It was the final HHSAA Division I tournament contest to finish on Friday night, but Campbell pretty much had its quarterfinal game wrapped up by the half against Waiakea.
It was the final HHSAA Division I tournament contest to finish on Friday night, but Campbell pretty much had its quarterfinal game wrapped up by the half against Waiakea.
Behind a stingy defense and rolling running attack, the Sabers opened a big halftime lead against the BIIF runner-up Warriors and cruised into the Division I semifinals with a 48-0 victory.
Campbell will play Iolani — the No. 3 seed out of the ILH — which beat Moanalua 17-14. The season is over for Waiakea with a record of 3-9.
Kawika Ulufale scampered for three touchdowns, while Tasi Faumui and Dustin Abillanida each accounted for two scores in the Sabers lopsided victory.
The shorthanded Warriors didn’t get much done on the offensive side of the ball, but Wesley Amuimuia and Austin Deperalta did their best to chip away for yardage. The duo combined for just over 100 yards rushing.
Campbell got on the board with a weaving 31-yard run by Faumui in the first quarter. The flowy-haired back tossed one Warrior to the ground, then cutback up the field for the score to conclude the six play drive.
On the ensuing kickoff, Waiakea had a miscommunication and the Sabers took over inside the Warriors 5-yard line. One play later, Ulufale found the end zone and a two-point pass made it 14-0 less than two minutes into the game.
The Sabers continued to rally in the first quarter. Set up by another long run from Faumui, Vernon Etrata-Daite ran untouched into the end zone on a 15-yard shovel pass from Abillanida.
On Campbell’s next drive, Ulufale added his second score of the game — a 21-yard scamper into the left corner of the end zone.
Waiakea did have something to cheer about at the end of the first quarter, picking up a first down and getting close to midfield with the help of a personal foul against the Sabers. However, a big sack pushed the Warriors back, and quarterback Ka’io Kon had his first long try of the game picked off to start the second quarter.
The Warriors got another glimmer of hope after linebacker Peter Matsuura put a hard hit on the Campbell QB, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Fafo Tevaseu and returned into Saber territory. The drive ended with Kon’s second interception in the end zone, but Waiakea would get the ball right back on an interception by Cheyn Tam-Switzer.
However, the rest of the quarter would be all Campbell with Abillanida and Faumui adding scores to put the Sabers up 41-0 at the break.
It was more of the same to start the second half, albeit at a lesser pace for Campbell. Ulufale added his third rushing score on a 3-yard plunge to make it 48-0, a touchdown that wrapped up the scoring for the night.