LAS VEGAS >> Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho knows that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best.
The Red Raiders fell to 1-4 versus mainland opponents since 2021, as Bishop Gorman, the defending high school national champion ranked No. 2 by MaxPreps, rode a stifling defense to a 33-7 victory over the Red Raiders on Friday night at Fertita Field in Las Vegas.
Kahuku had previously lost at the Gaels 35-7 in 2016.
“Bishop Gorman is the defending national champions for a reason, right? I mean, they’re big, strong, fast and they just came out better tonight,” Carvalho said. “They finished the game and we just couldn’t.”
The Gaels took advantage of four interceptions and a safety, with quarterback Maika Eugenio providing two 1-yard TD rushes to take control.
“Our defense is the strength of our team, but we left them out to dry tonight. Our defense can only do so much, and our offense has got to get up to speed to match the intensity of our defense,” Carvalho said. “We’ve got to execute on a consistent basis. That’s the difference, we need to do things consistently.”
Kahuku, which returned only one starter on offense from last season, trailed 19-0 at the break, but cut into the lead midway through the third quarter on a 20-yard scamper by junior quarterback Christian Sanford-Tupuola.
Bishop Gorman answered on the ensuing drive with Eugenio’s second score coming on a 1-yard run. The drive started with a 50-yard run by Myles Norman, who finished with 100 yards on 10 carries. The Gaels then capped the scoring with a 5-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 48-yard TD on a screen pass down the left sideline from quarterback Melvin Spicer IV to wideout Greg Toler with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Red Raiders’ defense supplied two takeaways: a first quarter interception by Cal-commit Aiden Manutai, and a third-quarter fumble recovery from Falealii Atuaia.
But the night belonged to Bishop Gorman, as Spicer IV completed 12 of 15 passes for 204 yards. Senior wide receiver Brandon Gaea, a Rainbow Warriors-recruit, added four catches for 108 yards, and Jonathan Coar finished with 78 yards on seven rushes for the Gaels.
“We play these games so we can get better and learn our weaknesses,” said Carvalho, whose team is 34-1 against Hawaii opponents since the start of the 2021 season. “When we play a team like this, our weaknesses are exposed even more. We take these games to better ourselves. We’re going to learn from this. You either win or you learn, and we learned tonight what we need to do.”
Kahuku finished with 132 total yards but was in the game until the Gaels scored 10 points in the final two minutes of the first half. Hudson Borsari kicked a 35-yard field goal with 1:49 remaining in the half to put Bishop Gorman ahead 12-0. The Gaels got the ball back and Norman caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Spicer IV with 13 seconds on the clock to make it a 19-0 lead at the half.
Former Kamehameha player Kainoa Watson was one of eight Gaels with a reception, catching one pass for 8 yards.
Kahuku will return home to host Konawaena and Waimea before welcoming the No. 1-ranked team in the country, Mater Dei, to the North Shore on Sept. 14.
At Fertita Field
Kahuku (1-1) 0 0 7 0 — 7
B. Gorman (1-0) 9 10 7 7 — 33
BG—Maika Eugenio 1 run (Hudson Borsari kick)
BG—Safety
BG—FG Borsari 35
BG—Myles Norman 2 pass from Melvin Spicer IV (Borsari kick).
Kah—Christian Sanford-Tupuola 20 run (Bodhi Kaanga kick)
BG—Eugenio 1 run (Borsari kick)
BG—Greg Toler 48 pass from Spicer (Borsari kick)
RUSHING—Kahuku: Sanford-Tupuola 2-26, Troy Mariteragi 1-12, Isaiah Joaquin 4-7, Shaedon Kanoa 1-3, Malaki Soliai-Tui 3-(minus 1). Bishop Gorman: Norman 10-100, Jonathan Coar 7-78, Terrance Grant 6-9, Spicer IV 7-6, Eugenio 2-2.
PASSING—Kahuku: Sanford-Tupuola 7-14-2-45, Mariteragi 5-17-2-30. Bishop Gorman: Spicer IV 12-15-1-204, Eugenio 3-10-0-62.
RECEIVING—Kahuku: Kaanga 2-22, Zennon Alo-Rosa 3-21, Noah Ah You 4-17, Jayden Tagaloa 2-8, Joaquin 2-4. Bishop Gorman: Brandon Gaea 4-108, Toler 2-53, Derek Meadows 2-35, Norman 3-27, Grant 1-16, Jett Washington 1-13, Eli Yamauchi 1-8, Kaina Watson 1-6.
