Home Care In Kahuku, HI

Kahuku (Hawaii) pulled off the biggest upset of the high school football season beating No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 30-23 on Saturday night on Oahu. The Red Raiders took an early 22-3 lead in the first half and held command for the first 24 minutes.

The Braves answered, scoring 20 straight to take a 23-22 lead with 8:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Kahuku forced a punt after an interception by St. John Bosco's Tamal Johnson with 4:27 left.

The Red Raiders' drive would stay alive on fourth-and-10 inside their own territory after a pass interference call on the Braves with under two minutes remaining. Following a couple of first downs, Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa ran it in from 18 yards out for the game-winning score with 23 seconds left. They added a two-point conversion to take a 30-23 lead.

After St. John Bosco started the game off with a 3-0 lead, the Red Raiders would score the next 22 points. Mana Carvalho had a six-yard touchdown run to give Kahuku a 7-3 lead with 10:48 remaining in the second quarter. The Braves would fumble on their next drive and Tagovailoa-Amosa connected with Carvalho on a 12-yard touchdown pass to boost the Red Raiders a 15-3 lead.

Aiden Manutai picked off Caleb Sanchez and returned it for a 53-yard score to give the top-ranked team from Hawaii a 22-3 lead with 6:26 left in the first half.

The Braves answered with a 2-yard touchdown run from Cameron Jones to close out the half trailing 22-9.

Last year's MaxPreps National Champions scored on their opening possession of the second half on a 1-yard fourth-down touchdown run from Chauncey Sylvester that cut the deficit to 22-16.

After a Peyton Woodyard interception, Sylvester scored his second touchdown of the night with a 6-yard scamper to take a 23-22 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Braves had all the momentum but Kahuku's defense responded forcing a punt to give the offense one last chance.

It was a big bounce back game for the Red Raiders after a 55-8 loss against No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) last week. The loss snapped St. John Bosco's 11-game win streak. Expect to see Kahuku make a big jump into the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings on Monday. The Red Raiders improved to 5-1, while the Braves fell to 4-1 as they closed out non-league play.

Kahuku (Hawaii) beating perennial national championship contender St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) last week has the Red Raiders ranked No. 9 in the MaxPreps Top 25 national high school football rankings. That's unfamiliar territory for teams from the Aloha State.

Since national rankings by the National Sports News Service (NSNS) first began in 1959, the same year Hawaii was admitted to the Union, five teams from the state have been ranked in the final top 10 rankings – all from Saint Louis (Honolulu) – and four of those have finished at No. 9.

Saint Louis finished No. 9 in the final rankings by the NSNS in 1996 with a 13-0 record, then did it again in 1998 (13-1) and 1999 (15-1). The Crusaders had their best finish ever and the highest ever finish by a Hawaii team with a No. 6 ranking in 2018. The very next year, Saint Louis was back at No. 9, marking the last time a team from Hawaii finished the year in the top 10.

The season isn't over yet, but if Kahuku wins out, it should finish in the top 10 thanks in large part to the win over St. John Bosco. The win over the Braves ranks as the biggest win for a Hawaii team in at least 20 years (possibly much longer). Ironically, the previous win against a ranked opponent was a Hawaii team against a Hawaii team. In 2016, Punahou (Honolulu) defeated a Saint Louis team that finished No. 25 in the CalPreps national rankings.

* * *

After a 3-0 start and 1,251 yards through the air, Shedeur Sanders of Colorado is an early favorite for the Heisman Trophy. While a lot can happen over the next two months, Sanders would rank as the second highest prep yardage passer among winners if he were to claim the prize.

Of the 209 high school quarterbacks who have thrown for over 10,000 yards in their career, only three have gone on to win a Heisman Trophy. Kyler Murray, the 2018 Trophy winner, threw for 10,429 yards while at Allen (Texas). Joe Burrow, the 2019 winner, threw for 11,416 yards while at Athens (The Plains, Ohio). Bryce Young, who won in 2021, is the leader with 13,250 yards while at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Cathedral (Los Angeles, Calif.).

