KEA‘AU — Pahoa High’s football team ended its season on a high note, defeating Kohala High School 34-28 on Friday night at the Kea‘au HS football field.
This victory ended the Daggers’ four game losing streak, and closed out their season with a 3-7 record.
“It felt really great, I’m really happy for the seniors,” Pahoa head coach Kai Ako said. “The boys played super hard, so I’m just really proud of them.”
The most incredible part about Friday’s bout was that Pahoa won it completely on the ground — only attempting three passes, all of which went incomplete.
“Thirty-four points, all just running,” Ako laughed.
The Daggers struggled all season to fill the QB position, but with a handful of skilled running backs, Pahoa decided late in the season to just stick to their strengths — run a jumbo set and have their backs take snaps nearly every play.
It initially didn’t work so well, especially against teams like KS-Hawai‘i and Honoka‘a — but it finally paid off on Friday, as moving the ball proved to be no issue. Pahoa relied on Kukui Ahin-Ganir and Cash Cohen to carry the ball, and the pair of elusive backs consistently found yardage.
“I think (Ahin-Ganir) had four touchdowns,” Ako said. “We kept feeding him, he played a heck of a game. (Cohen) did too. Our defense played pretty good too, they had a few sacks.”
It was a heartbreaking loss for Kohala, which ends the season 0-10 — having lost by one touchdown or less on three separate occasions, twice to Pahoa and once to Hawai‘i Prep.
The Cowboys were neck-and-neck with the Daggers all the way through Friday’s outing, and made some massive plays — as their first touchdown followed a kickoff return by Tiras Perez, who made it all the way to the four-yard line before getting tackled.
“Hats off to Kohala,” Ako said. “It could have went either way, what a tough team and great kids —great game.”
Pahoa’s season was defined by ups and downs. The team’s head coach had to sit the season out due to health concerns, so Ako stepped in during the summer to become interim head coach. Injuries also plagued the Daggers, as a couple of their key playmakers missed one or more games.
“We faced some adversity, but we stuck together as a team and the kids never quit,” Ako said. “That has to be the biggest accomplishment. They played with all their heart and never quit on each other. It was a family, they played as a family. I’m most proud of how these kids bonded and had each other’s backs.”
Both the Daggers and Cowboys’ rosters are comprised of mostly underclassmen — with Pahoa graduating nine seniors and Kohala graduating a mere five.