KEALAKEKUA — After losing its first conference game since 2019, No. 14 Konawaena football entered Friday night’s crosstown matchup against Kealakehe looking to make a statement.

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KEALAKEKUA — After losing its first conference game since 2019, No. 14 Konawaena football entered Friday night’s crosstown matchup against Kealakehe looking to make a statement.

In front of the Wildcat faithful, the green and white put on a show at Julian R. Yates Field, routing the visiting Waveriders in a 63-0 shutout to get back in the win column.

While head coach Brad Uemoto liked how the boys responded to their loss against Kamehameha-Hawaii, he still thinks there’s a lot of room for improvement — starting with limiting personal fouls.

“We told them after the game, how we move forward is what’s going to define us,” he said postgame. “We came out tonight and took care of business, but we still made some mistakes that we have to get better at.

“When we play stronger teams, it could come back to bite us. But I think coaching-wise, we made some good adjustments in this game.”

The star of the show for Kona (2-1 overall, 1-1 BIIF) was freshman swiss-army knife Kailewa Silva-Kealoha. who made swing plays all over the field from the opening kick. He returned Kealakehe’s opening kick for a 77-yard touchdown, caught a touchdown reception, intercepted ‘Riders quarterback Deeton Padillio twice and rushed for another touchdown after taking over quarterback duties for Keenan Alani in the fourth quarter.

“He’s a special kid,” Uemoto said of the young star. “He was always that type of athlete in Pop Warner, and we’re going to continue to use him in different roles. He can play defense, be a specialist, a good receiver and can play as our wildcat quarterback.

“We’re going to have him continue to play these roles and utilize his ability, and seeing him grow in these next three years is going to be awesome.”

Alani did an excellent job of spreading the ball out to his deep receiver core throughout the contest, throwing touchdowns to Silva-Kealoha, Ka‘el Johnson, LaMichael Bronson, Nazara Punihaole and Justice Charity for five scores. The senior reached 227 yards on 15 completions.

The Wildcats running back room was also punishing Kealakehe on the ground, as Kainalu Alves and Tainoa Galletes rushed for powerful runs to reach the end zone.

On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats defensive line punished Kealakehe’s young front, forcing Padillio to make decisions almost instantly. Three-star edge Zane Fujihara-Fa‘avesi led the charge up front, constantly getting to the quarterback at will — recording 1.5 sacks.

“They played well as a unit,” Uemoto said of the defensive front. “When our ends close in, then our guys up the middle are good, too.”

Bronson was also a playmaker on defense, intercepting two Kealakehe passes of his own.

Kona will next set its sights on Kea‘au, slated to host the Cougars in its homecoming game on Friday night. The game will be set as a rematch of last season’s BIIF Division-I championship.

To keep the wins rolling, Uemoto said that the Wildcats must approach practice like they did in preparation for Kealakehe — and perhaps even exceed that.

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“The message to these guys is getting better than the last week. I think right now our model is the standard, and regardless of who our opponent is, our biggest opponent is ourselves. We got to continue to compete against the standard and continue to get better.”

Kealakehe (0-3) will take this week off before returning to the gridiron against Waiakea on Sept. 26 in Hilo.

The Wildcats and ‘Riders’ junior varsity programs also battled prior to the varsity game, with Kona winning 61-19.

Kamehameha Warriors win big on road

After a big win over state-ranked Konawaena last week, No. 16 Kamehameha-Hawaii continued its impressive recent stretch with a big win over fellow east-side opponent Waiakea, winning in a 50-12 rout on the road Saturday in Hilo.

The winning Warriors were in control for the entire contest, as sophomore quarterback Kahekili Makekua passed for four touchdowns. With the game practically sealed, second stringer Kekahi Coloma came into the fold — throwing for two touchdowns on just three attempts.

Senior Chaseton Wong was the top weapon of the night, catching eight receptions for 168 yards and two scores. Junior teammate Saulo-Elijah-Laeli followed suit with 87 yards and two receptions — both for touchdowns. Teammate Iokua Toci-Ho‘okano caught a 70-yard touchdown reception, while Beau Fontes hauled in a 60-yard score.

Star running back Dallas Enriquez was steady as usual, as the junior rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Kamehameha moved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play — averaging nearly 36 points per game. The Warriors will next be tasked with Hilo High, set to play the Vikings on Friday night at Wong Stadium.

Waiakea fell to .500 after winning its first two games of the season. The team will try to get back on track against Honoka‘a on Saturday.

Cougars fall on Oahu

Kea‘au made the weekend trek to Oahu, taking on non-conference opponent Iolani.

However, the Cougars were out-matched in all facets of the game to the Raiders, falling 63-6. Iolani scored 56 points over the first two quarters, which was too much for Kea‘au to overcome.

Cougars quarterback Cashez Kenui completed 13 of his 18 attempts for 127 yards, one touchdown to Landyn Leonard and one interception. Leonard hauled in six passes for 85 yards. Running back AJ Stone ran for 52 yards on 10 attempts.

Iolani was heralded by quarterback Nixon Long, who completed nine of his 10 attempts for 216 yards and five touchdowns. Backups Halelu Lima and Adrian Perkins also threw for a touchdown each after Long sat.

Raider receiver Ayden Teranishi caught three touchdowns, while teammates Reyn Minami, Noah Furukawa, Karim Boursiquot and Jadon Anzai each hauled in one.

Anzai was also a force in the backfield, rushing for 209 yards and another score.

The Cougars, now 0-3 overall, will try to regroup against Kona this weekend. Iolani will next face Damien on Sept. 25.

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