Sanders, should he win the trophy, would slide in behind Young with 12,498 yards during his career at Trinity Christian (Cedar Hill, Texas).

* * *

NFL fans may be just catching on to the talents of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, but Utah high school football fans have known about the Orem grad for a long time.

Nacua set an NFL record for a rookie in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week with 15 catches. His 25 catches over two games also set an NFL rookie record for most catches in the first two games.

When he graduated following the 2018 season, Nakua owned six state records including career yards (5,226), catches (260) and touchdowns (58) as well as single-season yards (2,336) and touchdowns (26) and single-game yards (321).

Nacua racked up some of his highest yardage and reception totals against some of his toughest opponents. In a game against Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) during his senior year, Nacua caught 16 passes for a state record 321 yards and three touchdowns. The next week against Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), he caught 10 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns.

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Gage Baker of Paradise Honors (Surprise, Ariz.) easily leads the nation in touchdown passes with 32, seven more than the second-place passer. He threw seven touchdown passes three weeks ago and topped that with an eight-touchdown performance against Dysart.

Baker tied the state record for touchdown passes in a game last week against Show Low with 10. His total ties the record set by Mario Armendarez of Washington (Phoenix) in 2015. Baker also broke the 3A record of 9, which was previously held by Rathan Ricedorf of Show Low and Gage Reese of Yuma Catholic (Yuma) and Baker himself. Baker tied the record last year against Odyssey Institute.

Additionally, Baker is believed to be the first Arizona quarterback to throw for over 500 yards in back-to-back games. He had 516 yards against Dysart and 546 against Show Low.

Baker's top target, Josh Morales, tied the Class 3A record with five touchdown catches in the Show Low win.

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Caden Chittenden of Faith Lutheran (Las Vegas, Nev.) topped his previous all-time best with a 57-yard field goal in the third quarter of a 24-23 win over Basic (Henderson, Nev.). Chittenden kicked a 56-yard field goal last year, which was tied for the second longest in the nation last year according to the MaxPreps leaderboards.

Chittenden has the longest kick in the nation this year, but he will need to add some distance to break the state record in Nevada. The Silver State is home to the nation's all-time longest field goal – a 68-yard boot by Dirk Borgognone of Reno in 1985.

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Related Photo Gallery: Kahuku shocks defending national champion St. John Bosco

It’s official: Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa is the fastest of the Tagovailoa quarterbacks.

The senior dashed 18 yards on a read-option keeper for the go-ahead touchdown with 23 seconds left as Kahuku shocked nationally ranked St. John Bosco (Calif.) 30-23 on Saturday night at Carleton E. Weimer Field.

It was a gutsy call for the offense, which had not scored since the second quarter against a stalwart Braves defense. St. John Bosco, the defending national champion, came into the game ranked No. 3 nationally this week.

“That was my coaches. They called the play at the right time and everybody did their job. The O-line opened a big hole and I ran right through it,” Tagovailoa-Amosa said.

Va‘aimalae Fonoti’s jump pass to Kekua Aumua Jr. on the 2-point conversion opened Kahuku’s margin to seven points.

Kahuku improved to 4-1 overall, bouncing back from a 55-8 loss at No. 1 Mater Dei (Calif.) last week. Saturday’s game had some similar changes of momentum to last year’s Kahuku-Saint Francis (Md.) game. This time, after losing a 19-point lead, Kahuku clutched up in the final minutes.

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“It was a hard-fought battle. Emotions were high on both sides. It was a game of emotions and momentum. We’re just grateful for St. John Bosco allowing us to play them, for an opportunity to play the nation’s best,” Kahuku coach Sterling Carvalho said.

Kahuku’s win may leave an imprint on the national scene.

“This continues to get us better. That’s why we play these games. Win or lose, we play these games to get better. What you saw tonight was us elevating our program, elevating our opportunities. We can compete against the nation’s best,” Carvalho said. “I’m just so grateful for all our players and coaches. Tonight, we represented the 808. There are ballers across the islands, in the whole state. What you saw tonight was a representation of not just Kahuku, but all the 808 ballers out there that are able to play at this level.”

