Gov, Red Raider honored

A pair of sleek, shifty and swift football players, Farrington running back Harry Tuimaseve and Kahuku defensive end Kona Schwenke, earned top postseason honors in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference after a recent voting by league coaches...

Schwenke helped anchor a Kahuku defense that pitched three shutouts and allowed only 32 points in six regular-season games (5.3 ppg). No East team scored more than 14 points against the Red Raiders.

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Kamehameha captures state title

In a game billed for the defenses, No. 2 Kamehameha knocked off No. 1 Kahuku, 34-21, last night to capture the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Division I Football Championship.

An Aloha Stadium crowd of 21,661 saw the highest scoring title game, beating out Kahuku's 27-26 win against Saint Louis in 2003.

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Welcome to house divided

When Kahuku meets a private school in football, there's bound to be some North Shore talent on the Interscholastic League of Honolulu team. But it doesn't get any more personal for Kahuku offensive coordinator Walter Santiago.

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Kahuku-Kamehameha as good as it gets

Top-ranked and top-seeded Kahuku will face its most formidable opponent of the season when it plays second-ranked and second-seeded Kamehameha tonight in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I State Football Championship.

Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

The Red Raiders (12-0), ranked No. 1 for the past three months, will face a Warriors team (11-1) that is coming off dominating performances in winning the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title in the regular season finale against defending state champion Punahou and by ousting 2007 state champion Leilehua in last week's semifinals.

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Kahuku seeking 6th state crown

Although Kahuku is the winningest team in the 11-year history of the First Hawaiian Bank State Football Tournament, the top-ranked Red Raiders return to the title game for only the first time in three years when they play No. 2 Kamehameha Friday at Aloha Stadium.

The Division I championship starts at 7:30 p.m.

Two-time defending champion 'Iolani will be seeking its fourth overall Division II title when it meets Kaua'i at 4:30 p.m.

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Mercado gives Kahuku a leg up

Kahuku High School senior Cameron Mercado is not intimidated by long distances, whether it's 50 yards or 5,000 miles.

Mercado, whose three field goals — including a 49-yarder — lifted the Red Raiders to a 9-6 victory over Farrington last night, transferred to Kahuku from Boca Raton (Fla.) High School in January. His sister had been attending Hawai'i Pacific University, and he was looking for a change in scenery.

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Crash kills ex-Kahuku star

Posted on: Monday, November 16, 2009

LA'IE — Waika Carvalho, Kahuku High School's former standout quarterback and the nephew of Kaua'i Mayor Bernard Carvalho, was killed Saturday night in a single-truck crash that injured four other young men.

Carvalho, 23, of Hau'ula, played on the 2003 Red Raiders squad that stormed to an undefeated 14-0 record and the O'ahu Interscholastic Association championship and state title. The Red Raiders beat Saint Louis at Aloha Stadium that year to win the state prep crown.

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Kahuku shows uncanny ability to pull out wins

Along with their red T-shirts, red-and-white pom poms and glittery poster board signs, the thousands of Kahuku High School football fans making the trek to Aloha Stadium for tomorrow's state semifinal game against Farrington should remember to pack one more thing:

High-blood pressure medicine.

Because if the 4 p.m. showdown is anything like the Red Raiders' past three games, hearts will be racing in the fourth quarter.

Kahuku, the state's only Division I unbeaten team at 11-0, has reached this point only after an O'ahu Interscholastic Association playoff run that included a goal-line stand in the closing seconds against Mililani, a game-winning touchdown with 27 seconds remaining vs. Castle and a fourth-quarter, two-TD rally to edge Leilehua in the championship game.

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Kahuku's D-line loves to pressure

Kahuku football coach Reggie Torres is a man with high expectations. But that hasn't been a problem for a trio of Red Raiders' defensive linemen.

