WAILUKU - While it took more than 2 1/2 hours to play, this first-place showdown was over early.
The Seabury Hall eight-player football team gave up a quick first score but then ran off nine unanswered touchdowns to coast to a 61-6 win over St. Anthony on Thursday night in front of about 500 fans at War Memorial Stadium.
An 85-yard kickoff return by Ryder Weymouth and 60-yard punt return by Kai Paner-Rietow gave the Spartans 14 points in the second half before they ran a play from scrimmage.
Article Photos
Kaulu Luuwai, Kevin Lewis and the rest of the Seabury Hall sideline celebrate a touchdown during the first quarter of the Spartans’ 61-6 win over St. Anthony on Thursday at War Memorial Stadium.
The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
"The guys have been working real hard, it's all clicking," said Sea-bury Hall coach Matthew Burger. "The nice thing is we got numbers. We have got bodies who can get in there and get stuff done - a lot of athletes."
The Spartans (2-0) had 35 players dressed for the game, while the Trojans (1-1) had 18. All players available on each roster saw action.
"You saw it late in both halves, they were running out of gas and we were able to throw some fresh bodies in there," Burger said. "Our guys (on the offensive line), it is kind of neat to see how far they have come because every single one of those guys are in their first year of playing football. I take a lot of pride in coaching them up and they did a great job."
Fact Box
MIL Standings
......................W...L...Pct.......PF...PA
Seabury Hall...2...0...1.000...84...26
St. Anthony.....1...1......500...54...75
Molokai...........0...1......000...20...23
Hana...............0...1......000...14...48
Thursday's Result
Seabury Hall 61, St. Anthony 6
Saturday's Game
Hana at Molokai, noon
A wild first quarter lasted 48 minutes and ended with Seabury Hall on top 27-6.
Cayde Omura rushed for 162 yards and four touchdowns on 10 carries, all in the first half. He scored on runs of 29, 46, 9 and 38 yards, and gave credit to his offensive line.
"They were a big factor in doing what I could do, I couldn't do anything without them," Omura said. "Like coach Burger said, they have come a far way. I owe them all the credit - they make me look good."
Burger said of Omura: "He's a stud kid, he's a great athlete and he can read the defense real well. He's picking his hole before he even gets the ball, where he wants to go with it."
The Seabury Hall defense had six takeaways - three interceptions and three fumble recoveries - and the Spartans' backups stopped the Trojans on downs after two first-and-goal situations late in the game.
After St. Anthony went 65 yards in eight plays in a no-huddle drive and scored on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Colby Tam to Keeston Sutherland just 2:01 into the game, Kaleb Palmer caught the first of two touchdown passes from Jaxson Stinger, a 69-yard strike over the middle, and Weymouth's extra-point kick put Seabury Hall in front 7-6.
Palmer's second catch made it 47-6 with nine seconds left in the first half. The final two quarters used running time under the 35-point mercy rule.
A 20-yard interception return for a touchdown by Carter Christie was sandwiched between Omura's first two and last two touchdown runs.
Seabury Hall piled up 318 yards of offense in the first half, 201 on the ground. St. Anthony had 108 yards in the first half.
"They are pretty fast, very well coached, no excuses tonight," Trojans co-head coach Alika Delos Santos said of the Spartans. "They definitely were the better team, but we will patch it up and get ready for Molokai (next week)."
Being atop the standings won't change things for Burger's boys.
"We will still be taking one game at a time," he said.
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com
Seabury Hall2720140-61
St. Anthony6000-6
First Quarter
SA-Keeston Sutherland 18 pass from Colby Tam (kick blocked), 9:59.
SH-Kaleb Palmer 69 pass from Jaxson Stinger (Ryder Weymouth kick), 8:42.
SH-Cayde Omura 29 run (Weymouth kick), 6:19.
SH-Omura 46 run (Kevin Lewis kick), 1:00.
SH-Carter Christie 20 interception return (kick failed), 0:19.
Second Quarter
SH-Omura 9 run (kick failed), 8:38.
SH-Omura 38 run (Lewis kick), 6:28.
SH-Palmer 10 pass from Stinger (Lewis kick), 0:09.
Third Quarter
SH-Weymouth 85 kickoff return (Lewis kick). 11:46.
SH-Kai Paner-Rietow 60 punt return (Lewis kick), 8:56.
| SH | SA | |
| First downs | 15 | 11 |
| Rushes-yards | 34-201 | 32-35 |
| Passing yards | 117 | 100 |
| Total offense | 318 | 135 |
| Return yards | 165 | 80 |
| Comp-att.-int. | 4-12-0 | 10-25-3 |
| Fumbles-lost | 4-1 | 6-3 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-67 | 7-60 |
| Punts | 3-20.7 | 4-33.3 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-SH, Omura 10-162, Mogul Luuwai 6-34, Stinger 4-24, Christie 6-10, Hobbs Weymouth 1-2, Jordan James 1-2, Keanu Catugal 1-(minus 1), Cody Wendt 2-(minus 6), team 3-(minus 26); SA, Preston Masanda 13-25, Tam 12-19, Ryan Apel 2-7, Kaelen Hoopii 4-(minus 8), team 1-(minus 8).
PASSING-SH, Stinger 4-12-0-117; SA, Tam 6-11-1-58, Masanda 4-13-1-42, Hoopii 0-1-1-0.
RECEIVING-SH, Palmer 2-79, Catugal 2-38; SA, Charlie Donnelly 4-51, Sutherland 3-43, Luke Gage 1-6, Apel 1-0, Hoopii 1-0.
MISSED FIELD GOALS-SH, R. Weymouth 35 (BL).