The fireworks above Weimer Field and a capacity crowd were spectacular, but the game was not quite over. St. John Bosco, penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct following the TD, got the ball on its 10-yard line after a touchback on the ensuing kickoff. Quarterback Caleb Sanchez found Stacy Dobbins for a 22-yard pass. After two incompletions, with two seconds left on the clock, Sanchez spiraled a pass to Daniel Odom on a post route. Kahuku defensive back Malaki Soliai-Tui made the hit, jarring the ball loose as Odom’s helmet rolled on the ground.

A flag was thrown immediately, and another flag was thrown as Bosco assistant coaches ran toward officials and had to be held back by their staff. After a conference, officials waved off the flags, ending what is both an instant classic and arguably the biggest win by a Hawaii high school football team.

St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro disagreed with the non-call on the final play. Officials were asked after the game whether actions of Bosco assistants had an impact of their decision to end the game. Their response: “No comment.”

“Here’s the thing. It’s a defenseless receiver,” Negro said. “We thought the time had run out, the last play of the game, so naturally people go on the field. That wasn’t the determining factor. It’s a defenseless receiver. They made that call on the other drive and gave them the touchdown. In today’s football, that’s a defenseless receiver. I’m not a referee. I keep my opinions as calm as I can. (Kahuku) all came on the field after the game, too. What was any different?”

Carvalho considered the final play a textbook defensive finish.

“They thought it was hitting a defenseless player, but our guy literally wrapped up. There was no helmet-to-helmet. It was a very hard and vicious hit, but at the same time our defender came and wrapped up. He came not with a shoulder, not with a hit, but he came with great technique,” Carvalho said.

Soliai-Tui disagreed with Negro’s assessment of the final play.

“I think that’s a clean hit. I didn’t mean to do any extra stuff. I just hit him. I just wanted to end the game right there,” he said. “That first half, I don’t think they were playing to their potential. This win is for the whole state, the whole community. This is what we do. In the offseason, all day, every morning. It ain’t easy, but that’s what we do.”

It was the first loss of the season after four wins by St. John Bosco. Negro praised Kahuku.

“My thoughts and emotions are all over the place right now. We didn’t play a very good football game, but that takes nothing away from Kahuku. That’s a really, really good football program. Well coached. I thought they did a heck of a job, especially coming off the big loss last week (to No. 1 Mater Dei). You’ve got to give them all the credit,” Negro said. “We had so many self-inflicted wounds with turnovers and penalties the entire night. We just couldn’t get out of our own way. We’ve got to go back and evaluate the film and see what happened. At the end of the day, you can’t commit that many penalties and you can’t turn the ball over against a good football team. I’m not going to make any excuses. They kind of outplayed us.”

Negro politely disagreed about the two 15-yard penalties called against his team during the final drive.

“I don’t know, man. You’ve got to ask (the head official). It seemed like every time we had a stop, especially on fourth down. It was so disappointing, you think you’ve won the game and it’s snatched from you. I don’t know if you make that call on that play. I don’t even know what it was because they wouldn’t communicate with us,” Negro said. “I was glad that our kids continued to fight hard and don’t take anything away from Coach Carvalho and the Kahuku Red Raiders.”

Carvalho saw targeting on that final drive, which was flagged.

“They were also holding us all night, too. The call came at the right time. Calls went our way, calls went against us tonight. That’s just the way it happened. We just stayed optimistic and tried to finish,” he said.

—

At C.E. Weimer Field

St. John Bosco (4-1) 3 6 7 7 — 23

Kahuku (5-1, 2-0) 0 22 0 8 — 30

SJB—FG Marcus Lee 22

Kah—Kaimana Carvalho 7 run (Manoa Kahalepuna kick)

Kah—Carvalho 12 pass from Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa (Kekua Aumua Jr. pass from Carvalho)

Kah—Aidan Manutai 54 interception return (Kahalepuna kick)

SJB—Cameron Jones 2 run (rush failed)

SJB—Chauncey Sylvester 1 run (Lee kick)

SJB—Sylvester 6 run (Lee kick)

Kah—Tagovailoa-Amosa 18 run (Aumua pass from Vaaiamalae Fonoti)

RUSHING—St. John Bosco: Jones 15-88, Sylvester 12-41, Khalil Warren 3-11, Stacy Dobbins 1-2. Kahuku: Tagovailoa-Amosa 15-71, Fonoti 15-45, Carvalho 2-17.

