Kaeo Drummondo has Kamehameha looking sharp in coaching debut
Aug. 13—Two new head coaches with state championship experience got mixed results on Saturday night.
The Kaeo Drummondo era at Kamehameha got off to a sizzling start as the coach who won two state championships at Hilo returned to his alma mater and oversaw a 51-7 season-opening win over Moanalua at Skippa Diaz Stadium.
Senior Moe Passi rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns and Kamehameha scored on seven of eight first-half possessions to earn its first win in 11 games dating back to 2021, when it beat Saint Louis twice and Punahou once in consecutive games.
"We've been working since we've been here in March and the kids have worked extremely hard in the summer, so I was just excited for them, really," Drummondo said. "We told them we're trying to see what kind of character we will have as a team and they have control over that. How they came out tonight and responded to adversity and responded to success will go a long way in determining what the character of this team will be."
Drummondo got an opportunity to see a lot of guys play as Kamehameha rolled to a 45-0 halftime lead.
Sophomore Nainoa Melchor finished with 69 rushing yards and three touchdowns and quarterbacks Jevin Bolos-Reyes and Hayzn Botelho each threw a touchdown pass.
Bolos-Reyes tossed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Kala'i Bradley to open the scoring in the second quarter before giving way to Botelho, a sophomore.
Junior Pono Kahaulelio also played QB in the second half but attempted only one pass with the game out of reach.
Kain Tubania hit a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give Kamehameha a 45-0 lead at halftime.
"For the most part I was really happy with what I saw," Drummondo said. "We could have been a little bit cleaner starting the second half giving up that long touchdown pass with a break in coverage, but we got out of here pretty much healthy and we're building. We have a lot of inexperience."
Andrew Manley, who led Leilehua to a state title as a sophomore call-up from the junior varsity team in 2007, made his head coaching debut for Na Menehune, who went 2-6-1 last year, including a 21-21 tie against Kamehameha.
Sophomore quarterback Tayden-Evan Kaawa, who already holds scholarship offers from six schools, including Arizona, Oregon and Washington, was under heavy pressure all game long.
Kaawa finished 11-for-24 for 154 yards, with 76 of those yards coming on a touchdown pass to Kama Corales on the first play of Na Menehune's second drive in the third quarter.
"It was a little nervous, but it's coaching," Manley said. "It's get out here and put the boys in the right positions and we didn't. We've got to go home and our coaches have to make adjustments and our players have to make adjustments."
Moanalua's lone stop on defense in the first half came when linebacker Tanner Pangan stripped the ball from Passi, with Daniel Bittle recovering.
Edge rusher Tristan Waiamau-Galindo led the Warriors defense with a sack and two tackles for loss in the first half. Kamehameha outgained Moanalua in total yards 319-54 in the opening 24 minutes. The second half was played under the 35-point, running clock mercy rule.
