Kahuku avoids trap by beating Moanalua
Oct. 8—Kahuku took care of Moanalua as expected Friday, and the Red Raiders look primed for next week's showdown for the OIA Open Division's top seed.
Kahuku took care of Moanalua as expected Friday, and the Red Raiders look primed for next week's showdown for the OIA Open Division's top seed.
Waika Crawford completed 11 of 17 passes for 128 yards and five touchdowns and all three of Kache Kaio's receptions went for touchdowns—with the pair's production all coming in the first half—as No. 1 Kahuku steamrolled host Moanalua 60-7.
"The first half, I felt like we came out strong, " Crawford said. "Getting a fast start is what we wanted and that's what we did."
Kahuku (7-2, 5-0 ) will conclude the regular season on Oct. 15 by hosting current fellow unbeaten Mililani (4-0 ). The Trojans host Kapolei tonight.
Friday's results locked in Kahuku, Mililani, Campbell and Kapolei for the four-team OIA tournament, with seedings to be determined. The top three finishers will advance to the state tournament.
"We didn't want this to be a trap game coming off a big game against Saint Frances (of Maryland, a 22-15 loss ), " said Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho. "We treated this game like a springboard to get ready for Mililani next week. They'll be ready as much as we'll be ready."
The Red Raiders scored on four of their first five possessions, with the average starting field position being Na Menehune's 36.
Kahuku led 19-0 after the first quarter on Crawford's 23-yard touchdown pass to Kaio with 10 :07 left, Crawford's 4-yarder to Kaio with 7 :36 remaining and Lamana Tapusoa's 12-yard run with 4 :14 to go.
"No. 33 (Kaio ) is actually a childhood friend, our families are really close, " Crawford said. "Those were his first three touchdowns of the season. He hasn't really gotten many targets lately, so I knew I had to get his confidence up and hopefully we can keep it going."