PASSING—St. John Bosco: Caleb Sanchez 25-32-2-211. Kahuku: Tagovailoa-Amosa 9-20-2-89.

RECEIVING—St. John Bosco: Tommy Maher 5-55, Madden Williams 6-53, Dobbins 6-52, Daniel Odom 5-41, Warren 1-4, Owen Tomich 1-4, Jones 1-2. Kahuku: Carvalho 5-55, Fonoti 2-20, Manutai 2-14.

Also:

Kapolei 7, ‘Iolani 0 (Forf.)

Waialua 31, Molokai 24

Damien 55, Punahou II 20

Kahuku (Hawaii) pulled off the biggest upset of the high school football season late Saturday night with a 30-23 win over St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) and the Red Raiders have been rewarded with the No. 9 ranking in this week's MaxPreps Top 25. Senior quarterback Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa scored the game-winning touchdown on an 18-yard run with 23 seconds remaining.

Kahuku jumped out to a 22-3 lead in the first half but Bosco answered by scoring the next 20 points to take a 23-22 lead with just over eight minutes left. The Hawaii program got the ball back with two minutes remaining and benefited from a pass interference to keep the drive alive and set up the Tagovailoa-Amosa score.

The loss dropped the Braves seven spots to No. 10. It was the first loss for St. John Bosco against a non-league opponent since 2017.

Washington (Massillon, Ohio) joins Kahuku as the only newcomers in the MaxPreps Top 25 after beating St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 15-13. Senior quarterback DaOne Owens had a huge night on the ground, rushing for 176 yards and two scores. Senior linebacker Dorian Pringle led the way on defense with 10 tackles and two sacks.

The Tigers snapped the back-to-back Division 1 state champs 15-game win streak as the loss dropped them 13 spots to No. 23. The Eagles are 19-2 since 2022 with both losses coming against Washington.

No. 5 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) continued its impressive start with a 28-16 win over American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.). All four wins have come against teams in the top 100. Five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has shown why he's the top-rated wide receiver in the country with 33 receptions for 515 yards and seven touchdowns through his first four games.

The Lions play at No. 4 Central (Miami) on Thursday. The Rockets were up 14-0 on Carol City (Miami) in the first quarter before the game was called because of weather. They will try and finish the game at a later date.

No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) was idle last week and finishes non-league play at St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) on Friday. The Monarchs have outscored their first four opponents 193-36. Senior quarterback Elijah Brown has thrown for 1,012 yards and has 12 touchdowns against two interceptions while completing 72.4 percent of his passes.

MaxPreps Top 25 football rankings

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 1

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday at St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)

2. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)

Record: 5-0 | Last week: 2

Last week: Beat Liberty (Henderson) 49-6

This week: Friday at Silverado (Las Vegas)

3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 4

Last week: Beat Glenville (Cleveland) 28-6

This week: Idle

4. Central (Miami)

Record: 1-1 | Last week: 5

Last week: Game vs. Carol City postponed

This week: Thursday vs. No. 5 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood)

5. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 6

Last week: Beat American Heritage (Plantation) 28-16

This week: Thursday at No. 4 Central (Miami)

6. Buford (Ga.)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 7

Last week: Beat Carver (Atlanta) 31-0

This week: Friday vs. Marietta

7. Duncanville (Texas)

Record: 3-0 | Last week: 8

Last week: Beat Lake Ridge (Mansfield) 76-0

This week: Friday vs. Cedar Hill

8. North Shore (Houston)

Record: 3-0 | Last week: 9

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday vs. Beaumont United (Beaumont)

