By Wes Nakama
WAIPAHU — Coming off a productive bye week, Waipahu bounced back from its loss to Campbell two weeks ago to make quick work of visiting Kaiser, 69-7, in the OIA Division I opener for both teams Friday night at Masa Yonamine Stadium.
The Marauders (2-1 overall) took advantage of three interceptions and scored on their first five possessions to jump out to a stunning 35-0 lead after David Vidinha’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Lyric Anuenue and Maddox Stewart’s extra point with 50.4 seconds still remaining in the first quarter.
Kaiser (1-2) then marched 54 yards in 14 plays after the ensuing kickoff, but lost the ball on downs at the Waipahu 15, and one play later, speedy running back Tristan Pacheco dashed through a big hole on the right side of the line, bounced toward the sideline and then sprinted past several defenders to the end zone for an electrifying 85-yard scoring run. Stewart’s PAT made it 42-0 with 9:20 still to go in the second quarter.
The Cougars finally got on the scoreboard after a 10-play, 70-yard drive capped by Koa Reis’ 8-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Hamasaki. Kai’ea McKillop’s point-after closed it to 42-7 with just 36 seconds before halftime, but the Marauders were not finished.
After an incomplete pass following the ensuing kickoff, Vidinha connected with Anuenue again and Anuenue found a seam toward the middle of the field where he outraced several Kaiser defenders to paydirt for a game-clinching TD with 19 seconds before intermission. The second half was played under a running clock.
Waipahu coach Bryson Carvalho said the team’s quick and healthy response after the 21-6 loss to Campbell on Aug. 15 was an indication that the Marauders would be ready for Kaiser.
“We kind of made conditioning a priority and kind of stepped on the gas in that regard,” said Carvalho, who is in his 11th season at the Waipahu helm. “They really responded well to it — I thought it was probably the most productive bye week we’ve had. (Usually) during a bye week, the kids are like, ‘I’m gonna rest up today.’ But we didn’t have any of that. They were hungry, they wanted to make sure they took care of what they needed to do. We got back to the drawing board, that’s really what we did.
“And then this week, we just really put our focus on Kaiser. We were locked in and laser-focused.”
After forcing a three-and-out on the Cougars’ opening possession, a 21-yard punt gave the Marauders the ball at their own 44. On their first play from scrimmage, Vidinha threw a short sideline pass to Jayvren Pinera, who sprinted upfield and found open grass until finally being tackled at the Kaiser 10. One play later, Pacheco took a handoff and just beat the Cougars defense in a race to the left pylon. The two-point conversion pass failed, but Waipahu had a quick 6-0 lead just two-and-a-half minutes into the game.
Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, the Marauders made an interception and converted immediately with Vidinha’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Titan Figueroa, and Stewart’s extra point made it 13-0.
Kaiser reached midfield on its next series, but was forced to punt. The Marauders then marched 80 yards in just eight plays, culminating in Pacheco’s three-yard run to paydirt. Figuera’s two-point conversion pass to Wyatt O’Neill extended the lead to 21-0 with 4:32 still remaining in the first quarter.
The Cougars’ offensive woes continued after the kickoff, with two penalties and then another interception, giving Waipahu the ball on the Kaiser 34. Six plays later, Pacheco ran it in from two yards out on fourth-and-goal, and Stewart’s PAT made it 28-0.
“This was Week 1 (of the regular season) for us, so we wanted to make sure we did what we wanted to do,” Carvalho said.
Photos: Gavin Yasunari
Mahalo to our sponsors — their support makes it possible for ESPN Honolulu to capture and share the pride, passion, and unforgettable moments of Hawai‘i’s high school sports.
