Defending state champion Kamehameha and perennial power Kahuku met on a football field for the first time in 36 years last night, but Red Raiders coach Siuaki Livai wasn't too worried about making a lasting impression.

The Red Raiders' defense scores as many points as the offense, and they came away with a 16-0 preseason victory. The Warriors, meanwhile, looked like a shadow of the team that beat Leilehua, 28-7, in the state Division I final last year.

Despite the fact his team earned its first victory against Kamehameha in six tries, Livai wasn't ecstatic.

"When we go play, we play to win," Livai said as his players did a celebratory haka for the Red Raider fans on the Aloha Stadium field. "It doesn't matter who we play; a win is a win and a loss is a big downfall for our whole community and our kids."

Both teams' coaches blamed a lack of practice for poor offensive execution.

"We missed a lot of reads, a lot of turns (in the running attack)," Livai said. "We're pretty raw. We have a lot of work to do — we're not even close to what we should be doing."

For most of the game, the Red Raiders' defense was a dominant force. It got the ball rolling with 8:20 left in the first quarter when Warriors quarterback George Kaai went back to pass from Kamehameha's 27-yard line. Kaai, pressured by a Red Raiders blitz, was forced to scramble and fumbled on a hit from behind from lineman B.J. Beatty. Lineman Micah Wily alertly scooped up the ball and ran 15 yards for a score.

In the second quarter, Kamehameha began a possession from its 9-yard line. But the Warriors lost yardage on two consecutive running plays, and Red Raiders linebacker Kevin Unga found a seam on the next play and sacked quarterback Michael Hoke in the end zone for a safety.

Two bright spots emerged from the Red Raiders' offensive attack. Senior Kaulin Krebs, who had never taken a snap as Kahuku quarterback, came off the bench to complete 3 of 4 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown, all to receiver Devin Unga.

"A lot of credit goes to him," Livai said. "He was consistent and poised. He came out of nowhere and basically was the guy who made it happen for us tonight offensively."

Senior running back Kamuela Alisa routinely punished Kamehameha's defense by running the ball straight down the middle, amassing 75 yards on 16 carries.

Kamehameha's Doss Tannehill was optimistic after his first game as head coach, despite the Warriors' seven-game winning streak — going back to their championship run last year — being snapped.

"I'm not happy about (our performance), but there were a lot of mistakes that are all fixable," he said. "We made some mistakes schematically on (our running game), and I think we lost our confidence a little bit."

Kamehameha managed only 18 yards of total offense.

Krebs figured if the two teams meet in this year's state tournament, his team could duplicate the result.

"But, one step at a time," he said.

• • •

KAMEHAMEHA 0 0 0 0— 0

Kah—Micah Wily 15 fumble return (kick failed).

Kah—Safety, Kevin Unga sacks quarterback in end zone.

Kah—Kaulin Krebs 24 pass to Devin Unga (Shiloh Te'o run).

Rushing—Kahuku: Jacob Kahawaii 5-(minus 4), Kamuela Alisa 16-75, Simi Alo 5-15, Blane Beatty 1-3, Lehi Aumua 4-9, Kaulin Krebs 2-(minus 7), Shiloh Te'a 1-1. Kamehameha: George Kaai 3-(minus 16), Bryson Vivas 8-8, Jeremiah Dela Pena 8-2, Ryan Montez 4-(minus 1), Michael Hoke 3-(minus 6).

Passing—Kahuku: Kahawaii 0-5-1—0, Krebs 3-4-0—62. Kamehameha: Kaai 1-9-0—16, Hoke 2-5-0—15.

Receiving—Kahuku: Devin Unga 3-62. Kamehameha: Aaron Nichols 2-15, Matthew Kaaihue 1-16.

JV—Kamehameha 24, Kahuku 0