KEAAU — Pahoa High School’s football team had a successful season opener, defeating Ka‘u HS 26-6 on Thursday night at the Kea‘au HS football field.
“I’m proud of the boys, they put it together,” Pahoa interim head coach Kai Ako said. “I think we need to get some more conditioning in, we were kinda getting tired in the first and second quarter. But it was good for them to see that, get some adversity in.”
The Trojans were strong during the first quarter, and got on the board first for a 6-0 lead when Adadiyah Ellis-Reyes threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Junior Kauhuia-Faafia around the six-minute mark. Ka‘u attempted a two-point conversion, but it was unsuccessful.
With less than a minute left in the quarter, Ka‘u senior Ocean Nihipali-Session intercepted a pass and ran it back nearly 40 yards before getting brought down.
The second quarter began during the Trojans’ subsequent drive. Only a few plays into the effort, Pahoa junior Dwight Enriquez got an interception, which he ran for 45 yards. This would be the first of three interceptions by Enriquez on the game.
Shortly after, Enriquez rushed 15 yards for a touchdown. The Daggers also failed their first two-point attempt, tying the score 6-6.
During Ka‘u’s next drive, Enriquez notched his second interception. However, the Daggers could not capitalize as they fumbled at the five-yard line and Ka‘u senior Triton Blanco nabbed the ball.
The rest of the quarter saw Ka‘u cause two more turnovers, but struggle to move the ball on offense. Kauhuia-Faafia recovered a fumble by Pahoa’s punt returner, and fellow Trojan Chaz Kajiwara-Ke got an interception.
As the final minute of the half ticked away, the Daggers’ defense stopped the Trojans three yards short of the endzone.
“At halftime we made some adjustments,” Ako said. “We worked on controlling the ball and got some turnovers. We’ve got a really young quarterback, he just turned 14 — a true freshman starting, great kid. He’s learning.”
After entering the third quarter still tied, Pahoa quickly obtained a 14-6 lead. Less than a minute into the quarter, Enriquez rushed more than 90 yards for another touchdown — followed by a successful two-point conversion dive by Kanoa Kahele.
The Daggers began to build momentum as Ka‘u’s slim roster began to visibly tire and struggle with organization.
About four minutes into the quarter, PHS sophomore Kai Chaves recovered a fumble to stop the Trojans short of the redzone.
However, the Trojans returned the favor. As the Daggers were making a redzone push, Ka‘u senior Keaka McDonnell made an interception.
The turnovers just kept coming. During Ka‘u’s drive, Pahoa junior Cash Cohen made an endzone interception. The Daggers made their way down the field, and with a few seconds left in the quarter, Kahele rushed 12 yards for a touchdown. The two-point attempt failed. Pahoa led 20-6 entering the final quarter.
Around the start of the fourth quarter, a squabble occurred after Pahoa’s punt returner was tackled. There was no bad blood, though — as the players quickly shook hands and moved on.
“Even with the incident, they were good,” Ako said. “In the past, things would’ve gotten out of hand, but the boys showed discipline. I’m really proud we got some discipline on the sideline, nobody got kicked out and we were able to play football.
“It was a good test of our character. I like what I see right now. These Pahoa kids man, they’re tough kids. They go through a lot, their backgrounds are diverse — but just for them to be here, out of trouble and part of something bigger than themselves is just great.”
Shortly after the fight, Pahoa quarterback William Duarte-Jose threw 15 yards to Enriquez in the endzone. The Trojans stopped the two point again, but could not score again. Enriquez got his third and final interception with less than a minute left, nearly running it back for a pick-six — getting taken down around the edge of the redzone.
The Daggers ran out the clock with a kneel.
On Saturday, both teams will head up to the Kohala districts for their next DII tests.
The Trojans will play away at Kohala HS, kicking off at 2 p.m.
Pahoa will travel to Hawaii Prep, with the game beginning at 3 p.m.
