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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, September 9, 2006

Kamehameha edges California power, 9-7

 •  Versatile Santiago helps Kapolei rally past 'Aiea

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kamehameha Schools quarterback Michael Hoke scored on a 2-yard bootleg with 1:42 remaining and Andrew Godinet made an interception on his 6-yard line with 21 seconds left to lift the Warriors over visiting California power Redlands East Valley, 9-7, last night.

Kamehameha, ranked No. 4 in The Advertiser's statewide Top 10 poll of coaches and media, improved to 4-0. It was the season opener for Redlands East Valley, a two-time defending league champion that advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation's Southern Section quarterfinals last season.

The Los Angeles Times has the Wildcats ranked No. 16 among the more than 400 football teams in the metropolitan area.

"This was a good wakeup call for us," Redlands East Valley coach Kurt Bruich said. "(The Warriors) have a great defense. Not a lot of California teams have a great defense like that, so it was good for us to see this."

Kamehameha had two sacks and two interceptions against the Wildcats' Ronnie Fouch, regarded as one of the top quarterbacks on the West Coast. Fouch, who has made a verbal commitment to play for the University of Washington next season, threw for more than 2,400 yards and 34 touchdowns last season with only four interceptions.

Last night, he completed 18 of 39 passes for 223 yards and added 23 yards rushing on eight attempts while deftly eluding several potential sacks.

"He's something," Warriors coach Kanani Souza said. "You gotta remember, this is their first game. He's a great quarterback and they've got great skill guys. We're fortunate our defense kept us in the ball game."

Kamehameha forced three punts and made an interception on Redlands East Valley's first four possessions, but the Wildcats finally broke through with an 11-play, 80-yard drive culminating in Chris Polk's 6-yard TD run with 3:53 remaining in the half.

The Warriors closed to 7-3 on Tyler Akao's 35-yard field goal with 7:09 left in the third quarter, and later took over at midfield with 5:12 remaining in the game. After Hoke's 16-yard pass to Pono Perez on fourth-and-3, Ian Bernardino made a diving 26-yard catch on the next play to give Kamehameha first-and-goal at the 1.

Kamehameha was stuffed on two running plays before Hoke dived into the end zone after his bootleg around right end.

After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, Redlands East Valley marched down the field, with Fouch keeping the drive alive on a 15-yard pass to Polk on fourth-and-10 from his own 40. A 19-yard pass to Polk on third-and-10 advanced the ball to the Warriors' 26, but Fouch threw a pass under heavy pressure over the middle, where Godinet came up with the pick.

"It's what we practice every day — we have to be ready for everything," Godinet said. "Their offense is potent, but we just had to play defense like we always do. It was a team win."

Godinet said "there's always pride" when a Hawai'i team faces a Mainland power, but he added Kamehameha had extra incentive.

"We have a record of not losing on this field," Godinet said of four-year-old Kunuiakea Stadium. "We want to keep that going."

EXTRA POINT: Fouch's mother, Rhonda (Hoenisch) Fouch, is a 1975 Kamehameha graduate and a former volleyball standout for the Warriors. She is Redlands East Valley's athletic director.

REDLANDS EAST VALLEY (0-1) 0 7 0 0 — 7

KAMEHAMEHA (4-0) 0 0 0 9 — 9

REV — Chris Polk 6 run (Tyler Banta kick)

KS — FG Tyler Akao 35

KS — Michael Hoke 2 run (kick blocked)

RUSHING — REV: Fouch 8-33, Joshua Garcia 12-49, Dylan Cruz 2-10, Polk 5-13. KS: Ryan Montez 13-49, Kahaku Ka'ai 2-(minus-8), Bronson DeLuze 2-10, Hoke 6-(minus-5), Pono Perez 8-25, Marcus Mosher 1-1.

PASSING — REV: Fouch 18-39-2—223. KS: Ka'ai 0-4-0—0, DeLuze 0-3-0—0, Hoke 7-9-0—81.

RECEIVING — REV: Polk 6-121, Garcia 3-17, Christopher Lewis 3-15, Pearce Ollar 1-9, Lawler 2-34, Cruz 2-19, Clayton Goodrich 1-8. KS: Justin Saniatan 4-26, Joshua Meha 1-13, Perez 1-16, Ian Bernardino 1-26.

JV score: Kamehameha 7, Redlands East Valley 7

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.