9. Kahuku (Hawaii)

Record: 5-1 | Last week: NR

Last week: Beat St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 30-23

This week: Saturday at Nanakuli (Waianae)

10. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)

Record: 4-1 | Last week: 3

Last week: Lost 30-23 to Kahuku (Hawaii)

This week: Idle

11. St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia)

Record: 3-1 | Last week: 12

Last week: Beat Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 28-7

This week: Idle

12. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Record: 3-1 | Last week: 11

Last week: Beat Western (Davie) 48-22

This week: Friday vs. Treasure Coast (Port St. Lucie)

13. Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 13

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday vs. Cedar Grove (Ellenwood)

14. DeSoto (Texas)

Record: 3-0 | Last week: 14

Last week: Beat Skyline (Dallas) 42-17

This week: Friday at Waxahachie

15. Walton (Marietta, Ga.)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 16

Last week: Beat Marietta 52-8

This week: Idle

16. Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 18

Last week: Beat Sunrise Mountain (Peoria) 48-0

This week: Friday at No. 22 Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

17. Carrollton (Ga.)

Record: 4-1 | Last week: 17

Last week: Beat Jenkins (Savannah) 47-14

This week: Friday at Hillgrove (Powder Springs)

18. Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)

Record: 5-1 | Last week: 19

Last week: Beat Mountain Ridge (Herriman) 56-14

This week: Friday at Riverton

19. Chandler (Ariz.)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 20

Last week: Beat Corona del Sol (Tempe) 42-0

This week: Friday vs. Highland (Gilbert)

20. Washington (Massillon, Ohio)

Record: 5-0 | Last week: NR

Last week: Beat St. Edward (Lakewood) 15-13

This week: Friday vs. Middletown (Del.)

21. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)

Record: 2-1 | Last week: 15

Last week: Lost 28-16 to Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood)

This week: Idle

22. Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

Record: 2-2 | Last week: 21

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday vs. No. 16 Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.)

23. St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)

Record: 4-1 | Last week: 10

Last week: Lost 15-13 to Washington (Massillon)

This week: Saturday vs. River Rouge (Mich.)

24. Columbus (Miami)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 23

Last week: Beat Palmetto (Miami) 15-0

This week: Friday vs. Northwestern (Miami)

25. Belleville (Mich.)

Record: 4-0 | Last week: 22

Last week: Beat Dearborn 53-0

This week: Friday at Franklin (Livonia)

The high school football season in Hawaii came to a close over the weekend. Kahuku was among the victors with a 20-0 victory over Punahou (Honolulu) in the Division I-Open final. That victory helped propel the Red Raiders to the No. 1 ranking in the final state MaxPreps Top 25.

Kahuku got two first half touchdowns to take a 17-0 lead into halftime and finished the shutout by adding a third-quarter field goal. Waika Crawford opened the scoring with a 1-yard TD run in the first quarter. Kainoa Carvalho added a 21-yard field goal and was on the receiving end of a 13-yard TD pass from Crawford in the second quarter. Carvalho booted a 40-yard field goal in the third to cap the score.

Crawford was 15 of 27 for 177 yards and the TD while Vaaimalae Fonoti ran for 113 yards on 23 carries in the win.

In Division I, Konawaena (Kealakekua), the two-seed, beat four-seed Waipahu 38-28 for the title. Keoki Alani was 27 of 26 passing for 256 yards and two touchdowns, both to Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio. The Wildcats finished No. 7 in the Final Hawai'i MaxPreps Top 25.

In Division II, Waimea downed King Kekaulike (Pukalani) 45-6 behind a rushing attack that gained 445 yards and found the end zone five times. The Menehunes were led by Kameron Apilado's 228 yards rushing and two scores. Aukai Emayo added 84 yards on the ground with two TDs, while Kaili Arakaki ran for 54 yards and a score.

Read on for a complete look at the final Hawaii MaxPreps Top 25.

2022 HAWAII STATE CHAMPIONS

FINAL HAWAII MAXPREPS TOP 25