Football
Hilo looking for breakthrough win against Campbell Friday




The Hilo High football team is not interested in a history lesson.

In the 14-year history of the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I State Football Championships, no team from the Big Island has won a game. Ever.

The Big Island Interscholastic Federation-champion Vikings, have a chance to change that this week. Hilo (10-1) will take the field against Oahu Interscholastic Association Red third-place team, Campbell (8-3), in an opening-round game at 7 p.m. Friday at Keaau Stadium.

Hilo has reeled off nine consecutive wins since a 38-24 non-league loss to Konawaena in week 2. The Vikings have been led by a stingy defense that allows less than two touchdowns, while the offense averages nearly 30 points per game.

It will be the first state-tournament appearance since 2003 for Hilo and first under second-year coach David Baldwin, who previously led Kamehameha-Hawaii to a league Division II championship and state-tournament appearance in 2010.

The Vikings are loaded with juniors in their offensive backfield. They utilize a two-quarterback system with Sione Atuekaho and Donavan Kelley with fellow-junior Tristin Spikes as the workhorse back and 5-foot-5, 134-pound Justyn Frias at fullback. Kelley has seen time at running back, receiver and quarterback offensively this season.

Hilo has scored at least 21 points in all but one game this season and 35 or more points in six times. The Vikings allowed just 102 points in nine BIIF games and have outscored all opponents 326 to 146 this season. They have allowed 10 or fewer points in seven games. Their largest margin of victory was a 43-0 shutout of Honokaa on Sept. 14 while two weeks later they won a 6-3 defensive struggle against perennial league D1-power Kealakehe.

Baldwin's squad ran the table in the BIIF to earn the top seed in the postseason tournament. Hilo scored 34 first-half points in a 41-26 semifinal win over No. 4-seed Keaau on Oct. 18. Spikes ran for 272 yards, including touchdowns of 83, 25 and 10 yards and Kelley added 82 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Vikings attempted just three passes in the game.

After a bye week, Hilo was led by its defense in a 21-10 win over Kealakehe for the league championship. Junior linebacker Ofa Fahiua picked off two passes — returned one for a 30-yard touchdown return — forced a fumble and had a sack while Isi Holani recorded two more sacks and forced a fumble. The Vikings forced four Waverider fumbles for the game. The offense rushed for just 69 yards, but Kelley and Atuekaho each threw a first-half touchdown pass.

The Sabers are making their first D1 state-tournament appearance after beating two-time state-champ Kahuku, 28-7, in the OIA third-place game Saturday. The teams were tied at 7 at halftime before Campbell outscored the Red Raiders, 21-0, in the second half.

Quarterback Isaac Hurd had 210 yards of total offense and factored into all of his team's points. The senior rushed for second-half touchdowns of 4, 1 and 10 yards and completed 21 of 30 passes for 169 yards and a 21-yard first-quarter scoring strike. The defense kept Kahuku to just 67 yards rushing and 16-of-44 passing. David Alcos IV, Alexander Roldan and John Lagon each intercepted a pass.

Hurd has accounted for more than 73 percent of Campbell's offensive production this season. The Sabers rank fifth in D1 in total offense (3,557 yards) and eighth in scoring offense (293 points scored). Hurd has completed 58.4 percent (164 of 281) of his passes for 2,105 yards with 19 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Since a 347-yard, five-touchdown performance against Waipahu, however, Hurd has just two TD passes. In three straight games early in the season, Hurd rushed for 73, 85 and 93 yards and a total of three touchdowns.

Senior Kainoa Perry (52 receptions-529 yards-4 touchdowns) has been Hurd's favorite passing target. Juniors Jayce Bantolina (28-418-4), Keola Himan (16-384-4) and seniors Amosa Amosa Jr. (21-302-2) and Galuenga Castro (21-250-3) round out the receiving corps. Junior Austin May is the team's leading rusher (90 carries, 642 yards, 4 TDs) and averages 7.1 yards per attempt. He had a season-high 99 yards rushing in an OIA quarterfinal win over McKinley on Oct. 18.

The Sabers, who use a 3-3-5 stack on defense, allowed just under 16 points per game and have held an opponent to two or fewer touchdowns in eight of their 11 games this season.

Tristan Ludiazo, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound junior, Toese Tia, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound senior, and Bryson Kealoha, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound senior, anchor the defensive line. Abiel Taito, who also doubles as the punter, Jerney Tago-Sue, a 5-foot-6, 180-pound senior, and Unity Kea Cambra are the linebackers while Guy Silva and Solomon Matautia are among the standouts in the secondary.

Campbell, which finished second in the Red West Conference, has outscored its oppoents 155 to 129 in league games and 293 to 175 for the season. It has won four of its last five games with its only loss coming in a 7-0 OIA semifinal loss to Farrington on OCt. 24.

The winner will play tournament No. 2-seed and OIA-champion Mililani in a Nov. 15 semifinal at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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