Rams’ assortment of weapons on full display


Whether by design or not, Radford showed off its offensive arsenal in the team's 41-9 win over Kaimuki Saturday night.

Due to some disciplinary issues, wide receiver Dylan Frank got a surprise start at quarterback, a decision that Radford coach Fred Salanoa made on the bus ride to the game. The result saw the Rams rely heavily on their run game in the first half. 

Running back Chance Cacatian was a workhorse in the first half, carrying the ball 11 times for 60 yards and two touchdowns. When Cacatian needed a breather Rashon Osborne proved to be an excellent counter in the backfield. Osborne carried four draw plays for 52 yards in the first half.

“We just wanted to make sure that we showed that facet of our game,” Salanoa said on his team’s running game. “We want to be multi-dimensional and not be one-dimensional out there.”

Wide receiver Justin Lugo also carried a jet sweep for 16 yards in the contest. The Rams accounted for 141 of their total 199 rushing yards in the first half.

In the second half quarterbacks Quintas Ward and Andrew Morgan took the field to lead three scoring drives in the third quarter. The duo alternated snaps on every play, keeping the Kaimuki defense off balanced. Ward appeared to be the better passer in the pocket between the two (56 yards, touchdown) while Morgan showed off some flair on the ground (three carries, 29 yards).

At the receiver position the Rams have not lost a beat despite losing All-Hawaii receivers Absolom Henry (first-team) and Jameson Pasigan (second-team, third-year varsity player) to the mainland. Lugo was the leading receiver in the game with four catches for 77 yards. Thomas Reid provides a taller target opposite Lugo and Frank is a nifty option in the seams. 

This new look offense should give opposing defensive coordinators fits to game plan against. Last year the Rams relied heavily on Henry, Pasigan and three-year starting quarterback Cody Lui-Yuen. This year the Rams will have a larger variety of weaponry to utilize offensively. Radford loss Pasigan to an injury towards the end of the year and was never the same offensively, scoring only nine points in its final two games, a far cry from the 368 points put up in the previous eight. A more balanced and diversified attack could be what pushes the Rams back to the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II title game and the state tournament.



Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].