Kalili, Golden Hawks ride strong start to down visiting Cougars

Nanakuli WR David Kalili finds some running room after catching a pass against Kaiser Saturday night. CJ Caraang | SL

Like a well-oiled machine, the Nanakuli football team was firing on all cylinders against visiting Kaiser Saturday night.

The Golden Hawks scored on their first three possessions and got 229 receiving yards and two touchdowns from senior receiver David Kalili in a key 33-14 OIA Division II win over the Cougars, the reigning league champions.

Nanakuli (2-1 overall, 2-0 league) also avenged a 38-32 home loss last year in a game that came down to the last play of regulation.

"This week we worked really hard. It was a great team win, especially since we lost to them by six points last year," said Kalili, who caught TD passes from 89 and 60 yards out.

"We really wanted… not so much redemption because once we lose we can't take it back, but we just wanted to come out here and show Nanakuli what Nanakuli football really is."

Kalili attributes the early 21-0 lead and fast start to a new game day routine that coach Kili Watson implemented this season.

"He started a new thing where we have practice in the morning before our (Saturday) games at 8 a.m., just to have the extra reps and extra timing down and I think that definitely helped us in our win today," said Kalili.

The 5-foot-8, 150-pound receiver was the leading weapon offensively, but it wouldn't have been possible without a concerted effort to establish a running game on the Golden Hawks' opening drive, which took nearly six minutes off the first quarter game clock.

Christian Asinsin's 1-yard surge provided the game's opening points and capped a 10-play drive that had just one pass attempt by Nanakuli quarterback Hansen Salausa-Kaawa.

Asinsin also provided the Golden Hawks' second TD of the night as he finished with 14 carries for 45 yards and two scores. Nathan Pele-Tukumoeatu, the second back in the stable, provided the power with his 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame and churned out 113 yards on just 10 carries.

"Nanakuli traditionally has always been a power running team and we want to keep that identity, we want to establish the run," said coach Watson.

Kalili's first TD of the night came on an 89-yard catch-and-run thanks to a nice play design with 9:45 remaining in the first half. Pele-Tukumoeatu went into motion before the snap on a potential swing pass, which drew the attention of a Kaiser linebacker. From the slot, Kalili then snuck behind the defender to take a short throw from Salausa-Kaawa before breaking towards the left sideline en route to the end zone.

"DK is just such a special player," Watson said of Kalili. "Very high football IQ, able to pick apart defenses and makes the job easy for the quarterback to throw to."

Kaiser managed to score just before the end of the first half and after the second half kickoff, but Kalili and the Golden Hawks were able to respond with two scores of their own to make the final score a three-score game.

Kalili made a finger tip snag in stride for a 60-yard TD down the right sideline after the Cougars scored to make it 21-14 and Salausa-Kaawa scored on a 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

"Me and David, we've been playing football since eighth grade," Salausa-Kaawa said of his relationship with Kalili. "The chemistry is just there and he will for sure catch it and I trust him. That's how it is."

The Golden Hawks defense also did a stellar job in containing four-year varsity quarterback Easton Yoshino, who completed just 17 of his 38 passes for 257 yards. The Cougars also hurt themselves with a handful of bad snaps and three dropped passes in the end zone.

Kaiser will try to rebound on the road next Friday against Waialua while Nanakuli travels to Kaiser Stadium next Saturday to take on Kalani.

"Kaiser is a well-coached team, it's a great test," said Watson. "It's still early though and I want to make sure we stay humble and we stay disciplined and we continue to push through the season one game at a time."

Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].