Ioane Kamanao passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns as Roosevelt stifled Kaiser 34-3 to capture its second straight OIA Division II football championship on a blustery night at Skippa Diaz Stadium.
Kamanao also picked up two first downs, rushing eight times for 28 yards as the Rough Riders leaned heavily on their four-wide set. They ran the ball just enough to keep Kaiser on its toes.
“I feel great. I cannot reap all the benefits. I’ve got to give it to my teammates and my defense, special teams. Everyone played a part in this,” the 6-foot-4, 185-pound junior said. “We’ve bonded, we’re playing for each other. We have that next-man-up mentality. If we play as one family, as one team, we can really get stuff done in a timely fashion. I want to give all my blessings to all my senior teammates.”
Roosevelt (9-2 overall) lost to Kaiser, 24-12, on Oct. 4 but frustrated the Cougars offense with a different look and a unified front. Linebacker Izaiah Nakamura had an interception return for a touchdown and a sack. In all, defensive tackle Aliiuma Kekauoha Lono Kama had two sacks, and Ezekiel Lomu and Taimane Souza-Fautanu had one sack each.
“We have a different mindset. In that first game, we had a lot of adversity going through us. A lot of us didn’t know how to handle that adversity, the coaches and players. Some guys didn’t truly understand the want, the heart,” Nakamura said. “We needed that loss to help all of it click in our minds.”
Kaiser (8-2) and Roosevelt finished the regular season with identical 7-1 marks. Kaiser managed 97 yards of total offense against a relentless, physical Roosevelt defense, averaging 1.8 yards per play.
“Defense. We had a good week of practice,” Roosevelt coach Kui Kahooilihala said.
The league title is the third for Roosevelt under Kahooilihala. The first was in 2018.
“We have a game next week and we have to start preparation for the state tournament,” Kaiser coach Tim Seaman said. “Roosevelt came out ready to play. Offense, defense, special teams, they did a great job. They deserve this. That’s a really solid team over there. Our games in the past have been close. Tonight, it wasn’t close and that’s a credit to Roosevelt. We need to keep improving and preparation starts Monday.”
Kaiser got a big edge almost immediately when Roosevelt had a bad snap on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Kaiser linebacker Tea Nuuhiwa-Santos hustled for the bouncing pigskin, scooped it up and returned it to the Roosevelt 5-yard line. Morgan White made a 28-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead with 10:14 left in the opening quarter.
Roosevelt answered with a crisp six-play, 63-yard scoring drive. Kamanao was in masterclass mode, scrambling for a 12-yard gain and completing three passes. His 4-yard toss to Jahsiah Souza-Armstead in the end zone near the left pylon gave the Rough Riders a 7-3 lead with 8:04 to go in the first quarter.
Roosevelt had another potential scoring drive in the works, but Nuuhiwa-Santos was clutch again. The senior tipped Kamanao’s pass down the middle, allowing safety Zane Shinkawa to make a diving interception at the Kaiser 10-yard line.
Roosevelt’s next possession was almost a bust. Under heavy pressure, Kamanao’s pass wobbled and was picked off by Shingawa, who nearly went all the way. However, pass interference on Kaiser and illegal participation by Roosevelt resulted in offsetting penalties.
Kaeo Bush took over at QB on the next snap and promptly fired a 10-yard TD pass to Wiliama Aarona, extending the lead to 14-3 with 9:32 to play in the first half.
Place-kicker Journey DePeralta proved to be a significant factor. He made field goals of 29 and 36 yards to open the Rough Riders’ lead to 20-3 going into the half. DePeralta also had a kickoff for a touchback in the second quarter.
Roosevelt had 12 first downs in the first half via the passing game plus two long scrambles by Kamanao to move the chains.
Conversely, Kaiser had just three first downs by intermission.
The second half began with a major boo-boo by Kaiser. The squib kick was returned by Ryder Phelps, but Roosevelt’s Inoka Mosa forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Ezekiel Lomu.
On the next snap, Kamanao fired a quick pass to Souza-Armstead, who raced down the left sideline for a 41-yard TD, then fell down behind the end zone with a leg cramp. Roosevelt led 27-3 with 11:39 left in the third quarter.
Nakamura’s 49-yard pick-6 opened the lead to 34-3 with 8:51 to go in the third stanza.
There was some unraveling late in the third quarter. With Roosevelt driving into Kaiser territory again, Souza-Armstead was ejected from the game. With a 31-point lead, Kamanao attempted to run for a touchdown, took a hit and fumbled. Nuuhiwa-Santos was on the spot again and recovered the ball for the Cougars.
Before the fourth quarter began, there was a skirmish in the bleachers that was broken up.
Still leading by 31 in the fourth quarter, Kamanao was sacked on fourth-and-long by Kolt McCreadie, the only sack of the game by the Cougars. Kamanao was shaken up on the play, but returned for the next series with seven minutes to go.
Keawe Davis finished with game highs of seven receptions for 114 yards. Souza-Armstead had six catches for 101 yards before the ejection.
“The ref did accuse me of saying something. I never said anything or did anything,” he said.
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At Skippa Diaz Stadium
Roosevelt (9-2) 7 13 14 0 — 34
Kaiser (8-2) 3 0 0 0 — 3
KAIS—FG Morgan White 28
ROOS—Jahsiah Souza-Armstead 4 pass from Ioane Kamanao (Journey DePeralta kick)
ROOS—Wiliama Aarona 10 pass from Kaeo Bush (DePeralta kick)
ROOS—FG DePeralta 29
ROOS—FG DePeralta 36
ROOS—Jahsiah Souza-Armstead 41 pass from Kamanao (DePeralta kick)
ROOS—Izaiah Nakamura 49 interception return (DePeralta kick)
RUSHING—Roosevelt: Shaedon Sexton 11-46, Kamanao 8-28, Cameron Jackson 3-2, team 4-(minus 42). Kaiser: Brady Kim 8-50, Dillon Reis 6-28, Aiden Leong 8-2, Peter Moku 2-1, team 1-(minus 4), Jesse Shinagawa 3-(minus 9), BJ Rezentes 7-(minus 20).
PASSING—Roosevelt: Kamanao 19-37-1-316, Bush 1-1-0-10. Kaiser: Rezentes 8-18-1-40, Shinagawa 1-3-0-9.
RECEIVING—Roosevelt: Keawe Davis 7-114, Souza-Armstead 6-101, Jerry Wu 4-61, Aarona 2-42, Dayten Tilton 1-6. Kaiser: Caleb Hamasaki 2-25, Reis 3-18, Leong 1-6, Brennan Seto 1-4, Zayden Ling 2-(minus 4)
