By ROBERT COLLIAS, Staff Writer
PUKALANI - It was a battle of champions, but it came out decidedly in favor of the visitors from the Far East.
King Kekaulike High School – the defending Division II state champions – ran headlong into the Kwansai Fighters at King Kekaulike Stadium on Friday night.
The team that won the Japanese spring national championship a few months ago came out on top 46-20 in front of about 2,000 friendly fans in a rare international football showcase.
It was a combination of misdirection, the ball being hidden in the backfield and a stifling defense that did in King Kekaulike. The deficit reached 35-0 before Na Alii seemed to realize what had hit them.
“I told you they are awesome,’’ King Kekaulike coach J.W. Kenton said. “I knew we were going to get in a little war there with them and they gave us everything.’’
The fans from Kekaulike donned signs supporting the Japanese team and players, making the experience special for the visitors.“They were fast and speedy and very powerful,’’ Kwansai coach Masa Nakao said of Na Alii through interpreter Ryota Hayashi, a player. “The players enjoyed this and we had a very good experience.’’
The Fighters will spend their next two days on Maui sightseeing and going to the beach,’’ according to Nakao.
Masaki Matsuoka showed just how explosive the Fighters are on their first play from scrimmage. He took a handoff, cut through the right side of the line and ran 38 yards.
Kwansai took its first possession 68 yards in eight plays as Matsuoka accounted for 63 yards on five carries. He capped the drive with a 1-yard dive with 6 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Kekaulike had the first of many first-half opportunities slip through its hands on the next possession when a perfect pass from Corry Roy bounced off the hands of a wide-open Von Sparks inside the Kwansai 10-yard line.
“Corry made some really nice runs and we had our chances, but then we seemed to fumble them away,’’ Kenton said. “The most important thing from this was the cultural experience and we finally got a preseason game and I can see where we need to improve.’’
The Fighters made Kekaulike pay for that mistake on the next play when Shunsuke Wada took a flip back after a handoff and cut through the Kekaulike defense on a 67-yard run. Sagehari hit Yohei Takeda on a 12-yard touchdown pass on the next play top make it 14-0 with 9:21 left before halftime.
With under six minutes to go in the half, Roy broke free for a 43-yard keeper on an option, but another fumble two plays later gave the ball to Kwansai on its own 15.
Takashi Minamimoto hauled in a pass behind the Na Alii defense four plays later and outsprinted all the defenders to the end zone on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Sagehari with 2:36 left in the second quarter.
Na Alii again got deep into Kwansai territory, but Roy’s pass was swatted away in the end zone on the final play of the first half.
Kwansai lifted the lead to 35-0 before Kekaulike could finally break through on a 65-yard pass from Roy to Taylor Rodrigues with 5:04 left in the third quarter.
Before that, Kwansai opened the second half with a pair of quick scores – on a 3-yard run by Matsuoka and a 20-yard reception by Shunsuke Wada from backup quarterback Takushiro Hata.
The second of the Fighters’ second-half touchdowns was set up by a fumble at midfield on a bad pitch by Na Alii. Kwansai took the second kickoff 70 in seven plays to go ahead 28-0 on Matsuoka’s second score.
After Na Alii scored on its first play of its next drive on the long pass from Roy to Rodrigues, Yukinobu Onishi nailed a 45-yard field goal with 2:08 left in the third quarter to make it 38-7.
Na Alii scored its final touchdown on an 18-yard run by Edrian Dela Cruz on the first play of the fourth quarter. Dela Cruz accounted for 67 yards on the 90-yard drive on three runs and a 25-yard reception. The drive was also helped by a 15-yard pass interference penalty that gave Na Alii a first down on the Kwansai 18.
Kekaulike added its last score on a 13-yard pass from backup quarterback Kawika Purdy to Casey Murayama with 1:11 left.
For the game, Matsuoka led Kwansai with 99 yards and two scores on 11 carries. Three other runners had at least 50 yards as the Fighters piled up 275 rushing yards and 227 in the air.
Kekaulike finished with 226 yards rushing – led by the 59 yards on eight carries by Makoa Aikala – and 118 in the air.
First Quarter
Kwan–Masaki Matsuoka 1 run (Yukinobu Onishi kick), 6:36
Second Quarter
Kwan–Yohei Takeda 12 pass from Yusuke Sagehari (Onishi kick), 9:21
Kwan–Takashi Minamimoto 66 pass from Sagehari (Onishi kick), 2:36
Third Quarter
Kwan–Matsuoka 3 run (Onishi kick), 8:36
Kwan–Shunsuke Wada 20 pass from Takushiro Hata (Onishi kick), 5:19
KK–Taylor Rodrigues 65 pass from Corry Roy (Eli Smith kick), 5:04
Kwan–Onishi 45 FG, 2:08
Fourth Quarter
KK–Edrian Dela Cruz 18 run (kick failed), 11:50
Kwan–Masahiro Matsuda 3 pass from Kosuke Sakurama (Yuki Omori run), 6:04
KK–Casey Murayama 13 pass from Kawika Purdy (Smith kick), 1:11
(The Maui Newsより）
※「Na Alii」はKingKekaulike高校の愛称、ハワイ語で酋長の意
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