—–
After two losses to open up the 2022 season, the Kaimuki Bulldogs have won two in a row and are sitting at 2-1 in what looks to be a very competitive top-end of OIA Division II.
On Friday night, the Bulldogs kicked into high gear with a ton of big plays to down McKinley 69-20 at Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium.
That big-play barrage was led by Ofa Vehikite, who scored four touchdowns, none of which were less than 23 yards.
That kid is a sterling athlete, according to Kaimuki coach Reid Yoshikawa, who said the running back has “4.5-ish” speed in the 40-yard dash and has squatted 400 pounds.
The Tigers (0-4, 0-3) barely got a hand on him. Vehikite rushed for 209 yards, which is only 33 yards off the school record, and his scoring runs were off 73, 85, and 23 and he added a 68-yard TD reception on a pass from Iosefa Letuli.
That Bulldogs rushing record of 242, by the way, was set by Justin Paredes in a 21-12 win over Roosevelt on Nov. 9, 2007.
After those two early losses — 48-6 to Waimea on Kauai and 57-34 to Pearl City — Kaimuki has now outscored its opponents 109-40 in those two wins that included a 40-20 victory over Kalani.
And the Bulldogs’ resurgence actually began in the second quarter of the loss to the Chargers, when they stormed back from a huge 24-0 hole to make it 24-20 early in the third quarter.
———-
A catch-all place for the sights
and sounds, impressions and overheard
things out in the field while covering
the colorful world of high school football
———-
Yoshikawa loves the work his boys have been putting in, but even more, he sees that they’re starting to flow as a team.
“Day in and day out they’re putting the work in on the field, in the classroom, in the community, so I’m really proud of that aspect and they are really coming together right now,” Yoshikawa told Bedrock Sports Hawaii before boarding the team bus after the game.
“A lot of teams have great athletes, but notice what happens when you start to play together with those athletes. That’s what forms an impeccable relationship and bond that makes us strong in continuing this success going forward. And this is not only the game of football, but in life, too, because I tell them that when you graduate from high school, these guys are going to be your brothers for life, so you can count on each other even then. That’s what I’ve been preaching.”
Sounds like a plan, right? For sure.
And in terms of wins and losses, it certainly does help if you have togetherness.
Perhaps those early losses are not indicative of what the Bulldogs are capable of. They’ll soon find out.
Up next is a visit to Waialua to play the other OIA D-II Bulldogs (1-3, 1-2). That’s followed by games at Kaiser (2-2, 2-1) and at home against Nanakuli (2-1, 2-0). In the regular-season finale, Kaimuki plays against Kalaheo at the Farrington field.
And, for most OIA D-II teams, it’s going to be a dogfight to the very end for the four playoff spots.
But Vehikite, the unquestioned star of Friday’s win, says the Bulldogs are not looking ahead that far.
When asked about what looks to be a wide-open race for those four postseason berths, Vehikite said, “I’m not worried about that. We still have many more things to practice.”
—–
HAWAII HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL STANDINGS, ALL OF THE SEASON’S SCORES, A MASTER SCHEDULE, LINKS TO TEAM PAGES, THE POWER 5s AND MORE:
