Kahuku makes statement against Castle
BARRY MARKOWITZ / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN Kahuku's Hyrum Moors broke tackles last night in the second quarter vs. Castle. Moors rushed for 156 yards on nine carries.
Kahuku used a suffocating defense and a bulldozing offensive line to rout defending Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Castle 47-15 last night on the North Shore.
The visiting Knights learned the Red Raiders' intentions on the second play from scrimmage when heralded Kahuku defensive lineman Shosei Yamauchi sped in to tumble Castle quarterback Bryce Kalauokaaea for a 9-yard sack.
The Red Raiders (7-0, 6-0) continued to show their commitment to getting back to the top of the OIA in front of an estimated crowd of 3,000. They held the Knights (5-2, 4-2) to 6 yards of offense in the first half while blazing to a 26-7 lead.
"This is a great Kahuku team," conceded Castle coach Nelson Maeda. "They hit their rhythm against us and I'd say they're about as good as their (state championship) team two years ago. They were several steps quicker than us, and everything we tried, they were there."
Louis Felesi's interception on the Knights' first possession led to Kahuku's first score -- Hyrum Moors' 10-yard touchdown run.
Another sack by the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Yamauchi thwarted the Knights' second possession and allowed Kahuku to surge in for another TD and a 14-0 lead. This time, Darren Magalogo followed his massive linemen into the end zone from 11 yards out
"The coaches prepared us well," said Yamauchi, who finished with three of Kahuku's five sacks and a fumble recovery. "All week, the coaches were having us work on firing low and getting off the ball fast, and it worked."
Puhi Nakoa's recovery of Kahuku's fumbled punt return deep in Red Raiders territory led to Castle's only first-half TD -- Kalauokaaea's 4-yard pass to Ikaika Ho to make it 14-7.
Kahuku's talented front of Maveu Heimull, Jeremy Perry, Desmond Enesa, Quentin Beaver and Ernest Reid created pathways for their running backs. The Red Raiders scored twice more in the first half -- once on Dustin Huddy's 6-yard TD run, then on his 10-yard scoring reception from Waika Carvalho.
The Red Raiders scored quickly and often in the second half, too. They added two quick points with a safety and then got touchdown runs of 15 yards by Moors and 21 yards by Reid, the 6-1, 280-pound offensive tackle who scooped up a teammates' fumble and rambled into the end zone. Kahuku also scored on Spencer Hafoka's 40-yard catch-and-run of a Carvalho pass.
Castle found the end zone just once more -- Ho's second TD on a 32-yard aerial from Kalauokaaea with 8:11 left in the game.
The Knights moved a little better in the second half, but Kahuku's defense kept them from breaking another one.
"We didn't come to play," said Ho, who finished with nine receptions for 79 yards. "If we get another chance at them, we'll take it way more seriously."
Notes: Yamauchi suffered a broken tooth after a fumble recovery, but it wasn't by a Castle player. Teammate Kimball Niumatalolo came over to the bench to celebrate by crashing helmets with Yamauchi, but Yamauchi didn't have his helmet on. ... Yamauchi dedicated the victory to Daniel Mapu, the former Kahuku player still recovering from injuries suffered when he was hit by an automobile.
Kahuku makes statement against Castle
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