By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
KEAAU — When the spotlight shines on Kamehameha junior running back Ina Teofilo, he makes sure to point it on someone else — the type of team-first thinking coach Dan Lyons covets.
Teofilo had a productive day, scoring two touchdowns and plowing over people, to spark Kamehameha over Keaau 35-12 in a preseason football game on a sun-baked Saturday at Paie‘a Stadium.
The 6-foot, 198-pound Teofilo finished with 189 yards on 26 carries; his only blemish was a harmless fourth-quarter fumble when the game was already ready for bed.
“It was mostly all the hard work of the line. It was for them,” he said. “They open holes and I try to do the work. I give them what they deserve. I keep my head up, wait for the holes, and then I don’t hesitate and keep pumping my legs.”
Last season, he was at Waiakea and didn’t play any Big Island Interscholastic Federation sports. Instead, Teofilo competed in Hawaii Youth Rugby, and the hard knocks from that collision sport (played without pads) must have served him well.
Against the Cougars (0-2), Teofilo often relied on lowering his shoulders and running over defenders. He also showed enough speed to slip to the perimeter and pick up positive yards, racing to the second level before the secondary arrived.
But if he had to pick between using speed or power, that’s a no contest.
“I like running guys over, seeing them flat on their backs on the ground,” Teofilo said. “That’s fun. We couldn’t let them come into our house and win. We had to play hard for our fans and family.
“I think we have a chance for the BIIF title if we keep going hard. We’re all brothers and we help each other, especially the offensive line.”
As the old saying goes, it’s not how you start, rather it’s how you finish. That holds true for Warriors (2-0), who allowed Anuenue of Oahu to score on the game’s opening drive last week before rallying to win.
“It’s the second week in a row the opposing team has scored on us right away,” Lyons said. “Keaau held the ball almost the entire first quarter. But I liked our toughness and resiliency. We came back and it didn’t faze the kids.
“Ina ran hard and all the kids played hard. I liked the attitude we had. The kids had a lot of fun. Our resiliency stood out to me.”
The Cougars chewed up an unknown amount of time (Kamehameha’s clock wasn’t working) to score on the game’s opening drive, helped by two penalties — two personal fouls on fourth down. Shannon Nihipali eventually plunged in from 3 yards.
Then it was the Warriors’ turn and every time they touched the ball in the second quarter they scored, relying on the power running of Teofilo, who rushed for 128 yards on 15 carries in the first half.
On fourth-and-5 at Keaau’s 35-yard line, Kamehameha quarterback Micah Kanehailua threw a 28-yard pass to Kamuela Kawamoto. Two plays later, Shaun Kagawa scored on a 1-yard run.
Kagawa, a linebacker and running back, had 10 carries for 53 yards. In the fourth quarter, he showed his blue-chip quickness and uncanny body control, turning a potential four-yard loss into a six-yard gain, cutting, stopping and restarting to move the chains.
After Kaipo Woolsey collected the first of his two fumble recoveries (he also had two sacks), the Warriors were back in the scoring business. Teofilo powered through a bunch of tacklers for a 14-yard score.
The Cougars went three-and-out and the home team needed just nine plays to travel 58 yards, capping a nine-play scoirng drive on Teofilo’s 8-yard run. It was another display of running through the heart of a defense and rattling some teeth.
Meanwhile, Kanehailua had a solid first half, engineering drives and playing nearly mistake-free football. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 71 yards, throwing one interception that turned into a Keaau highlight.
Under a heavy rush, Kanehailua threw the ball short and Na‘alii Kanakaole-Wong made the most of a golden gift; he hauled in the interception and high-tailed it 74 yards to the end zone, slicing the lead to 21-12.
In the third quarter, Kamehameha (2-0) scored with backup quarterback Brandon Howes under center. He led a nine-play drive, capped by Kawamoto’s 14-yard touchdown run.
Cornerback David Lopez closed the scoring with a 25-yard interception return in the fourth quarter, providing the faithful Warrior fans one last opportunity to stand and cheer.
The sizable gap in the second half allowed the Kamehameha backups to get in some playing time, especially Howes, who’s a junior like Kanehailua.
“They’re both steady. Micah is a great teammate. He threw his support behind the other guy and wanted him to do well,” Lyons said. “We have no individuals on our team. If we’re going to do things this season, everybody has to contribute.”
Keaau 6 6 0 0 — 12
Kamehameha 0 21 7 7 — 35
First quarter
Kea — Shannon Nihipali 3 run (kick failed)
Second quarter
Kam — Shaun Kagawa 1 run (Logan Uyetake kick)
Kam — Ina Teofilo 14 run (Uyetake kick)
Kam — Teofilo 8 run (Uyetake kick)
Kea — Na‘alii Kanakaole-Wong 74 interception (pass failed)
Third quarter
Kam — Kamuela Kawamoto 14 run (Uyetake kick)
Fourth quarter
Kam — David Lopez 25 interception (Uyetake kick)