KEAAU – Keaau kept hanging around, looked hungry for an upset and scored a late tide-turning touchdown against Kamehameha, but that was wiped out by a holding penalty — one of 14 harmful yellow flags, sort of a theme of the night.
The Warriors made fewer mistakes and prevailed over Keaau 21-14 to retain the monopoly on the Kipimana Cup in a BIIF season opener on Friday night at the Cougars Stadium, where both teams struggled to find offensive balance.
The best drama was saved for the fourth quarter. That’s when Emelio Acia scored on a 5-yard run to cut Kamehameha’s lead to 21-14 with almost the full 12 minutes left.
Even better, the Cougars made a huge fourth-and-2 stop at midfield to get the ball back and marched into red-zone territory with seven minutes remaining. On fourth-and-18 from the Kamehameha 18, Keaau junior quarterback Bryant Respicio-Mercado threw a touchdown pass.
A holding penalty deleted that touchdown. On the next fourth down play, the Warriors were called for a 15-yard personal foul penalty. The Cougars couldn’t score from the 10 and gave up the ball on downs.
Keaau went 1 for 2 on key defensive stops, allowing Kamehameha to get a first down on third-and-2 from the 18. That was a clock-draining dagger.
Sophomore quarterback Koby Tabuyo-Kahale dropped back in the pocket, danced around going through his progressions and thought about what he wanted to eat for breakfast. With no pass rush bearing down and no open receiver, he ran across an open meadow for seven yards and a first down.
Keaau’s run defense labored despite a minimal Kamehameha aerial attack. Tabuyo-Kahele went 0 for 5 while Kilohana Haasenritter completed 3 of 5 for 37 yards, including a 20-yard scoring strike to Kalama Anahu in the third quarter.
Haasenritter kept escaping to the perimeter or ran through seams for 160 yards on 18 carries, mostly on QB scrambles. Bryce Furuli plowed for 57 yards on seven carries, and Austin Wilson slashed for 42 yards on nine attempts.
Respicio-Mercado hit 11 of 22 for 159 yards. The Cougars found modest traction on the ground. Acia gained 61 yards on nine carries while Storm Quilinderino added 36 yards on 10 attempts.
In the first quarter, Keaau was its own worst enemy, and the Warriors made them pay for every mistake or risk-reward gamble.
On a fourth-and-3 from its own 42-yard line, the Cougars went for it and came up empty, giving Kamehameha a short field, which shrank with a 15-yard personal foul on Keaau.
Four plays later, Furuli barreled in for a 4-yard touchdown.
Keaau coach Leo Abellera pointed a finger at himself.
“I wish I had managed the game better,” he said. “We had that fourth down and specials teams. We didn’t play one-third of the game.
“We have to get off our blocks a little quicker and have better tackling.”
On the next series, Keaau went three-and-out and had its punt blocked by Thaze Gomes. Wilde Germano got the scoop-and-score for a 23-yard TD and 14-0 lead.
Two possessions later, Keaau freshman Masen Silva recovered a fumble in the red zone, and the offense executed an impressive 98-yard, 16-play scoring drive that chewed up 10 minutes, bridging the first and second quarters.
Quilinderino, a junior running back, was involved in three key run plays: a 15-yard gain, a 5-yard run on fourth-and-2 from the Warrior 37, and a 4-yard touchdown run.
There was only one turnover, the fumble that Silva picked up, and Kamehameha had 11 penalties, miscues that forced the Warriors to bear down.
“It was a tough game. Keaau was awesome,” Kamehameha coach Dan Lyons said. “We made enough mistakes to keep them around. It was a good adversity game for us. It was a good battle.”
Kamehameha 14 0 7 0 — 21
Keaau 0 6 0 8 — 14
First quarter
Kamehameha — Bryce Furuli 3 run (Chris Knell kick), 9:07
Kamehameha — Wilde Germano 23 block return (Knell kick), 6:35
Second quarter
Keaau — Storm Quilinderino 4 run (kick no good), 7:59
Third quarter
Kamehameha — Kalama Anahu 20 pass from Kilohana Haasenritter (Knell kick), 2:33
Fourth quarter
Keaau — Emlio Acia 5 run (Bryant Respicio-Mercado run), 11:55