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Kalani Takase | ScoringLiveSeptember 14, 2025, 12:47am
Sat, Sep 13, 2025 @ Kahuku [ 6:30 pm ]
KAHUKU — After sputtering out of the gates, Big Red found its stride over the final three quarters Saturday night.
Troy Mariteragi threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran in another score to help No. 2 Kahuku rally to a 21-7 win over No. 3 Kapolei in the OIA Open Division opener for both teams.
The Red Raiders (3-3 overall, 1-0 league) overcame a touchdown deficit after the first quarter and shut out the visiting Hurricanes (3-2, 0-1) over the final three stanzas in front of a crowd of about 2,000 fans at Carleton E. Weimer Field.
In vintage Kahuku fashion, it was sparked by its defense, which secured a pair of takeaways — one in each half.
Brody Palolo's interception late in the second quarter led to Mariteragi's 36-yard scoring strike to Toa Sam one play later. In the fourth quarter, Emmitt-Jay Harrison punched the ball loose from a Kapolei ballcarrier, which Fouvale Ueni recovered for the Red Raiders. Three plays after that, Mariteragi threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Aliimalu Tan.
It was quite the defensive turnaround for Kahuku, which allowed 77 yards on 12 plays by Kapolei in the first quarter, including a nine-play, 74-yard drive that took five minutes and 15 seconds off the clock and culminated with Chazz-Michael Kapahu's TD plunge from a yard out to give the ‘Canes their only lead with 2:34 left until the second quarter.
"The first quarter was rough, a lot of self-inflicted penalties that helped them move the ball and end up getting into scoring position," Red Raiders interim coach Nihoa Pule said.
To Pule's point, over the course of the first quarter, his team was flagged for a false start on offense and defensively, encroachment and pass interference infractions that twice gifted Kapolei first downs during its scoring drive.
"Defensively, we just had to be more calm," Palolo said. "I think we were just too aggressive and we just needed to calm down a little bit."
After the ‘Canes got on the scoreboard, Kahuku went three-and-out on its ensuing drive. Kapolei responded by sustaining another long drive and got inside the Red Raiders' 10-yard line. However, the drive stalled at the 8 and Larry McCarley lined up for a 25-yard field goal to make it a two-score game.
That's when Kahuku got just the boost of momentum it needed on special teams. Siale Reid was able to get a hand up to block McCarley's field goal and keep the points off the board.
"That helped us. Any time we can get something on special teams, it always changes the momentum for the better. It helped give our offense some energy and it gave our defense a lot more energy than they were already exerting," Pule said.
The Red Raiders picked up their first first down of the night on a 25-yard pass completion from Mariteragi to Rhino Aumua, but were forced to punt away from near midfield. However, their defense sprung to action not long after.
On a third-and-nine, Palolo came up with a diving interception of a Jacob Ballesteros pass toward the right sideline. It was on the serious prior that Palolo gave up a 28-yard completion from Ballesteros to wideout Nikko Smith on third-and-nine. This time around, Palolo was prepared.
"During that play when I was lining up and the receiver, his alignment was on the inside of me, I knew he was going to try to fake something in and try cut it back out — the same route they ran on me the first time to get that long third down — but after the adjustment and I saw his alignment, I was like, ‘yeah, it's coming back, the same play,' so I just waited, drove it and it was a free gift," Palolo described.
Following the interception Kahuku took over possession at the Kapolei 36-yard line. On the very next play, Mariteragi connected with a wide-open Sam on the left flank. Sam hauled in the pass with nary a defender within 10 yards of him and finished off the score with a leap over an oncoming defensive back just as he crossed the goal line.
Palolo said the sequence of events swung the pendulum of momentum back in favor of the Red Raiders.
"It got us fired up and got us rolling. Make one big play and just keep it going. Make a play after the next — I mean, that's our goal. Make one mistakes, or make one play and just keep going, play after play," Palolo said.
Jadyn Parker knocked through the extra point to even the score with two minutes until halftime.
Out of the intermission, the Red Raiders forced a three-and-out by the ‘Canes offense and followed that up with arguably their best offensive possession of the evening.
On the second play of the drive, Sam ran for a gain of 12 yards for Kahuku's first first down by rush of the game. Mariteragi completed a 14-yard pass to Tan one play later and three plays after that — on third-and-eight — Mariteragi scrambled for a 10-yard pick up to move the chains. His six-yard pitch and catch to Christian Sanford-Tupuola on second-and-five converted another first down and two snaps later, Sam scampered for a 22-yard gain on a shovel pass from Mariteragi to put the ball just outside the goal line. Mariteragi punctuated the drive with his 1-yard QB sneak into the end zone.
Mariteragi said the Red Raiders used halftime to regroup, refocus and revert to playing their brand of football.
"It came back to us settling down and getting back to our game plan, just settling everybody down and just going one play at a time, just getting back to our disciplined football, but that was a great drive and it felt good to punch it in there at the end," Mariteragi said.
Parker's PAT gave his team a 14-7 lead with 5:34 left in the third quarter.
Kapolei's next two drives resulted in a punt and a turnover on downs. The Hurricanes recorded their lone takeaway on an interception by Toa Leffler midway through the third quarter, but the very next play saw Harrison force a fumble after a short gain by Kapahu and Ueni was there to cover up the loose ball.
Three plays after the change of possession, Mariteragi connected with a wide-open Tan for a 17-yard TD pass on third-and-eight.
Mariteragi finished 18-of-22 passing for 141 yards without an interception and completed passes to six different pass-catchers. He also ran for a team-high 50 yards on nine carries despite being sacked once.
Pule was especially proud of the senior signal-caller. Mariteragi has endured his share of adversity over the past few years, particularly being relegated to backing up Matai Fuiava, whose highly-publicized transfer from St. John Bosco took place late in the 2024 regular season.
Fuiava left Kahuku earlier this week and returned to California to rehabilitate an injury he suffered in a game against Konawaena a few weeks back.
"Troy's just an exceptional young man. I mean, with everything he's been through in the past couple of years, you wouldn't think the kid would stay around but he's a community kid. He grew up here, he knows what it takes to play here and he knows what it takes to win and sometimes it's putting his body on the line, which is kind of scary for us, but that's what it takes from that position, is being a leader out there," Pule said.
The Red Raiders, who were out-gained by the Hurricanes, 268 total yards to 215, were coming off of a hard-fought three-point road loss to national powerhouse Mater Dei a week ago.
"We buckled down after a while. We got on our kids and just said, ‘This is not us. We don't make these costly mistakes, or we shouldn't,' Pule said. "In the second to fourth quarters, that was the defense that I know, that was the defense we saw against Mater Dei and so we just gotta be consistent all four quarters."
Ballesteros finished 22-of-38 passing for 189 yards. Kapahu tallied 19 carries for 70 yards in the loss.
Eyring Mapu led Kahuku defensively with a game-high 9 ½ tackles.
Kapolei was seeking its first win over Kahuku since 2007.
The Red Raiders have won their last 14 meetings against the Hurricanes.
Kapolei will have a bye next week before it hosts Farrington on Sept. 27.
Kahuku will host No. 4 Campbell (5-0) Saturday at Weimer Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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