Posted on: Saturday, November 6, 2004
Kamehameha captures first ILH title since 1979
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
On a night more fit for amphibians, Kamehameha splashed to a 21-0 win against Pac-Five to clinch the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I championship last night at Kunuiakea Athletic Stadium.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser The third-ranked Warriors (8-1-1 overall, 6-1 ILH) won their first league crown since 1979 before about 1,500 rain-soaked fans who attended the league's regular season finale. They sat through a constant rain from start to finish and watched fog roll in for several minutes in the first quarter.
"It was crazy," Gaison said. "It got foggy. The stadium (stands) couldn't see us, we couldn't see them."
With Iolani's loss at Punahou, the Warriors finished with a better record than the Division II Raiders (5-2), thus negating a playoff for the overall title. Each, however, is recognized as its league's respective division champions and qualify for its respective state tournaments.
Warrior running back Jayson Rego had 34 of the team's 47 rushes for 190 yards. He scored on runs of 6 and 2 yards. On his second score that made it 21-0, he carried the ball on all 11 plays of the series for 58 yards. On his first TD, he ran seven times for 50 yards on the eight-play, 61-yard drive that put the Warriors ahead 7-0.
"I was just running to keep my balance," Rego said. "It was really hard to keep my balance."
On paper, the Warriors were heavy favorites against the Wolfpack (3-7-1, 0-6-1). But the game is played on a field, or in last night's case, a pool. There were major puddles all over the field, but the tightly-knit grass kept the mud from surfacing.
"This is the kind of weather that can negate (the matchup)," Warriors coach Kanani Souza said. "For a while, it was a neutralizer. But our kids persevered and God Bless their hearts."
The Warriors started quarterback Parker Bode, instead of last week's starter Pono Kam, who led the upset of 18-time defending ILH champion Saint Louis. Souza said nothing was wrong with Kam.
"We felt Parker Bode had a real good outing the last time," Souza said. "We wanted to give him another shot so he could get some playing time."
Bode hit 6-foot-3 wide receiver Waika Spencer on a 25-yard TD pass in the second quarter that gave the Warriors a 14-0 lead. Spencer made another juggling catch after leaping for the pass.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.
"We did it for everybody, all the past schools," Warriors senior guard and kicker Kepa Gaison said. "We accomplished one of our goals. Next goal is to go into states and try our best."
Kamehameha's Jayson Rego sloshed his way for 190 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Warriors to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I championship with a 21-0 victory over Pac-Five.
