Kaiser's Nick Tom started at quarterback and completed 11 of his 14 pass attempts for 160 yards, had six pass breakups, five tackles and two interceptions on defense, and even punted three times with a long of 46 yards. Steve Erler | Special to SL

Purchase image 1 of 1

Maximum effort produced maximum results for the Kaiser Cougars last Friday night.

Kaiser picked up its first win of the year against the Marauders thanks to a herculean effort by its squad. With under 40 players listed on the Cougars' roster, multiple players made an impact in more ways than one.

"We're finally getting on the right track," said Kaiser coach Cameron Higgins, whose squad was coming off a bye week.

The Cougars were able to put six points on the board in six different ways. Kaiser scored on a kick return, punt return, fumble recovery and an interception, along with three rushing touchdowns and two scores through the air.

"I think we scored in every facet of the game; special teams, offense and defense," said Higgins. "There was a lot of good things, but we've got a long season ahead of us. We're still climbing the hill."

Leading the pack was senior Nicolas Tom. The Kaiser all-around player passed ran for a touchdown, scored on a 1-yard run, returned a punt return 71 yards to the house and had a 78-yard pick-six to cap the game's scoring. He started at quarterback and completed 11 of his 14 pass attempts for 160 yards, had six pass breakups, five tackles and two interceptions on defense, and even punted three times with a long of 46 yards.

"We have barely 30 guys so it's hard, sometimes it's tiring," said Tom. "Everyone has to go both ways, but I like being on the field the whole time. It brings the team closer together because we have to grind it out with each other."

In the backfield with Tom for most of the night was linebacker Parker Higgins, the younger brother of the Kaiser coach. The younger Higgins brought tough running up the middle and rushed 17 times for a touchdown and season-high 129 yards, while adding four tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on defense.

Kaiser was also boosted by the services of 2014 All-Hawaii second-team running back Jensen McDaniel, who was recovering from an ankle injury that has kept him out of a game since the Cougars' Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I opener against Aiea. He wasted no time making his presence known, taking a swing pass 88 yards to the end zone on his first offensive play.

"The bye week was crucial for us, especially to get Jensen back, one more week of healing," said coach Higgins. "First play he touches the ball he takes it to the house, so it's good to have him back."

The senior running back also accounted for the Cougars' first scoring drive of the second period nearly on his own. Kaiser went no-huddle and McDaniel ran it five consecutive times with the final carry of the drive resulting in a 7-yard scoring run. This gave Kaiser a 26-14 lead after the Marauders' made it a 19-14 game.

"He brings another tempo to the game, we're glad to have him back," Higgins said on McDaniel. "Hopefully he's healthy enough to play next week.

"Same thing with Nic (Tom) and Parker (Higgins). We have three guys that we need to keep healthy for the rest of the season so we have a shot at making it into the playoffs."

While Tom, Higgins and McDaniel are all names opposing teams have come to know, another name made an impact right out of the gate. Junior Andrew Kaufusi ran back the opening kickoff 91 yards to put Kaiser ahead early. He also had five tackles with a couple of pass breakups, three catches for 21 yards and added three PATs for an all-around performance.

"Andrew is another one of our athletes that we can use on both sides of the ball and on special teams," Higgins said on Kaufusi. "He brings so much value to our team. We have a lot of guys that we can use them right and coach them up, we can be dangerous."

Another name that Waipahu may have known up until the contest was Chance Kalaugher, the 2015 All-Hawaii Division II Boys Basketball player of the year. The 6-foot-5 senior was relentless in his pass rush and returned a fumble 32 yards for Kaiser's first defensive score of the game. In his second contest of the year Kalaugher racked up a game-high 10 tackles and had a sack.

"It's great to have Chance," said Higgins. "Against Kahuku it was his first week of practice and his first game in two years. We can see him get better and better, and we'll start to use him on the offensive side too."

Keoua Mahiko, another standout player for the Cougars' basketball squad, had three tackles and used his leaping ability for a 35-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Kamalu Simeona, who also caught three passes for 25 yards. Left tackle Michael Eletise, who has given a verbal commitment to play for the University of Arizona, also got into the game on the defensive line and had a tackle.

Although the win over Waipahu was a breakthrough for his squad, Higgins was quick to point out that his team could still be better. Kaiser was whistled 16 times for a total of 130 yards in penalties.

We still have a lot of mistakes we can clean up," said Higgins. "We still shoot ourselves in the foot almost drive. By no means are we satisfied."

Kaiser will look to continue its winning ways when it hosts McKinley (0-5) Friday.