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Warriors rout Cougars 48-24

In first state appearance since 2005, Kamehameha Maui advances to face Kapaa for D-II state title

Kamehameha Schools Maui running back McKay Pali carries the ball as Kaiser’s Hopoate Aholelei gives chase during the first quarter of the Warriors’ 48-24 victory over the Cougars in a First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II semifinal Wednesday night at Farrington High School. katwadephoto.com / KAT WADE photos

Kamehameha Schools Maui’s long-awaited return to the state football tournament was a rousing success.

Warriors sophomore quarterback Makana Kamaka-Brayce threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns — he completed 20 of 29 passes without an interception — and ran for another as Kamehameha Maui routed Kaiser 48-24 in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II state tournament semifinals Wednesday night at Farrington High School’s Skippa Diaz Stadium.

Kamehameha-Maui (5-2) was making its first state tournament appearance since 2005 and dealt second-seeded Kaiser (9-1) its first loss of the season.

The third-seeded Warriors will play No. 1 Kapaa in the final Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. at Farrington. Kapaa blanked Hawaii Prep 51-0 in the earlier semifinal.

“We respect them,” Kamehameha Maui coach Ulima Afoa said. “We’re fortunate to come out with a win and we’re looking forward to next week.

The Warriors’ Kahoa Abreu (center) is congratulated by Kale Spencer (right) and Po‘okela Aiu after Abreu scored a touchdown in the second quarter Wednesday.

“I think they worked hard for it, the opportunity came and our kids bought into the fact that, hey, they can get it done,” he added.

For the first time ever, the Maui Interscholastic League has two teams in state football finals in the same year. Lahainaluna will play for the Division I title today against Iolani at Farrington at 3 p.m.

Afoa said the Warriors were not overwhelmed by the situation.

“They are not enamored by their competition, sometimes you can get enamored because you’re an outer island team,” he said. “But our kids bought into the fact that, ‘hey, we’re going to be good.’ You know what I’m saying? So let’s just go out there and show people that we can actually play.”

After punting on their first two possessions, the Warriors took a 7-0 lead with 27 seconds left in the first quarter when Kamaka-Brayce hit Po’okela Aiu over the middle for a 7-yard touchdown pass. The big play on the drive was a 48-yard Kamaka-Brayce pass to Kahoa Abreu that took the ball to the Kaiser 9-yard line.

Kamehameha Maui’s Kamalei Cua wraps up Kaiser’s Ryder Rodrigues in the first half Wednesday.

The Warriors outgained the Cougars 131 yards to 20 in the first quarter.

Kamehameha Maui pushed the lead to 14-0 when they went 64 yards on five plays, capping the drive when Kamaka-Brayce hit Abreu with an 8-yard touchdown pass.

McKay Pali started the drive with a 23-yard run and Kamaka-Brayce found Aiu on a 29-yard pass to the Kaiser 13. Kamaka-Brayce hit Abreu for the score two plays later.

The Warriors started to blow it open when Pail scampered into the end zone from 1 yard out when guard Mayson Logotala delivered a devastating block to spring Pali. The score capped an eight-play, 67-yard drive that took 3:36 off the clock.

The big plays were a 27-yard catch by Abreu that took the ball to the Kaiser 27, a 10-yard scamper by Pali followed by a 17-yard Pali rumble to the Cougars’ 5.

Warriors quarterback Makana Kamaka-Brayce prepares to pass.

Kaiser got on the scoreboard with 11 seconds to go in the first half when Shane Smith hit a 27-yard field goal.

The Warriors rolled up 260 yards of total offense in the first half — Kamaka-Brayce was 9-for-16 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns, while Pali rushed for 82 yards and a score in the first half. Pali finished with 23 carries for 121 yards on the ground.

Kamehameha Maui finished with 502 yards of offense, while Kaiser had 428, but much of that came in the fourth quarter when the outcome was decided.

“I feel like our offense is very explosive,” Kamaka-Brayce said.

The Warriors mixed up their defense throughout the first half. They occasionally rushed two defenders and also brought blitzes. On one play, Kamehameha Maui dropped all 11 players into coverage.

Kamehameha Maui wide receiver Po‘okela Aiu comes down with a touchdown catch in the first quarter.

Defensive lineman Kale Spencer had three tackles for loss for 16 yards and forced a fumble as Kamehameha Maui’s defense limited the Cougars to 81 total yards in the first half. Spencer finished with eight tackles, four for loss, and a game-clinching interception return for a touchdown in the second half.

