Dash Beierly passed for two touchdowns and Mater Dei’s defense dominated with two takeaways for scores in a 38-7 rout of Hawaii’s No. 1 team, host Kahuku, on a breezy Saturday night at Carleton Weimer Field.
Mater Dei returns to Santa Ana, Calif., with a 3-0 overall record. The Monarchs are ranked No. 1 nationally by the USA Today Super 25 and MaxPrep. They play St. Frances Academy (Md.) on Friday.
“We try to stay balanced. My history at Poly and other schools I’ve coached at, if we can be 50-50, oh heck yeah. But this game here, I felt like we really struggled offensively. We seemed like we weren’t in rhythm. Our defense played great and kept us in the game. Today, I feel like our offense took a step back, and I know the reason. Kahuku kids play hard,” said Mater Dei coach Raul Lara, who coached Long Beach Poly when the Jackrabbits played Kahuku years ago.
“We told our guys, you’d better be ready for these guys because they’re going to fly around. They’re going to try hard. I don’t care what the score is, they’re going to keep on going 100 percent.”
The Monarchs defense was impeccable. Ace Leutele intercepted two passes, returning one 25 yards for a touchdown. Linebacker Nasir Wyatt had two sacks to lead a ferocious pass rush.
“After school, we have film study, watching their key players and that’s what showed on the scoreboard today,” said Leutele, a 6-1, 195-pound freshman nickel back.
This was likely the most balanced and composed of nationally ranked teams to visit the islands in recent years.
“This Mater Dei team, they’re tough. They’re definitely the No. 1 team in the nation and it’s for a reason. You see all the athletes they have. They’re big and they’re fast. We’re grateful for the opportunity to see that,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said. “You actually don’t know until you play them.”
Kahuku gained some momentum in the second half, moving the ball more effectively.
“The kids understand, in order to be successful against teams like Mater Dei and Bishop Gorman, St. John Bosco, you cannot make mistakes. Tonight, we had a lot of drive-killers. Penalties. Turnovers. So we’ve got to eliminate that and be more disciplined,” Carvalho said.
Penalties derailed the home team, which had 11 for 75 yards in the first half. Kahuku finished with 11 flags for 115 yards.
Kahuku dropped to 3-2 overall. The three-time defending Open Division state champion hosts Farrington in its OIA opener next Saturday.
Beierly connected with Koen Parnell for a 30-yard TD in the second quarter to break the game open. He added a 28-yard TD pass to Gavin Honore in the third quarter as the visiting Monarchs opened the margin to 31 points.
Kahuku got on the scoreboard with 5:40 remaining on running back Malosi Fiatoa’s 1-yard surge.
Kahuku welcomed the return of wide receiver/returner Kaimana Carvalho from injury. The returning Star-Advertiser All-State offensive player of the year was covered closely while the game was still close.
“We lost to them last year, we wanted to prove a point again, and it was kind of a sad game for us. We’ve got to get better and move on to the next game,” he said.
When the teams met in California last year, Mater Dei walked away with a 55-8 victory. A week later, Kahuku returned home and upset nationally-ranked St. John Bosco, 30-23.
Senior kicker Joseph Gutierrez was a factor for Mater Dei with three kickoffs for touchbacks.
The Monarchs opened the game with a six-play drive, benefitting from two Kahuku penalties, Gutierrez’s 35-yard field goal gave the visitors a 3-0 lead with 9:25 to go in the opening quarter.
Kahuku’s offense struggled, but its defense kept Mater Dei out of the end zone again. However, punt returner Madden Soliai was stripped of the ball near the 5-yard line, and Mater Dei’s Aaryn Washington scooped up the ball and dashed into the end zone for the game’s first touchdown.
After the Monarchs’ muddle-huddle run attempt on the PAT failed, they led 9-0 with 6:07 left in the first quarter.
By the end of the first quarter, Mater Dei had control of the line of scrimmage. Kahuku had 45 yards in penalties, no first downs, just three three-and-outs. Yet the Monarchs led by just nine points.
Kahuku’s first series of the second quarter was typical of its night with four more yellow flags for 20 penalty yards. Mater Dei faced fourth and 11 on the Kahuku 30-yard line. Beierly eluded the blitz and found Koen Parnell in the end zone for a 30-yard TD.
After the 2-point conversion, the Monarchs led 17-0 with 4:32 left in the first half.
Leutele picked off a Zaden Mariteragi pass on the first snap of the second half and returned it 25 yards to pay dirt. The Monarchs led 24-0 with 11:53 left in the third quarter.
That appeared to finally sap the spirit of Kahuku’s normally robust home crowd. A few plays later, Mana Carvalho was stopped short on a fake punt and run, and three plays later, Beierly launched a 28-yard TD strike to Gavin Honore on a post pattern. The Monarchs led 31-0 with 7:29 remaining in the third stanza.
Kahuku got on the scoreboard with 5:40 remaining on running back Malosi Fiatoa’s 1-yard surge.
Mater Dei defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui, a 6-foot-3, 315-pound junior, intercepted a screen pass near mid-field and returned it 50 yards to the house for the Monarchs’ final points with 2:14 left.
Linebacker Falealii Atuaia led Kahuku’s defense with seven tackles.
