KAHUKU — Let it be known, Kaimana Carvalho is him.

The Kahuku junior recorded five interceptions and scored on offense and defense as the top-ranked Red Raiders overwhelmed No. 5 Saint Louis, 52-17, in a non-league game at Carleton E. Weimer Field Saturday night.

A standing-room only crowd was on hand to witness the Red Raiders (2-0) notch their 24th straight win over a Hawaii opponent as they shutout the Crusaders (1-1) in the second half to earn a mercy-rule victory.

Quarterback Tulilele Tagovailoa-Amosa threw three touchdown passes and running back Vaaimalae Fonoti added two more on the ground to spearhead the Kahuku offense, which outgained Saint Louis, 435 to 286.

But it was Carvalho who got the scoring started with his 58-yard interception return on the Crusaders' opening drive. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound junior picked off a high throw to the middle of the field and sprinted down the Saint Louis sideline before cutting back inside to reach pay dirt.

The defensive score was the culmination of a stacked box that put pressure at the line of scrimmage. Defensive tackle Hyrum Moors and linebacker Chauncy Alo joined forces to bring down Saint Louis' Keola Apduhan for a loss of six yards to set up a second-and-16 play when Carvalho recorded his first interception.

"That's just what we've been working on all week, trusting the D-line and the linebackers and of course our back five got a lot of unity," said Carvalho. "We're all close so just trusting in them and playing off them."

Carvalho, who led the Red Raiders in receiving last season with 61 catches for 766 yards and four TDs, is filling the void at safety left behind by All-Hawaii First Team selection Brock Fonoimoana.

"He just said be patient and fly around like how we do down here," Carvalho said on Fonoimoana's advice for him. "That's mainly what we do. Just fly around and be the dog on the team."

Both teams traded scores when Kauanoa Kamakawiwoole got Saint Louis on the board with a 42-yard TD pass to Jordan Nunuha and Kingsley Ah You returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards up the middle to make the score 14-7 three minutes into the game.

Carvalho got interception No. 2 on the following drive.

An overload blitz forced Kamakawiwoole to roll out towards his right on fourth-and-3. Outside linebacker Zaden Mariteragi mirrored his movement on the containment, which led to an off-balanced throw across Kamakawiwoole's body. The throw was a tad high, but it hit its intended target in the hands before Carvalho plucked the tipped ball out of the air.

"It's just getting to read the quarterback and listening to my coaches," said Carvalho. "Just making the quarterback roll out, that was our plan. Just trusting our defensive scheme and being able to execute off of that."

Carvalho's second pick gave the Kahuku offense possession for the first time at the 6:12 mark of the opening period. The Red Raiders then recycled the turnover into a 4-yard TD run by Fonoti to extend the lead.

Before the first quarter ended, Carvalho got interception No. 3 off of another tipped ball by a Saint Louis receiver.

"Yeah we were trying to throw away from him…that was the problem, we should have aimed for him and maybe he wouldn't have got it, but he did a great job, they all did," Saint Louis coach Ron Lee said of Carvalho and the Kahuku defense.

Fonoti added his second rushing TD early in the second quarter to give Kahuku a commanding 28-7 lead before the Crusaders started to find some life.

A 54-yard catch-and-run by Titan Lacaden on the first play of the next series eventually led to a 32-yard field goal by Makani Markle-Kane to cut into Kahuku's lead.

The Red Raiders then turned it over on a bad pitch on their next possession, which led to Lacaden's 10-yard TD reception on a shallow cross in a soft spot in the Kahuku defensive coverage. Makena Kauai's tacked on the PAT to make it a 28-17 game with 5:52 left in regulation.

Knowing its defense barely had any rest with the quick scores and change of possessions, Kahuku stuck with the ground game on the ensuing series. The Red Raiders rotated in multiple linemen on the drive and blended their normal shotgun sets with a heavy package to manufacture a 16-play, 82-yard drive that left just 11 seconds on the clock before halftime. Carvalho's receiving TD capped the drive on a sprint-out route towards the right side of the field.

Kaimana Carvalho is HIM 😤

Carvalho had 👋 FIVE 👋 interceptions, scored on offense and defense and finished with 131 all-purpose yards as No. 1 Kahuku overwhelmed No. 5 Saint Louis, 52-17. pic.twitter.com/pFaZowWTjl

— Michael Lasquero (@MichaelLasquero) August 20, 2023

The second half was all Kahuku.

The Red Raiders scored on their first three possessions after the break and Carvalho derailed the next two Saint Louis drives with his final two interceptions of the night to help the home team shutout the visitors in the second half.

"It's just great coaching that put him in the right spots and at the end of the night, he just made the plays," said his uncle, Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho.