The Hilo High Vikings held the Kea`au High Cougars to only 32 yards of total offense all game, and William “Spike” Boyd contributed a pair of touchdown runs as Hilo spoiled Kea`au’s senior night with a 24-6 victory at Wong Stadium.
Hilo (6-1, 3-1 BIIF) had several opportunities to take control of the game in the first quarter when their first two drives got inside the Cougar 35-yard line. On the first drive, quarterback Drew Kell lined up as a punter, but didn’t punt the ball away. Instead he ran the football for five yards, falling short of the first down. On the next drive, Kell threw an incomplete pass on fourth down to kill another drive.
Kea`au (0-6, 0-4) failed to move the football consistently throughout the game, picking up only three rushing yards on the evening. A large part of the problem was that they played the entire first half without either of their top two quarterbacks. Starter Keha Wong, a senior, was not suited up to play, according to coaches, while backup Jared Quihano-Makaweo sat the first two quarters because of missed practice time. That left Johnny Vance, normally a fullback, to take the snaps for most of the game.
Meanwhile, the Vikings were finally able to break through on the scoreboard early in the second quarter when Boyd scored a touchdown from eight yards out. Keola Miller’s extra point try gave Hilo a 7-0 lead with 8:21 remaining in the first quarter.
The Cougars were shut down on their next possession, but got a break from Hilo’s Donovan Kelley. The sophomore punt returner muffed the punt that headed his way, and Talon Ota recovered the ball to give Kea`au great field position. Several plays later, Vance found Matthew Shimabukuro in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard completion. Vance’s two-point pass was incomplete, and Kea`au trailed 7-6 with 1:39 remaining in the half.
Hilo devoted much of their offensive attack to the running game in the second half, a contrast to the opening half where their offense rushed occasionally. Midway through the third quarter, several key passes to Jacob Genegabus set the ground game up near the goal line, and Boyd smashed into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown run to give Hilo a 14-6 lead with 4:56 left in the quarter.
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Miller hit a 22-yard field goal with 7:41 left to extend the Vikings’ lead to 17-6, and the Cougar offense couldn’t come back with a drive to answer the score. The Vikings would get one more chance to mount a drive that sputtered at the Kea`au five, surely setting up a chip-shot for Miller. However, the snap to holder Kelley was high, and the speedy sophomore decided to get up, turn to his right, and race into the short right portion of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown run. Miller’s extra poing made the score 24-6 with 1:32 remaining.
Vance returned to the quarterback position for his team’s final posession and immediately threw an interception to Aven Kualii, giving Hilo the chance to kneel on the football and end the game.
Boyd led the Vikings in rushing on the evening with 40 yards on 10 carries and the two touchdown runs. Kell, the team’s leading rusher in league play, only got 13 yards on six carries. He did throw for 247 yards by completing 12 of his 25 pass attempts. Genegabus led the team with 99 receiving yards on four catches.
Vance rushed for three yards on eight carries and threw for 24 yards, completing two of his five pass attempts. Backup Jared Quihano-Makaweo completed his only pass attempt for five yards. Shimabukuro was the leading receiver with two catches for 18 yards.
Kea`au’s loss ensures that they will go on the road for their league semi-final game next month, as they can finish no better than third in the standings. A loss next Friday at Waiakea would seal the fourth seed for the Cougars. That game can be heard on ESPN Radio and ESPNHawaii.com. Hilo hosts Kealakehe next Saturday in a game that can also be heard on ESPN Radio and ESPNHawaii.com
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Hilo 0 7 7 10 – 24
Kea`au 0 6 0 0 – 6
Scoring summary
2nd (8:21) – HILO: William “Spike” Boyd 8 yd TD run (Keola Miller XPT good)
2nd (1:39) – KEA`AU: Johnny Vance 13 yd TD pass to Matthew Shimabukuro (pass failed)
The Dragons victory improves them to 4-1 in Division II play, a number achieved in part due to a forfeit win against Konawaena. Honoka`a (5-2, 4-1) would be involved in a three-way tie for the first-round Division II championship if Konawaena defeats Kamehameha-Hawai`i on Saturday. Based on point differential, Honoka`a would not have a shot at the first round title, but if a tiebreaker is necessary for the second round championship, the Dragons’ record could come into play.
The loss by Ka Makani drops them to 2-5, 2-3 in league play.
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