There’s a lot of happy people on the North Shore of Oahu right now.
That’s because their beloved Kahuku Red Raiders finished off an amazing season by drubbing rival Saint Louis 49-14 on Thursday night in the Open Division title game of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships.
The victory brings the top-tier koa trophy back to Red Raider-land for the first time since 2015, breaking a string of four championships in a row by the ILH champion Crusaders.
Kana Loa Kaluna (44) insisted that his offensive line join him on camera when he received his player of the game award from OC 16’s Jimmy Bender.
“All season long we played great, but we needed to play to our potential against a great team like Saint Louis and we were able to do that tonight,” Kahuku Coach Sterling Carvalho said. “It just showed that all the hard work they put in during the offseason, player initiated practices, putting the time in, it all paid off.”
With their tomahawk-chopping fans out in force at Farrington’s Skippa Diaz Stadium, the OIA champion Red Raiders (10-0) looked unstoppable for much of the first half, rolling to a 28-0 lead.
But Saint Louis (6-4) had an effective counterpunch, making it 28-14 at the half.
That’s when Kahuku put its stamp on Hawaii fans’ consciousness as the deserving 2021 state champions. Instead of Saint Louis getting back in the game, it was the Red Raiders who pulled away. Fleet-footed receiver Kainoa Carvalho jitterbugged his way to a 61-yard screen pass touchdown on the first drive of the second half and the rout was on.
Before and after that key play though, the Kahuku offense put the power pedal down with Kana Loa Kaluna running behind a hungry offensive line.
Kaluna scored the team’s first two touchdowns on runs of 4 and 6 yards, but he saved his best for last, getting the call often in the second half for huge gains that kept the ball out of the Crusaders’ hands. He finished with 138 yards rushing and three TDs.
“We went 110 percent on each and every play and I trusted my brothers, the other 10 guys on the field, and at the end of the day, we just did our business,” said Kaluna, a senior, who made sure to take his whole line with him on camera while he was interviewed by OC 16 after the game. “Without my linemen, nothing would be possible because they create the holes for me and without the running lanes they made, I wouldn’t have been able to make those runs.”
Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho talked to reporters after the victory, his first state championship since taking the helm in 2018.
Coach Carvalho talked about Kaluna’s role as a so-called closer.
“We wanted to get up on them (the Crusaders), and then we needed to close the game,” he said. “Hat’s off to our linemen and (Kaluna) closing the game. And that’s Kahuku football. When we need to close, we have the finishers to do so.”
Kainoa Carvalho also had a big night with 135 yards on 10 catches and two TDs from quarterback Jason Mariteragi, who completed 10 of 13 passes for 186 yards and three TDs. Carvalho’s second TD was a 16-yard over-the-shoulder grab.
Kahuku’s Kana Loa Kaluna — after the game during the school’s alma mater with teammate Dallas Uli.
“It’s a childhood dream ever since the fourth grade when I was a water boy for Kahuku,” Kainoa Carvalho said. “I’m here living my dream. No. 1 state champs. It was (Kaluna’s) last game. He wanted to show up big and he did. I’m proud of the O-line. The O-line gets all of the credit tonight. I love them. This is amazing, man. The community is all behind it. The hard work, it all paid off.”
Defensively, Liona Lefau spearheaded the Kahuku effort with five tackles, including a sack, and an interception. Leonard Ah You added two sacks and he also had a blocked punt that Lefau recovered leading to the Red Raiders’ first touchdown. Malosi Lefau played a big part as well, returning an interception 29 yards for a TD.
Kahuku players celebrated the team’s first state title since 2015.
“It feels good to be back on top,” said Liona Lefau, who took some time to congratulate his friends on the Saint Louis squad for a good season. “Our O-line stepped up big-time. Props to Saint Louis. They’re a powerhouse every year. Luckily we came out firing and had a good game.”
The only touchdowns for Saint Louis, which came into the game ranked No. 2 statewide by Bedrock Sports Hawaii behind only No. 1 Kahuku, happened in the second quarter on Boston Opetaia’s 2-yard run and AJ Bianco’s 46-yard pass to Trech Kekahuna.
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