Rams shut out Surfriders for first win

Radford running back Danneh Alpha (center) closed out the game with his second rushing touchdown with under a minute remaining in the final quarter. Spencer Honda | SL

ALIAMANU — The last time Radford found itself victorious on the field at the end of a game was when it hoisted the HHSAA Division II State Championship trophy in Nov. 2015.

Nearly three years later, the Rams and third-year coach Lon Passos have finally found themselves on the winning side of the score as they shutout visiting Kailua, 19-0, Friday night in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I contest at John. E Velasco Stadium.

"Relief. Relief," Passo said of getting the first win of the season, which also marked as the first earned victory of his tenure as head coach since taking over in 2016 — the Rams recorded a win last season but it was via forfeit from Kaiser.

Danneh Alpha rushed for two scores and Taias Savea added another to back an all-around clutch outing by the Rams defense.

Alpha's first touchdown came on an eight-yard plunge at the 8:27 mark of the second quarter that capped a 15-play, 98-yard drive aided by six Kailua penalties.

Kailua marched its way into the Radford red zone three times but came away with zero points at the end of each trip.

The first came in response to Radford's first score as Kailua's Shayden Baker returned the ensuing kickoff to the Rams 32 yard line. Later facing fourth and goal on the 11, quarterback Raynen Ho-Mook rolled left and hit Kamryn Kahoonei on a crossing route but he was pushed out of bounds just shy of the goal line for a turnover on downs.

The Surfriders forced a three-and-out and started their next possession at the Radford 30. Facing fourth and 19 on the final play of the first half, Rams defensive end Menise Pase applied pressure and forced Ho-Mook to take off before being pushed out at the 15 yard line to end the second quarter.

On Kailua's first possession of the second half, they got the ball back deep in Radford territory and on fourth and nine, Ho-Mook threaded the needle to Solomon Farley in the end zone but the pass fell incomplete.

"The key this game, we kept telling them, 'Stay within themselves. Control what you can control. Play our game,'" Passos said. "Going back to fundamentals, going back to basics. If we can't do the basics, we can't do anything else."

Reach Spencer Honda at [email protected].