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Kahuku rallies late to topple Leilehua, 24-20

Hauoli Jamora achieved a lineman's dream by scoring a touchdown, but he'll take the five sacks that helped top-ranked Kahuku rally past No. 3 Leilehua 24-20 last night at Aloha Stadium to win its second consecutive and 14th O'ahu Interscholastic Association football title since 1970.

Punga Vea's 44-yard touchdown run on an end reverse with five minutes, six seconds left in the game was the second of two fourth-quarter TDs to help the Red Raiders come back from a 20-10 deficit after three quarters.

Kahuku (11-0) draws a first-round state Division I tournament bye and plays in one semifinal Nov. 27 at Aloha Stadium.

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Kahuku stonewalls Mililani

Kahuku came up with a goal-line stand with 13 seconds remaining last night to hold off Mililani, 35-27, for a pulsating quarterfinal victory in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association football playoffs.

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No. 1 Red Raiders get kick out of transfer Mercado

Remember cringing when ever Kahuku tried for a point-after-touchdown kick in previous seasons?

For all the great athletes who played for the Red Raiders — All-State and Player of the Year selections who went on to play Division I college football and later to the NFL — none could kick a PAT with consistency. It got to the point where Kahuku would just go for the 2-point conversion.

Granted, the Red Raiders have improved in that area in recent years. St. John Lessary III was reliable, but sometimes it was asking a lot of him to kick after he was winded from scoring a TD because he was an all-star running back as well last season.

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Kahuku surges to 4-0 start

No. 2 Red Raiders score 21 in fourth to beat Roosevelt, 38-12

KAHUKU — Tyrone Brown's 55-yard touchdown scamper on the final play of the third quarter broke open a close game and Kahuku went on to race past Roosevelt, 38-12, last night in O'ahu Interscholastic Association football action.

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Kahuku topples Punahou, 24-14

Playing like a team with more experience, Kahuku came out firing on all cylinders to beat defending Division I state champion Punahou, 24-14, last night at Aloha Stadium.

The nonleague game was the season opener for the Buffanblu (0-1), who are looking for a successor to all-state quarterback Cayman Shutter.

Meanwhile, the Red Raiders (2-0) looked like a team ready for its O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red East opener Saturday at Kailua.

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Kahuku alums meet again

TAMPA, Fla. — If Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Chris Kemoeatu is blocking downfield and sees Arizona Cardinals safety Aaron Francisco in his path Sunday in Super Bowl XLIII, both know what will happen.

It's not the type of reunion the two former high school teammates at Kahuku relish. But they will set aside friendship for a championship.

"I'm heavier, so I'll get the best of him," says Kemoeatu, who is 6-3, 344 pounds compared to Francisco at 6-2, 216.

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Kahuku's Tonga is UH-bound

The University of Hawai'i football team yesterday secured commitments from All-State safety Aulola Tonga of Kahuku High School and running back Alex Green of Butte (Mont.) College.

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Warrior now, Red Raider for life

Even at 5 feet 9 and 170 pounds, Richard Torres amazes his Hawai'i football teammates with his courage, grit and skill.

But cut him, and his blood is red — the color of his high school alma mater.

"I'm proud to be from Kahuku," said Torres, whose father is the Red Raiders' head football coach.

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Defending champ Mules rally past Kahuku in OT

Leilehua receiver Cheves Aberilla Ramento caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andrew Manley in overtime and the Mules held off Kahuku on the ensuing possession last night for a thrilling 17-10 victory in the First Hawaiian Bank Division I Football State Championships.

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Kahuku athlete will sign on

An athletic defensive player from Kahuku High School yesterday accepted a scholarship from the University of Hawai'i football team.

Kamalani Alo, who is 6 feet 1 1/2 and 190 pounds, is projected to compete at safety for the Warriors. He is an outside linebacker for Kahuku.

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Kahuku grad makes most of change

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico State defensive lineman La'auli Fonoti was told he was going get a position change earlier this season.

The senior from Kahuku was formerly a linebacker for NMSU in his first three years on the field.

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