No. 1 Kahuku got off to a lightning fast start and overpowered No. 5 Campbell 49-23 on Saturday night in Ewa Beach.
The victory wrapped up the OIA Open Division regular-season football championship for the Red Raiders (6-0) and set up a league semifinal game against Waianae (3-3) next Friday at a site to be determined. A win in that game would put Kahuku in the league championship matchup against either Mililani or Campbell and clinch a spot in the upcoming state tournament.
As they’ve done all season, the Red Raiders did it with a high-flying passing game, a tough running game and rock-solid defense.
Kealoha Kaio caught three Waika Crawford TD passes — of 33, 53 and 7 yards — to lead the Kahuku offense. Clyde Taulapapa scored twice on runs of 43 and 19 yards, and Kainoa Carvalho found the end zone on a 40-yard punt return and a 33-yard pass from Crawford.
And the Red Raiders’ defensive standouts were many. Defensive end Isaiah Tuliloa and cornerback Chansen Nicodemus-Garcia had five tackles and two pass breakups each, defensive end Leonard Ah You had four tackles including a sack and three quarterback hurries, linebacker Kruze Keanu had two tackles for loss, and defensive backs Malosi Lefau and Horyzen Farley picked off Sabers passes.
“We took away the pass and it was a great team win,” Tuliloa said. “Next week, we’re going to dominate and be 1-0.”
After the game, a teammate handed Tuliloa a fancy belt with Kahuku logos on it.
“It’s the turnover belt,” he said. “We get it when we get a pick or a fumble recovery.”
When asked if he got a turnover in the game, Tuliloa said, “Almost. I dropped a pick.”
Along with his four TD passes, Crawford threw for 260 yards. Kaio finished with five catches for 128 yards.
“Me and him (Crawford) have been boys (brothers on the football field) since Day 1,” Kaio said. “We’ve got that connection already.”
Kealoha Kaio and Isaiah Tuliloa were among the Kahuku standouts on Saturday night.
All of the Sabers’ points came in the second half and were mostly against Kahuku’s second-stringers. Freshman backup quarterback Jonah Tavui — in for the injured Cheyne Kuboyama-Hayashi — helped spearhead Campbell’s comeback bid with TD runs of 33 and 1 yard. Diego Betancourt added a six-pointer for the Sabers with a 16-yard fumble recovery return.
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ALSO AT BedrockSportsHawaii.com:
>> WATCH: 11 Videos From No. 1 Kahuku’s 49-23 OIA Title-Clinching Win Over No. 5 Campbell
>> Campbell Football Team’s Jonah Tavui Was The Story Within A Story In Saturday’s Loss To Kahuku
>> SATURDAY SCOREBOARD: Kapaa Sews Up KIF Championship, State D-II Berth
>> Four From The Junior Class Are Reminders That Kahuku’s Ascendancy Is An Offshoot Of The Red Raiders’ Generational Descendancy
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