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Male Athlete of the Week: Andrew Kaufusi, Kaiser football
Whether it's on offense or defense, you can typically find Andrew Kaufusi somewhere near the football.

The Kaiser senior scored three touchdowns Friday night to help his team to a much-needed 34-7 win over Radford at John Velasco Stadium..

Kaufusi, who stands 6 feet 1 and weights 210 pounds, caught a 65-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, ran in another score from 16 yards out in the second and added an 89-yard interception return in the third.

It was the Cougars' first regular-season win and snapped a two-game losing streak.

"Our momentum was down going into this game, so it was a boost of morale for us, especially with the numbers that we have," Kaufusi said. "People look at us as a team that doesn't have a hope in Division I, but that win changed the momentum for us."

Kaiser, which is in its first season under Arnold Martinez, started out the season with a roster of just 31 players and played its first two games without a number of key players.

"I think Friday's win definitely helped build some confidence that even with some low numbers, our guys can go out there and compete and I think it shows great toughness in our kids and great resilience that they can overcome the challenges of not having a lot of depth," Martinez said.

Kaufusi's first touchdown came as a result of a trick play of sorts. Quarterback Kainoa Torres threw a backward pass to Lincoln Lima, who then chucked it to a wide-open Kaufusi for the 65-yard touchdown just 20 seconds into the game.

"That play was unexpected for me, too," said Kaufusi, who finished with three receptions for 113 yards. "We had just installed that play the week of. The whole defense thought it was a bubble (screen), but nobody noticed that I was running down the field and (Lima) just bombed the pass to me."

In the final minute of the first half, Kaufusi fought off a number of defenders and muscled his way across the goal line for a 16-yard touchdown run.

After a 41-yard pick-6 by Kaiser's Micah Mashima just 67 seconds into the second half, Radford got on the board with Jonah Soakai's 83-yard return to the house on the ensuing kickoff to make the score 20-7.

However, Kaufusi was back at it just a few minutes later. The Rams were in the red zone, but Kaufusi, from his middle linebacker position, dropped into coverage and read a pass from Radford quarterback Randy Wright perfectly. He intercepted the pass and went 89 yards the other way for his final score.

"We were in a cover 4, so my job was to cover any inside routes from the number three receiver," Kaufusi explained. "I was just waiting in the center, trying to bait the quarterback to throw it to my guy and when it came out, I just bursted to where the receiver was going and I just saw open green and I just ran for it."

The Cougars then their notched a third pick-6 of the quarter with Keoni Pangan's 100-yard return that closed out the scoring.

"It was just one of those games that a lot of opportunities came on the defensive side and I give our guys credit, with Keoni Andrew and Micah stepping up and making some huge plays," Martinez said. "They went through their alignment, assignment and did what they were supposed to do according to the play call and then after that it's up to the kids to go above and beyond to make that spectacular play by taking it to the house and scoring on defense and those three all did that."

Kaufusi also recorded a sack of Wright for an 8-yard loss early on that eventually led to a Radford punt. In the second quarter, the Rams got to the Kaiser 16-yard line, but Kaufusi broke up a pass in the end zone that caused a turnover on downs just 11 seconds before halftime.

Despite playing numerous other positions — including running back, quarterback, receiver and punt returner — Kaufusi said its at linebacker where he enjoys his time the most.

"That's actually my favorite position, but I just enjoy playing anywhere on defense because of the amount of intensity and how focused we have to be within each defensive play is what I really like about playing on that side of the ball," he said.

The third-year varsity member is a three-sport athlete at Kaiser. He plays the center back and forward positions during the soccer season in the winter and runs the 100- and 200-meter dash, as well as the 4x100-meter relay for the track and field team in the spring. Whatsmore, he serves as student body president and is a member of the school's International Baccalaureate program, which translates to a full slate of Advanced Placement courses.

Kaufusi and the Cougars (2-2 overall, 1-2 OIA D1 Blue) return to the gridiron when they visit fourth-ranked Waianae Friday night.

ScoringLive reporter Brandon Ching contributed to this report.