Kamehameha-Kapalama didn’t need a lot of time to get off the bus and put up offensive fireworks against Hilo High School.
Sophomore quarterback Thomas Yam threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in only a quarter-and-a-half of playing time as Kamehameha defeated Hilo 41-0 under rainy conditions at Hilo’s Wong Stadium.
Friday night’s game was delayed by 15 minutes because of flight delays that caused the Kamehameha-Kapalama football team to arrive at the stadium in buses at 6:35 p.m., just 25 minutes before the scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff.
Early on, it looked like Hilo would have an early opportunity to take advantage of some early rust from their visitors. Kahale Huddleston returned Adam Stack’s opening kickoff 77 yards down to the Kamehameha 20 yard line. The Warriors held their ground on defense, however, and a missed 42-yard field goal from Kaleihalia Tolentino-Perry kept the Vikings off of the scoreboard.
Kamehameha-Kapalama (3-0) responded immediately. Yam found junior receiver Jaykob Cabunoc on a pass that was thrown slightly behind his receiver, but Cabunoc broke away from his defender and sprinted to the endzone for a 48-yard touchdown completion to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead just four inutes into the game.
Defensively, the Warriors showed constant pressure against Hilo quarterback Ka’ale Tiogangco, forcing poor decisions. On the Vikings next drive, Tiogangco rushed a third down pass to his left, where Kamehameha senior Akili Gray was waiting for it. Gray intercepted the pass and returned it 30 yards for another touchdown, extending the lead to 13-0.
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Yam, starting in place of injured quarterback Fatu Sua-Godinet, put on a passing clinic. He threw for touchdowns on each of Kamehameha’s next two drives. First, he found prolific receiver Kumoku Noa down the left sideline for a 15-yard touchdown completion to extend the lead to 21-0. Then, Yam and Cabunoc hooked up again for another 48-yard scoring strike to push the lead to 27-0 with 2:06 remaining in the opening quarter.
In just the first quarter alone, Yam, who has the nickname “Boogie,” completed all five of his passing attempts for 140 yards. He finished the game 8-for-9 for 157 yards.
Near the end of the first quarter, Yam got an opportunity to find paydirt himself. On a first down play, the sophomore turned a simple quarterback draw into a 60-yard touchdown dash down the left sideline to close out a 34-point first period.
Hilo (0-2) looked to gain some momentum, picking up its first first down of the game on an eight-yard completion from Tiogangco to Tolentino-Perry. The junior quarterback seemed to get into a groove, completing three straight passes, but ended the drive in his opponent’s territory with an interception by Anthony Leaderer.
From there, Kamehameha-Kapalama sat Yam with 6:35 left in the first half and turned the ball over to backup quarterbacks Justice Young, who finished the second quarter and also played the fourth, and Brett Yap, who controlled the third.
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On Young’s second drive, which started at Hilo’s 35, Young ran for 25 yards and set up a first-and-goal. Later, on fourth down, he found Noa on a slant route in the back of the end zone to extend the lead to 41-0.
Young went 3-for-6 for negative-1 yard passing, thanks to a completion that lost eight yards. Yap completed both of his pass attempts for 27 yards.
Hilo was held off of the scoreboard for a second consecutive game. Last week, the Vikings were shutout 59-0 by Punahou. Tioganco went 11-for-23 for 44 yards and two interceptions. The Vikings gained just 67 yards of total offense in the game.
Kamehameha-Kapalama will have three weeks off before entering the gauntlet known as the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I schedule. The Warriors will face Saint Louis at Aloha Stadium on Sept. 12. Hilo, meanwhile, will open Big Island Interscholastic Federation play at Hawai’i Preparatory academy on Aug. 29.
Kamehameha 34 7 0 0 – 41
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Hilo 0 0 0 0 – 0
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
KSK (8:00) – Jaykob Cabunoc 48 yard reception from Thomas Yam (Adam Stack kick)
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