OIA Football
Kaiser bounces back with senior night win over Waialua


Michael Lasquero | ScoringLive
October 7, 2023, 2:23am

  


Fri, Oct 6, 2023 @ Kaiser [ 7:00 pm ]

Waialua

12

Kaiser

21

Final 1 2 3 4 T
Waialua (3-6-0) 6 0 0 612
Kaiser (5-4-0) 0 14 7 021
Sean Connell 140 yd 1 TD
Emery Abilla 264 yd 1 TD
Sean Connell 50 yd 1 TD
Makoakai Fierro 17 yd 1 TD
Keagan Lime 128 yd 1 TD
Germaine Bagasol 105 yd 1 TD

HAWAII KAI — It wasn't the start that they wanted — and it wasn't the finish that they wanted, but the Kaiser Cougars will take wins however they may come in 2023.

Keagan Lime caught nine passes for 128 yards and a touchdown and the defense tallied seven sacks as Kaiser bested Waialua on senior night, 21-12, at the Ted Fukushima Athletic Complex Friday.

The Cougars bounced back from a homecoming loss to Kaimuki one week ago to improve to 4-3 overall and 4-2 in league play as they pulled into second place in the OIA Division II standings.

It was the fifth Kaiser game this year that was decided by nine or fewer points.

"We've been struggling for wins all year, and that's basically what it was," said Kaiser coach Tim Seaman. "It was one of those grind out games. We're fortunate to get out of here with the win. We need to keep working hard and we need to get better."

The Cougars trailed 6-0 after the first quarter after the Bulldogs dominated the time of possession. Waialua also outgained Kaiser in the opening period, 123 to 1. Kaiser's offense turned it around in the second quarter however as they took a 14-6 lead at the break with both teams having churned out 145 yards of total offense through the first half.

"Our offense is always something that's got to get rolling," said Lime. "We just had to find our rhythm and we did that after the first quarter for sure."

Junior quarterback Sean Connell played a role in the second quarter turnaround with a rushing and passing score in period. He was effective in his designed QB runs and finished with 50 yards on the ground and completed 12 of 19 passes for 140 yards through the air without an interception.

Kaiser junior QB Sean Connell drops back to pass in the third quarter against Waialua. Michael Lasquero | SL    Purchase image

"He's constantly improving, constantly getting better," Lime said of Connell. "He's still young so he's got a lot to improve on but he's getting better and better. There's a lot to come from this kid for sure."

Lime was on the receiving end of Connell's TD pass with just 53.6 seconds remaining before the break. After getting stopped on third down, the Cougars lined up for a field goal try by Lime from 29 yards out — but a lineman was late to get on the field before the play and Kaiser had to call timeout.

When the Cougars broke the huddle, they instead came out in a shotgun set with Lime as the leftmost wideout. The senior receiver then ran a fade route before hauling in a 12-yard scoring pass from Connell on fourth down.

"That was definitely a huge trust moment between coach Seaman and I," said Lime. "He had asked me if I was good to make the kick and I suggested that we go for it because I knew we had what it took. He doesn't usually agree to suggestions to that but he trusted Sean and I. Coach sent back out the (offense) and we knew it was go time."

Lime nearly scored on a long pass play on the Cougars' opening possession of the third quarter, but he was ruled out of bounds at the 1-yard line. Jayvien Smith would punch it in a few plays later to give Kaiser a 21-6 lead with 10:01 showing on the third quarter game clock.

The Kaiser defense penetrated the Waialua backfield for most of the night and stiffened up in the red zone when the Bulldogs drove down the field. A shining moment of the unit was when the defense forced a turnover on downs after Waialua recovered a fumble at the Kaiser 13-yard line. The Cougars also forced two field goal tries, with both attempts coming up empty.

Teahi Fukumitsu (3) had three sacks and added two more TFLs in Kaiser's 21-12 win over Waialua Friday night. Michael Lasquero | SL    Purchase image

"We expect a lot of our defensive front and our whole defense," said Seaman. "They've been getting better as we've been going through the season. They're still room to grow. When you get to this time of season, your defense is always something you want to hang your hat on."

Senior edge rusher Teahi Fukumitsu and freshman Apolosi Toetuu-Kelekolio each had three sacks to lead the Cougars defensively. Fukumitsu also had two more tackles for loss with Kaiser registering 12 total tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Kaiser also won the battle on special teams against Waialua. Jadsen Dias partially blocked a field goal try on Waialua's opening possession while the snap and hold was good on all three of Lime's PATs. Meanwhile a pair of bad snaps on two Waialua kicks resulted in missed opportunities at the end of the first half and on the PAT after the Bulldogs scored their second TD. The Bulldogs also muffed a punt by Dias that extended a Kaiser drive in the fourth quarter.

"Special teams is something that we spend a lot of time on," said Seaman. "We put a lot of time into it and again, when you get into playoff season…it's very cliche, three phases of the game, but it is so critical in terms of field position and possessions."

Waialua scored the game's opening TD on its second possession when Germaine Bagasol caught a 24-yard scoring strike from Every Abilla down the right sideline. The Bulldogs would not find the end zone until the fourth quarter when a number of penalties extended a possession that ultimately ended in a 6-yard TD run by Makoakai Fierro with 8:50 remaining in regulation.

Kaiser will wrap up regular season play against Kalaheo at home next Saturday while Waialua travels to Roosevelt on Friday.


Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].




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