The visiting Bears of Baldwin brought some bad news to Kailua.

Relying on a productive ground game — eschewing its recent roll of run-and-shoot aerial success — Baldwin rallied for a 19-10 win over Kailua last night before a crowd of about 800 at the Surfriders’ field.

Wide receiver Ro Wilson was a major factor, even though his team threw the ball just four times. Wilson hauled in two bombs for touchdowns of 28 and 25 yards from sophomore Keelan Ewaliko.

"One of the best things is that he can make good reads," Wilson said of the first-year signal-caller.

Running back Kina Malafu steadied the Bears’ attack with 74 yards on 17 carries before leaving with leg cramps in the second half. By then, the visitors were up 16-10, and senior Ceejay Santos put the game out of reach with a booming 44-yard field goal with 5:35 left.

Santos, who is back to using a (half-inch) tee after going without one as a junior, silenced Surfriders fans constantly. He launched a 50-yard field goal in the first half, and all but one of his kickoffs went for touchbacks, eight to 12 yards beyond the goal line. The only nontouchback was a squib kick near the end of the first half.

While special teams was a forte for Baldwin — Santos also handled punting duties effectively — the home team struggled in the first game of the season for both squads.

Kailua racked up 140 yards in penalties, including 105 in the first half. Most were the result of mistimed snaps in a new-look flex option attack that features a fly/jet man in motion, but the Surfriders also incurred several personal foul calls that kept Baldwin drives alive.

It was especially gratifying for defending Maui Interscholastic League champion Baldwin because 20 players were left back home due to academic probation, including many starters.

"We left a lot of impact guys back on Maui," Santos said.

Three of them are starters on the defensive line, but Izeah Fernandez-Ruiz and Jon Kaeo-Marciel stepped up with key sacks in the second half.

"To have so many starters out and still beat an Oahu team, this feels amazing," Wilson added.

Coach A.J. Roloos’ team saw a full aerial assault from Kailua and sophomore quarterback Kahaku Iaea, who was 22-for-43 for 240 yards. He ran for an early 1-yard touchdown as the Surfriders took a 7-0 lead, capping an 18-play, no-huddle drive in 6 minutes, 25 seconds.

Kailua had momentum when linebacker Neami Tuifua recovered a Baldwin fumble at midfield, but the ensuing drive stalled as the Bears took away the Surfriders’ crossing routes.

After a shanked punt by Kailua, Ewaliko’s 28-yard strike to Wilson tied the game at 7-all with 2:59 left in the first quarter.

Less than 2 minutes later, Santos’ 50-yard boot gave the Bears a 10-7 lead.

A pick by B.J. Wilhelm-Ioane helped Baldwin stymie a Kailua drive, and Ewaliko’s second touchdown toss to Wilson pushed the Bears to a 16-7 lead with 3:53 remaining in the half.

Eric Lum’s 47-yard field goal brought Kailua within 16-10 with 20 seconds to go in the half.

Kailua’s offense did not get past the 50-yard line for most of the second half, but a pick by Lum near the goal line stopped a Bears drive and gave the Surfriders hope.

Instead, another drive stalled, and Santos’ second field goal gave the visitors a 19-10 lead.