After punting to begin the second half, the Warriors turned away the Cougars on their first possession when freshman Ka’onohi Casco intercepted Cougars quarterback Easton Yoshino in the end zone.

The Warriors then delivered a gut punch with the ensuing drive that pushed the lead to 27-3 when Ho’ohenomauloa Stone-Han caught a 13-yard TD pass from Kamaka-Brayce with 4:42 left in the third quarter.

The five-play drive covered 80 yards — the big plays were a Pali rush for 25 yards followed immediately by a 33-yard strike from Kamaka-Brayce to Aiu to the Kaiser 13. Stone-Han scored on the next play.

The Warriors erased any doubt on the next possession when Spencer grabbed a tipped Yoshino pass and rumbled 52 yards to the end zone. The pick-6 made it 34-3 with 4:01 left in the third quarter.

On their next possession, Kamaka-Brayce hit Stone for a 64-yard touchdown pass to increase the lead to 41-3 with 55 seconds left in the third, turning on the ­35-point mercy-rule running clock.

The Cougars quickly turned off the running clock with a pair of quick-strike long passes — the first was an 81-yard hookup caught by Justin Kanekoa from Yoshino with 11:06 left to play.

Four minutes later, Kamakana Mahiko hauled in a 72-yard scoring pass from Yoshino to cut the deficit to 41-17.

Kamaka-Brayce capped the evening’s scoring for Kamehameha when he dove into the end zone from 1 yard out with 5:18 to go to make it 48-17.

The Cougars added the final touchdown when Mahiko caught a 5-yard pass from Yoshino with 2:19 to play.

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

Kamehameha Maui 7 14 20 7–48

Kaiser 0 3 0 21–24

First Quarter

KSM–Po’okela Aiu 7 pass from Makana Kamaka-Brayce (Trenton Kiesel kick), 0:27.

Second Quarter

KSM–Kahoa Abreu 8 pass from Kamaka-Brayce (Kiesel kick), 8:39.

KSM–Pali 1 run (Kiesel kick), 3:51.

KAIS–FG Shane Smith 27, 0:11.

Third Quarter

KSM–Ho’ohenomauloa Stone-Han 13 pass from Kamaka-Brayce (kick blocked), 4:42.

KSM–Kale Spencer 52 interception return (Kiesel kick), 4:01.

KSM–Stone-Han 64 pass from Kamaka-Brayce (Kiesel kick), 0:55.

Fourth Quarter

KAIS–Justin Kanekoa 81 pass Easton Yoshino (Smith kick), 11:06.

KAIS–Kamakana Mahiko 72 pass from Yoshino (Smith kick), 7:19.

KSM–Kamaka-Brayce 1 run (Kiesel kick), 5:18.

KAIS–Mahiko 5 pass from Yoshino (Ian Shearer kick), 2:19.

KSM KAIS

First downs 18 15

Rushes-yards 32-133 23-115

Passing yards 369 313

Total offense 502 428

Return yards 3-52 7-74

Comp-Att-Int 29-20-0 35-14-2

Fumbles-lost 1-0 2-0

Penalties-yards 2-15 4-25

Punts-avg 3-35.7 6-40.2

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Kamehameha Maui, Pali 23-121, Duke Brown 4-15, Stone-Han 1-1; team 1-(minus 2); Kamaka-Brayce 3-(minus 2). Kaiser, Hopoate Aholelei 10-51, Ryder Rodrigues 5-28, Kaneoka 1-25, Yoshino 3-18, Kai Blackston 4-(minus 7).

PASSING–Kamehameha Maui, Kamaka-Brayce 20-29-0–369. Kaiser, Yoshino 14-35-2–313.

RECEIVING–Kamehameha Maui, Aiu 8-127, Abreu 6-109, Stone-Han 4-98, Kainoa Carpenter 1-32, Pali 1-3. Kaiser, Mahiko 9-167, Kaneoka 2-93; Blackston 2-29; Taye Debina 1-24.

*****

First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships

All games at Farrington

DIVISION II

Wednesday’s Results • Semifinals

No. 1 Kapaa 51, No. 4 Hawaii Prep 0

No. 3 Kamehameha Maui 48, No. 2 Kaiser 24

Thursday, Dec. 30 • Championship

No. 1 Kapaa vs. No. 3 Kamehameha Maui, 7 p.m.

DIVISION I

Today’s Game • Championship

No. 1 Lahainaluna vs. No. 2 Iolani, 3 p.m.

OPEN DIVISION

Today’s Game • Championship

No. 1 Kahuku vs. No. 2 Saint Louis, 7 p.m.

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