KEALAKEKUA — Kealakehe girls flag football couldn’t have asked for a better start to its inaugural season.
On Wednesday night at Konawaena High School’s Julian R. Yates Field, the Lady Waveriders officially opened their regular-season slate against Kanu o ka ‘Aina. Displaying dominance on both sides of the field, Kealakehe was able to waltz to a 26-0 victory.
“(The win) was tremendous,” ‘Riders head coach Gabe Valentin told West Hawaii Today postgame. “The girls were a little nervous coming into it, but we narrowed our lineups and got into sync.”
Junior Peyton Kahiamoe was Kealakehe’s primary quarterback in the matchup, showing off her arm talent and ability to escape the pass rush with her legs. Senior Kiana Rivera additionally saw time under center in the fourth quarter, finishing with an array of graceful rushes and impressive throws down the middle of the field.
Kahiamoe helped get the ‘Riders on the board during their third possession of the game in the beginning of the second quarter — throwing a 25-yard laser to junior Saphira Cambra. The team failed to convert the extra-point attempt, going into halftime with a 6-0 lead.
In Kealakehe’s second possession of the second half, Kahiamoe began using her rushing ability by slipping through Kanu’s athletic pass rush for big gains. She also completed tight-window passes to freshmen Kaponianani Fulton and Tahea Wagner to place the ‘Riders in Kanu’s territory. Kahiamoe finished the drive exactly how she started it — earning yardage on the ground through a run-pass-option play to score Kealakehe’s second touchdown of the night.
During the ‘Riders’ next drive, Kahiamoe connected with Fulton for another blue-and-white touchdown. Kahiamoe finished the day with three total touchdowns and three turnovers.
Valentin said he liked what he saw from his quarterback, and encouraged her to maintain a positive mindset despite her turnovers. He also noted that Kahiamoe will be the team’s primary signal caller going forward.
“She kept on going,” Valentin said of Kahiamoe. “When she had those interceptions, she was getting down on herself. We talked on the sideline and told her we weren’t going to change her, and she then just trusted the process. She had her touchdowns, and everything went well after that.”
Comfortably ahead late in the game, Valentin then elected to give Rivera some time at quarterback. Rivera closed with strong rushes and a short passing touchdown to freshman Joy Halualani to secure the final touchdown of the night.
Throughout the game, Kealakehe experimented with long-pass plays, converting on several of them compared to Kanu. Valentin explained that the team was attacking what the defense was giving them.
“We’ve definitely been working on (big pass plays), but we were just taking what the defense gave us,” he said. “And towards the end, we flipped it and started running the ball more.”
Kealakehe’s defense also showed out, allowing zero points with two interceptions from Rivera and another pick caught by sophomore Sienna Mae Caberto. Valentin additionally praised senior middle linebacker Tehia Rivera for leading the defensive line.
“(Rivera) was just on point with her rushes,” Valentin said. “And our safeties were staying with their assignment deep and we weren’t giving them space.
“We are really good up front in our defense. We may have to do some tweaking based on what we’re seeing from other teams on offense, but for the most part, I think our defense is very strong.”
Valentin also noted that the win was a good learning experience for knowing when to adjust in games. He pointed to Kanu’s ability to rush the quarterback throughout the night as an example.
“(Kanu) was doing a lot of constant blitzing from the middle, so learning how to get our (line) a little bit more tight in those scenarios to protect our quarterback will be big for us.”
Despite being shut out, Kanu showed fight throughout the night — forcing interceptions, pressure and creating several turnovers on downs. Senior Ciani Macias hauled in two picks while junior Rylee Hegerfeldt caught one. Freshman Lihau Carvalho was Kanu’s main quarterback, helping the team get downfield multiple times before Kealakehe’s defense made critical stops.
While the ‘Riders’ next matchup is yet to be announced, Kanu will seek redemption Saturday against Konawaena at Julian R. Yates Field. Kickoff is slated for 9 a.m.