Baldwin Overpowers Lahainaluna 40-0
By Fred Guzman
Here’s a scary thought for the rest of the Maui Interscholastic League: If Baldwin could so totally dominate Lahainaluna on Friday night, what awaits the rest of the league against the Big Bad Bears?
Overpowering the Lunas in the trenches, 10th-ranked Baldwin raced to a 27-0 lead by halftime and cruised to a 40-0 victory before an estimated crowd of more than 4,000 fans at War Memorial Stadium.
Quarterback Keelan Ewaliko and Kina Malafu each ran for a pair of touchdowns as the six-time defending champions dominated a team that normally has given Baldwin its toughest challenges in recent years. Not this time.
The statistics tell the story. Led by Malafu’s 118 yards, Baldwin rushed for 294 on 42 carries distributed among eight ball-carriers. The Bears out-gained the Lunas 378-78 and enjoyed a 24-7 edge in first downs.
Ewaliko also connected on a 20-yard TD pass with Kaiana Camvel and Justin Carbajar closed out the scoring with a 1-yard run. Ewaliko attempted 11 passes, completing six, for 85 yards and picked up another 76 on nine carries. Branden Kaupe added 57 on six carries.
On Saturday night, Kamehameha-Maui’s offense got on track in the second half and the Warriors’ defense came up with several huge plays for a 24-15 victory over King Kekaulike in a game that was tied at zero at intermission. Kamehameha quarterback Conner Yap ran for two scores.
Every MIL team wore helmet stickers with the No. 54 this weekend, and will do so for the rest of the season, in memory of Senior Chief Petty Officer Kraig Vickers, the former star linebacker at Maui High who was killed while serving in a military mission in Afghanistan.
Two games are scheduled for War Memorial this week. On Friday, Baldwin plays host to Kamehameha in a matchup between teams coming off victories. On Saturday, King Kekaulike visits Maui High.
In other weekend prep football action from around the state:
No. 8 Kamehameha opened the ILH campaign with a 28-21 upset of second-ranked and defending state champion Saint Louis. In the opener of a doubleheader at Aloha Stadium, No. 7 Iolani overwhelmed Damien 42-0. Meantime, top-ranked Kahuku crushed Kaiser 55-0.
In OIA action on Friday, Mililani posted a 19-0 win at Waianae, a traditional power that dropped to 0-4. All of the losses have come against Top Ten teams. Kapolei rallied from 14-6 deficit with 2:30 left to tie the game on a TD and 2P conversion, setting the stage for Brandon Begoria’s 30Y FG for a 17-14 triple-overtime win over Aiea, which shared the No. 10 spot with Baldwin.
On Saturday, Robert Siavii’s 55-yard pick six was the pivotal play in No. 5 Leilehua’s 32-13 win over previously unbeaten and No. 4 Campbell. No. 2 Farrington crushed Castle 50-13 as JR Tyler Taumua ran for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Waipahu beat Kalani 28-14. Pearl City topped Nanakuli 27-12.
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