HONOLULU — Kahuku left no doubt of the identity of the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s standard-bearer heading into the state tournament.
The defending league and state champion Red Raiders shut out their closest competition, the Mililani Trojans, 35-0 in the OIA Open Division championship played in rainy conditions Friday night at Farrington's Skippa Diaz Stadium.
Senior quarterback Waika Crawford ran for two touchdowns and passed for another while the Kahuku defense intercepted Mililani backup quarterback Emana Tarape three times. Mililani held out starting quarterback Kini McMillan with its state berth already assured.
Kahuku (10-2), with 20 straight wins over Hawaii teams going back to the start of the 2021 season and losses only two mainland powerhouses, is expected to receive the top seed for the four-team HHSAA Open field that will include the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion plus Mililani (7-4) and Campbell, which defeated Kapolei 49-42 in a wild game for third place in the league Friday night.
It was Kahuku’s 29th OIA title in school history and the third straight since Mililani won the first OIA Open title in 2018.
Kahuku did it at the same site as its explosive, lopsided state title win over Saint Louis in December, but the Red Raiders took a while to get going this time.
After a mere 7-0 halftime lead – Crawford ran one in from 19 yards early in the second quarter after Shaun Niu Jr. set it up with a pick – they turned on the afterburners against a rival they trailed in the 2022 regular season and 2021 Open title game before coming back both times.
Linebacker Liona Lefau helped preserve the lead going into the half when he intercepted Tarape in the end zone on fourth down.
Kahuku scored touchdowns on four straight drives between the third and fourth quarters, with Crawford and running back Vaaimalae Fonoti scoring from 3 yards out and Gemini Vendiola capping it off with an 84-yard reception from Sitani Suguturaga.
"In the first half, I came out kind of slow," Crawford told Spectrum OC16's Jimmy Bender. "I knew I had to pick it up because (if I did) then everyone else would follow me."
The Trojans were held to just 150 yards of total offense – just 92 through the air for a team with a usually prolific passing attack.
Freshman Madden Soliai had the last pick of Tarape and blocked two punts.
Kahuku senior playmaker Kainoa "Kaikai" Carvalho continued to have a relatively light workload in his second game back from a foot injury. He had three catches for 37 yards and his brother Kaimana continued to field punts and kickoffs in his stead.
Mililani last beat Kahuku in the second week of the 2019 season. The last time Mililani was shut out was the last game of 2019 against Saint Louis in the state tournament.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.