The similarities between Iolani’s Jordan Ross and Mililani’s Vavae Malepeai are evident. Both are sophomore running backs, soft-spoken in nature, but through three games this season, their performances on the field have certainly made some noise.

Both teams have had to overcome the loss of a prolific quarterback to graduation (Iolani’s Reece Foy and Mililani’s Jarin Morikawa), but the Raiders and Trojans are both off to a 2-1 start in 2013 with their young running backs playing a big role in their early success.

Ross, who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 164 pounds, already has two 100-yard rushing games under his belt, including a 206-yard, four-touchdown game Saturday against Kamehameha-Hawaii. The speedster averaged 25.8 yards per carry and scored on runs of 22, 32, 46 and 84 yards to lead the Raiders. Ross now ranks second in D2 with 379 yards, 19 behind Kalaheo’s Makena Johnston.

Meanwhile, Malepeai ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns to lead Mililani to a 35-0 win over Kapolei Friday. The 6-foot, 190-pound transfer from Saint Louis, scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and a 4-yarder, averaging 8.5 yards per carry. Against top-ranked Punahou on Aug. 15, Malepeai carried 24 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He is second in D1 with 370 yards, 24 behind Kamehameha’s Brandon Kahookele.

Ross and Malepeai are tied for the state lead in rushing touchdowns with seven apiece.

 

Bee, Hernandez-Fonoti OK after scary injuries

The battle of attrition is on.

Several injuries of the more serious nature halted several games this weekend. Castle slotback/defensive back Makana Bee went unconscious on live television for about a minute Friday night when he took a jarring hit from a Kailua defender on a rush attempt.

Bee, a 5-foot-8, 145-pound senior, took a handoff on a fly sweep, tried to turn the left corner, but was ankle tackled from behind before receiving a hard hit to his right shoulder/neck area from an oncoming defender. A 15-yard penalty, for leading with the helmet, was assessed against the Surfriders.

During the OC16 broadcast, Bee was shown able to move his legs and arms. He eventually sat up and was moving his head on his own power. The game was stopped for about 20 minutes while athletic trainers tended to Bee while awaiting an ambulance.

During the delay, both teams took a knee on their respective sidelines while looking on in concern. Kailua players eventually joined Castle players in prayer while Bee was being carted into the ambulance.

Castle coach Nelson Maeda confirmed that Bee sustained a concussion, but is back at home resting.

"There was some concern about a possible neck injury because he did black out for a little bit and he has had concussions before, but health-wise he's OK," Maeda said.

Bee posted this status update to his Facebook page Sunday:

“Thank you to everyone for all your love and support ! I feel good and will be back soon. Congrats to my boys for finishing strong and (tried their) best. Proud of you guys!”

Aiea wide receiver Shaenan Hernandez-Fonoti left Saturday’s game in the fourth quarter with a neck injury. He also was taken by ambulance as a precaution, but did give a thumbs-up to fans and teammates while on the gurney. Hernandez-Fonoti was in school Monday and attended his classes. His status for Friday’s game against Campbell, however, is still up in the air.

Several other players were injured in weekend games, including Kamehameha safety Jayven Sablay and Kealakehe quarterback Kaimi Wilson. The Warriors are already without Kaulana Apelu, their leading rusher from last season. Apelu suffered a torn ACL against Castle two weeks ago.

 

Saint Francis records historic first varsity win

Two weeks after a “humbling” 51-0 loss to Maui in its first-ever varsity football game, Saint Francis made history again Saturday. The Saints beat Drumheller (Victoria, Canada) by a score of 42-14 at Waipahu’s Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex for their first varsity win.

“The win was a good confidence builder for our guys,” Saint Francis coach Mike Ulufale said. “They’re believing now and that’s what I wanted to see as a coach.”

Ulufale said the shutout loss on the Valley Isle was an eye-opening experience for his young squad.

“I know the boys were really disappointed on Maui. We wanted to come out with a good showing and obviously we came out being humbled real fast,” Ulufale said. “The last two weeks of practice were intense. The boys were hungry and they wanted to prove that they’re a better team than what we showed on Maui.”

Quarterback Ranan Mamiya rushed for a pair of touchdowns and added a score on a 60-yard punt return in the win. However, Ulufale said the team quickly turned its attention to its Interscholastic League of Honolulu debut Friday at six-time Division II state champ Iolani.

“A lot of our returning seniors, they understand what it is like losing close games to Iolani last year having played with Pac-Five and they’re taking the initiative of leading the team this week,” Ulufale said. “We understand that you can’t win or lose the D2 title in the first game of the season, but we need to make a good statement in this game. Win or lose."

Kickoff between the Saints and Raiders is set for 3:15 p.m. at Kozuki Stadium.

 

Other news and notes from the weekend

-Baldwin beat Maui, 33-13, in the MIL opener for both teams Friday at War Memorial Stadium. It was the 25th consecutive time the Bears beats the Sabers, dating back to the 2000 season.

-Radford improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the OIA White with its 43-14 win at Nanakuli Friday. The Rams have outscored its opponents 157 to 29 and host Kaiser Friday in a key conference game.

-With its 40-14 win Friday, Kahuku beat Kaimuki for the 16th straight time, dating back to the 1988 season.