HANAPEPE — Aukai Emayo piled up 230 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday to lead Waimea High School to a 48-7 win over Kaiser High School during the first round of the 2022 First Hawaiian Bank Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division II state championships.
Playing before an audience that only dented the Waimea-style food menu and baking in the Hanapepe Stadium heat, the Menehune, seeded No. 3 in the DII bracket, limited the Cougars to a single touchdown while piling up 48 points to advance to the semifinals and face No. 2 seeded Honoka‘a High School on Saturday on Hawai‘i Island.
Starting with its first touchdown, a 9-yard run by Kaili Arakaki to cap a 48-yard opening drive, Waimea outplayed the Cougars with more than 400 yards of offense, including just a dozen yards from one of two passes.
Kaiser was held to 250 yards behind the passing of Easton Yoshino, who completed 22 tosses on 39 attempts and had two plucks, and 25 yards on the ground by Kai Blackston. Yoshino passed to Donovan Reis, who pulled in 101 yards and the Cougars’ sole score, a 3-yard scoring pass, in the second quarter.
Holding a 7-0 bulge at the end of the first quarter, Waimea churned up two scores in the second quarter. Kenny Okeigar opened the frame with a punt return from midfield to the end zone, only to have the score called back on a blindside block infraction.
Emayo redeemed the penalty on a second effort by tapping pay dirt on a 3-yard run at the 9:00 mark.
Aweo Ka‘eo, finishing the contest with six point after touchdown boots, made the score to 14-0 before Kaiser answered with its sole score at 7:28 remaining in the half.
Arakaki picked up his second touchdown, a 3-yard rush, with 3:40 showing before the break.
Arakaki was the second leading ball carrier for Waimea with his two touchdowns and 44 rushing yards on just four carries.
Robbie Correa, pulling in a touchdown in the third quarter where the Menehune scored three times, finished with 46 yards on six carries, including his 3-yard score.
Okeigar opened the third quarter with a 58-yard return of a pass interception.
Defensively, Mykah Brun led the Menehune with five tackles, followed by Kameron Apilado dropping four Cougars along with Arakaki. Rhaziah Tacub-Taniguchi had three tackles and a quarterback sack, and Josiah Banasihan finished with three tackles.
With the win, Waimea advances to face No. 2 Honoka‘a in a 7 p.m. contest on Saturday at the Honoka‘a field on Hawai‘i Island.
w Info: sportshigh.com, scoringlive.com
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
