WAILUKU - About the only things that seem to go wrong for the Baldwin High School football team are the penalties the Bears pile up - so they decided to pass on their sorrows.
One week after committing 12 infractions for 136 yards, Baldwin had 12 for 122 yards - accounting for three touchdowns being called back, although the Bears scored on each of those possessions in a 42-6 win over Maui High on Friday night at War Memorial Stadium in front of about 4,000 fans.
Keelan Ewaliko threw for 196 yards five touchdowns as the Bears (4-0) dominated as they have in all their Maui Interscholastic League games, reaching 40 points for a fourth straight time - they have outscored MIL opponents 166-13.
Article Photos
Baldwin High School’s Keelan Ewaliko releases a pass during the second quarter of the Bears’ 42-6 win over Maui High on Friday night at War Memorial Stadium.
The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
Baldwin holds a three-game lead in the MIL Division I race over Maui High (1-3) and King Kekaulike with four to play after next week's fair break.
For only the second time in MIL play, the Bears gave up a touchdown, but that didn't matter as they showed their passing attack is still valid.
Baldwin has led the league in passing in every season of its six-year reign as overall MIL champions, but came into Friday's game with 846 rushing yards - 400 more than second-best Maui High - and just 280 though the air, second in the league but 247 behind King Kekaulike.
Fact Box
MIL Standings
| DIVISION I | |||||
| - | W | L | Pct | PF | PA |
| Baldwin | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 166 | 13 |
| Maui High | 1 | 3 | .250 | 58 | 124 |
| King Kekaulike | 1 | 3 | .250 | 41 | 103 |
| DIVISION II | |||||
| - | W | L | Pct | PF | PA |
| Lahainaluna | 2 | 1 | .667 | 51 | 50 |
| KS Maui | 1 | 2 | .333 | 58 | 84 |
Friday's Result
Baldwin 42, Maui High 6
Today's Game
Lahainaluna vs. Kamehameha Maui at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 7
Baldwin at Kamehameha Maui, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 8
Maui High at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.
"Well, I told them last week that we have to show the league that we can pass the ball," said Baldwin coach A.J. Roloos. "Because we ran for three games, we ran for 800 yards. I'm pretty sure now we can pass the ball. We had to throw the ball today, we planned on that all week."
Roloos was clearly not happy with the penalties, however.
"There's not too much we can do," he said. "We just have to keep playing through everything. I mean, there's two teams out there playing and only one side gets called, so we just have to play through everything."
Maui High was penalized nine times for 90 yards.
Baldwin recorded its fifth touchdown of the night one play after two straight scoring runs were called back by penalty. Kina Malafu scored on a 29-yard run after Ewaliko had 16- and 34-yarders called back by penalties.
Malafu's run with 4 minutes, 21 seconds left in the third quarter made the score 35-6. The Bears turned on the 35-point mercy-rule running clock with 11:12 to play when Ewaliko found Ryan Garces for a touchdown for the second time in the game, this one from 30 yards out.
Baldwin rolled to a 28-6 halftime lead behind four touchdown passes by Ewaliko and some sloppy ballhandlng by Maui High.
The Bears took advantage of a 19-yard punt to score on a 46-yard drive, culminated by a 24-yard pass to Garces for the first touchdown with 3:37 left in the first quarter.
A 3-yard punt set up the next score, a 17-yard reception by Kaiana Camvel that capped a three-play, 42-yard drive helped by a 15-yard personal-foul penalty on Maui High.
The Sabers fumbled on the next play from scrimmage and the Bears' Amery Rodrigues recovered on the Maui High 15-yard line. On the next play, the Bears scored their second touchdown in 14 seconds when Brandon Fernandez caught a scoring pass.
After another Maui High fumble was recovered by Baldwin's Semisi Malafu on the Sabers' 20, and the Bears scored four plays later on a 9-yard reception by Chazzen Sau with 4:10 to go in the half.
Baldwin did not punt until 3:28 remained in the half, but it led to Maui High's score.
Siueli Vaha broke loose for a 63-yard run to the Baldwin 31, then hit Keone Kapisi on a pretty 28-yard pass before Russell Kaauamo caught an 8-yard throw from Vaha with 35 seconds left in the half.
Baldwin had a 159-6 advantage in offensive yardage in the first quarter, but the margin was just 256-132 at halftime after Maui High's 94-yard march to its touchdown, just the second scored against Baldwin by an MIL team.
"I think our boys came ready to play, you know our boys got some fight in them and they fought all the way to the end regardless of what the score is and we are proud of them for that," said Sabers coach David Bui.
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com
Baldwin ....... 21 ..... 7 ..... 14 ..... 0-42
Maui High ..... 0 ..... 6 ..... 0 ..... 0- 6
First Quarter
B-Ryan Garces 24 pass from Keelan Ewaliko (Zacharic Coloma-Mariano kick), 3:37.
B-Kaiana Camvel 17 pass from Ewaliko (Coloma-Mariano kick), 1:16.
B-Brandon Fernandez 15 pass from Ewaliko (Coloma-Mariano kick), 1:02.
Second Quarter
B-Chazzen Sau 9 pass from Ewaliko (Coloma-Mariano kick), 4:10.
MH-Russell Kaauamo 8 pass from Siueli Vaha (kick failed), 0:35.
Third Quarter
B-Kina Malafu 29 run (Coloma-Mariano kick), 4:21.
B-Garces 30 pass from Ewaliko (Coloma-Mariano kick), 11:12.
Junior varsity-Baldwin 42, Maui High 0.
