KAILUA-KONA — Hilo and Kealakehe didn’t need double overtime to decide anything this time around. The Vikings had their third consecutive BIIF Division I championship pretty much wrapped up by the half.
KAILUA-KONA — Hilo and Kealakehe didn’t need double overtime to decide anything this time around. The Vikings had their third consecutive BIIF Division I championship pretty much wrapped up by the half.
Hilo forced five first half turnovers — three translating into touchdowns — and held on in the second half to defeat Kealakehe 41-20 and secure a rare BIIF championship three-peat on Saturday night.
The Vikings (7-2 BIIF, 7-4) will also represent the Big Island for the third straight year at the HHSAA Division I football championships in two weeks, but their opponent has yet to be announced.
“This is what we wanted. This is what we aimed for,” Hilo interim head coach/defensive coordinator Kaeo Drummondo said. “It’s satisfying because of the journey we went through. There was a lot of adversity this year, but the kids really wanted it and pulled through.”
Pono Landford ran for two scores and 106 yards on just 10 carries for the Vikings and Kahale Huddleston scored on a momentum-building 96-yard kickoff return to guide the Vikings to victory.
In the regular season, Hilo lost to Kealakehe 39-38 in double overtime.
“We had to look within after that loss,” Drummondo said. “Kealakehe is a game opponent every time we play. We knew we couldn’t win if we turned the ball over and gave up long touchdowns. But I tip my hat to them. They really capitalized on their opportunities in that game.”
On Saturday night, all Hilo did was capitalize, early and often.
There probably couldn’t have been a better first half for Hilo and a worse one for Kealakehe (7-2, 8-4). The Waveriders’ first drive was a sign of things to come.
Quarterback Markus Degrate looked to throw a short pass to his running back, but the backwards pass turned into a fumble, recovered by Hilo.
The Viks didn’t do anything with that turnover, but took advantage of the next one. Junior defensive back Josh Whisler scooped up a fumble, picked up a few blocks and returned it 47 yards for the first score of the game.
That early play set the tempo for the entire first half.
“That was the start we needed,” Drummondo said.
The Hilo offense got rolling on a 22-yard pass from quarterback Ka’ale Tiogangco to Kahale Huddleston. Tiogangco finished the drive with a 10-yard scamper on a quarterback keeper to put the Viks up 13-0.
What happened next was just bizarre. On a short kick, a Kealakehe player picked up the ball and threw it backwards to no one in particular. An alert Hilo player jumped on the ball to give the Vikings possession inside the Kealakehe 20-yard line.
Just a few plays later, Landford punched in his first touchdown and Hilo’s third of the game on a 2-yard run.
Kealakehe stopped the bleeding with a 7-yard, play-action pass from Markus Degrate to Elijah Brouwer with one second left in the first quarter. However, the half of self-inflicted wounds was far from over for the Waveriders.
On Kealakehe’s next drive, Degrate tossed a pass in the vicinity of where a screen should have developed but no one was there. Instead, it was Hilo defensive back Ka’aina’olu Lewis who leaped in front of the ball and took it back 22 yards to make it 27-7 after the extra point.
Kealakehe tacked on a 27-yard Kolby Martin field goal to dip into the lead a little, but Hilo canceled out those points with a 96-yard return by Huddleston on the ensuing kickoff.
A 39-yard run by Landford put Hilo in position to score yet again just before the half, but a Luke Swett interception stymied the opportunity. The Vikings headed to the locker room with a 34-10 lead.
Kealakehe actually had more offense than the Vikings in the first half and ran 17 more offensive plays. But obviously the statistics did not tell the entire story. In addition to trailing, the Waveriders also lost senior playmaker Riggs Kurashige in the first quarter to injury.
Despite all that went wrong in the first half, Kealakehe got a few breaks to start the second. The Waverider defense forced a fumble, safety and interception on Hilo’s first three drives. Sequoia Iona had the fumble recovery and pick, while Howard Cosare tackled Tiogangco in the end zone for the safety.
After very little offensive production in the third quarter, Kealakehe engineered a scoring drive to start the fourth. Degrate dropped back and lobbed a ball to a leaping Anthony Trevino, who hauled it in for six. A two-point catch by Akoni Demello pulled the Waveriders to with 14, but the Vikings weren’t done yet.
Landford scored his second touchdown of the night on a bruising 31-yard run and Wela Mamone picked off Degrate for the Viks sixth turnover of the night.
“I like the way we ended. We protected the lead, killed some clock and trusted our backs,” Drummondo said. “That’s all you can ask for.”
Despite the large lead, Hilo never relaxed until the final seconds were ticking off the clock. But when the scoreboard finally hit all zeros, the Vikings could finally exhale and celebrate a third consecutive banner year.
“This game felt so long,” Drummondo said. “We will enjoy this win for a few days and get back to work on Monday.
Hilo 20 14 0 7 – 41
Kealakehe 7 3 2 8 – 20
First quarter
Hilo — Josh Whisler 47-yard fumble return (2-pt try no good) 8:34
Hilo — Ka’ale Tiogangco 10-yard run (kick good) 3:29
Hilo — Pono Landford 2-yard run (kick good) 2:53
Kealakehe — Markus Degrate 7-yard pass to Elijah Brouwer (kick good) :01
Second quarter
Hilo — Ka’aina’olu Lewis 22-yard interception return (kick good) 10:01
Kealakehe — Kolby Martin 27-yard field goal. 7:20
Hilo — Kahale Huddleston 96-yard kickoff return (kick good) 7:05
Third quarter
Kealakehe — Safety (Howard Cosare tackle of Tiogangco in end zone) 7:48
Fourth quarter
Kealakehe — Markus Degrate 22-yard pass to Anthony Trevino (2-pt pass good) 7:24
Hilo — Landford 31-yard run (kick good) 5:01