advantage of Kaimuki miscues — a costly penalty, two botched punts and a bad snap — in a 28-13 victory Friday at Farrington.
Ioane Kamanao passed for 99 yards and rushed for a score, and Xavier Bezares ran for 78 yards for the Rough Riders in the OIA Division II opener for both teams.
“It feels great. It gives our team great confidence, great mindset for the next games,” said Kamanao, a sophomore.
Roosevelt dominated special teams where two mistakes by Kaimuki on punts led to two Rough Rider touchdowns.
“For us it was finishing, just finishing strong. Three phases of this game — offense, defense and special teams. Yes, we need to take advantage,” Roosevelt coach Kui Kahooilihala said.
On the Rough Riders’ second possession, the Bulldogs’ Jeremiah White intercepted a pass near the goal line and returned it down the sideline for an apparent score, but a roughing-the-passer penalty negated the play.
The infraction moved the ball to the Kaimuki 6 and Roosevelt later scored on a 10-yard run by Dayten Tilton with 2:42 left in the first quarter. The PAT kick was wide left.
The Rough Riders went up 12-0 with 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter on a 15-yard fumble return by Ezekiel Soon off an aborted punt attempt by the Bulldogs. The two-point conversion pass failed.
“He fumbled the ball and he kicked it right to me and I just picked it up and ran to the end zone,” Soon said.
Roosevelt (2-0, 1-0) went up 18-0 with 5:57 left before halftime on a 10-yard run up the middle by Kaleikaumaka Akiona. The two-point conversion pass failed.
Akiona’s score came one play after the Bulldogs punter kicked the ball off his blocking back and the Rough Riders’ Izaiah Nakamura scooped up the ball and returned it 32 yards.
Kaimuki cut its deficit to 18-7 on Iosefa Letuli’s 1-yard keeper and Jeremiah White’s PAT kick with 2:06 to go in the first half.
The Rough Riders went up 20-7 with 8:53 left in the third quarter on a safety when a snap by Kaimuki went into the end zone and was recovered by a Bulldogs player.
Roosevelt took the free kick and scored on Kamanao’s 4-yard bootleg, which made it 28-7 with 5:39 remaining in the third.
“He’s a good one. He can run, he can pass and he wants the ball and he wants to make things happen on offense for us,” Kahooilihala said.
The Rough Rider defense allowed 133 yards of total offense.
“The effort was unbelievable,” Kahooilihala said. “Yeah, they work hard. The way they played tonight, that’s the way they practice. They go 110 percent. They look for work everyday.”
Kamanao left the game after getting hit on an interception late in the first half and again early in the second half after being tackled on a scramble.
“It’s football. It’s going to happen, so just move on to the next play,” Kamanao said.
Kaimuki (0-2, 0-1) scored on the final play of the game on a 1-yard sneak by Letuli.
Roosevelt 28, Kaimuki 13
At Skippa Diaz Stadium
Roosevelt (2-0) 12 6 10 0 — 28
Kaimuki (0-2) 0 7 0 6 — 13
Roos—Dayten Tilton 10 run (kick failed)
Roos—Ezekiel Soon 15 fumble return (pass failed)
Roos—Kaleikaumaka Akiona 10 run (pass failed)
Kaim—Iosefa Letuli 1 run (Jeremiah White kick)
Roos—safety, ball snapped into end zone and recovered by Kaimuki
Roos—Ioane Kamanao 4 run (Kamanao run)
Kaim—Iose. Letuli 1 run (no PAT)
RUSHING—Roosevelt: Xavier Bezares 15-78, Akiona 4-44, Kamanao 11-33, Drayzon Kaneshiro-Damingo 7-18, Kana Thompson-Kapanui 1-17, Tilton 3-13. Kaimuki: Zechariah Kuratsu-Cook 15-50, Iose. Letuli 13-38, Team 4-(minus 50).
PASSING—Roosevelt: Kamanao 10-19-1-99. Kaimuki: Letuli 12-23-0-95.
RECEIVING—Roosevelt: Keawe Davis 3-40, Jahsiah Souza-Armstead 2-28, Givenson Haruo 2-10, Tilton 1-9, Akiona 1-8, Wiliam Aarona 1-4. Kaimuki: White 5-41, Lukela Hicks 3-29, Kuratsu-Cook 3-17, Iosua Letuli 1-8.
Junior Varsity—Farrington 28, Roosevelt 7
