Waiakea got an eye-opening lesson: one-win football teams from the Garden Isle are pretty tough.
Waiakea got an eye-opening lesson: one-win football teams from the Garden Isle are pretty tough.
Despite a ton of youth, Waimea controlled the line of scrimmage, and steamrolled the Warriors 27-14 in a preseason game Saturday at Wong Stadium.
Last year, the Menehune won just one game, and second-year coach Jason Caldeira Jr. has only seven seniors on his 41-player roster.
Waimea, which last went to the HHSAA state tournament in 2003, played like a powerhouse against the Warriors, rushing for 282 yards on 43 carries (a healthy 6.6-yard per carry average), and piling up six sacks.
The Menehune operated out of a spread with jet sweeps from their slotbacks. That basic look was followed by a punch to the stomach, courtesy of Cody Taniguchi, a shifty junior running back, who went wild for 172 yards on 10 attempts.
Taniguchi had a first half to remember, when he faces island foes Kauai High and Kapaa. He romped for 138 yards on three carries, and scored touchdowns of 90 and 40 yards when Waiakea defenders didn’t plug seams on his cutback runs.
Sophomore quarterback Keaka Wisneski was an efficient 4 of 6 for 87 yards, and rushed for a 1-yard score in the second quarter to deliver Waimea a 14-0 lead. He didn’t fumble or throw a pick, and earned a gold star for ball security.
The Warriors pretty much struggled all over the place. There were a couple of snaps over quarterback Gehrig Octavio’s head. Luckily, he plays baseball, so he’s good at scooping ground balls. Other areas of woe were more pronounced.
Waiakea’s ground game was stuck in neutral and gained just 43 yards on 23 carries, a 1.9-yard average. That led to an endless chore of third-and-long situations. Makoa Andres, Waiakea’s ace pitcher, led the way with 24 yards on four attempts.
Octavio scrambled for productive yards, often out of necessity, but the half-dozen sacks erased his solid numbers. He finished with 12 yards on 12 carries. He was a little better in the air: 8 of 23 for 126 yards with one touchdown and one pick.
When Octavio wasn’t being sacked or escaped from an avalanche of pressure, his two big targets were Hunter Rapoza, who had two catches for 49 yards, and Andres, who snagged two receptions for 47 yards.
The Warriors scored twice off Menehune turnovers in the third quarter, a too-short 12 minutes of joyful entertainment for their fans.
After Waiakea recovered a fumble deep in Waimea territory, Octavio scored on a broken pass play. He couldn’t find anyone in a dark blue uniform open, tucked the ball and headed right. He changed directions and scored from 17 yards out.
On Waimea’s next possession, Waiakea got another turnover off an interception, and Octavio later whipped a 24-yard scoring strike to Andres. That made it 21-14, Waimea. It was late in the game, but it was finally interesting.
However, the Menehune marched down the field and reached red-zone comfort, settling at Waiakea’s 3. On third and goal, Chance Silva-Borero stretched out and deflected a Wisneski pass to prevent a likely touchdown.
Waimea kicker Justin Fune booted a 20-yard field goal and added a 30-yarder in the fourth quarter to get the bus heading back to the hotel warmed up. The Menehune will wake up, catch the sunrise and then hop on a plane back to Kauai.
Waimea overcame a shaky start to grab a 21-0 halftime lead that featured over a dozen penalties under hot conditions, despite the presence of little storm Hilda.
On their first possession, the Menehune had three illegal procedure penalties and punted on third down from their 10-yard line. But soon after, good fortune started to shine on the little school from the Garden Isle.
Waimea’s next possession was a beauty. On the third play, Taniguchi cut back, several Waiakea defenders didn’t remain in their assigned lane, and he raced into the end zone for a 90-yard touchdown.
That established the tone for the Menehune, who grew in confidence and kept hitting Waiakea with haymakers on the ground.
Waimea built a 21-0 cushion when Taniguchi took another handoff, the Warriors didn’t close a gap, and watched him score a 40-yard TD.
In the junior varsity game, it was Keaau 25, Waiakea 0.
Waimea 7 14 3 3 — 27
Waiakea 0 0 14 0 — 14
First quarter
Waimea — Cody Taniguchi 90 run (Justin Fune kick)
Second quarter
Waimea – Keaka Wisneski 1 run (Fune kick)
Waimea — Taniguchi 40 (Fune kick)
Third quarter
Waiakea — Gehrig Octavio 17 run (Octavio kick)
Waiakea — Makoa Andres 24 pass from Octavio (Octavio kick)
Waimea — FG 20 Fune
Fourth quarter
Waimea —FG 30 Fune