Misipeka, Skyhawks power past Sundevils

One run by Silverado junior running back Keikiokalani Misipeka set the tone for the Skyhawks on Friday against Eldorado.

With Silverado already leading 14-0 in the second quarter, Misipeka took a handoff at the Eldorado 35-yard line, ran left, pounded through four would-be tacklers, stumbled and then sprinted into the end zone.

Misipeka finished with three touchdowns, as the Skyhawks overpowered the visiting Sundevils 36-0.

Misipeka, who also had TD runs of 20 and 5 yards in the game, appeared to be channeling Marshawn Lynch on his tackle-defying run for a score. But Silverado coach Randall Cunningham said overall, Misipeka reminds him of another well-known back.

"He reminds me of like a Walter Payton," said Cunningham. "He takes hits and doesn't care and bounces off of them. We like to give him the ball because he is like a hard-core runner. He's got that mentality. He's fast and he's dedicated. And the linemen love blocking for him."

Misipeka, who had 15 carries for 97 yards to lead the Skyhawks (2-1), said there may have been a little divine intervention involved on his bruising TD run.

"I felt good, but I thought myself that I was going to go down," said Misipeka. "But I just felt God helped me back up, (and) helped me to the end zone."

Eldorado, meanwhile, had a difficult time parting the Skyhawks defense, as the Sundevils (0-2) were held to 189 yards. The Skyhawks also came up with four sacks and three interceptions.

Linebacker Pekelo Solomon opened the scoring for the Skyhawks on the first play of the second quarter, as he picked off an Eldorado screen pass attempt in the middle of the field and raced 45 yards to the end zone to make it 7-0.

ZaKee Washington and Vernon Jackson also had interceptions for Silverado.

The Skyhawks also forced a safety, as Dean Doss tackled running back Michael Davis in the end zone with 6:33 left in the third quarter to push the lead to 29-0.

Devion Clayton also had a 68-yard kickoff return for a score, and Garrett Chanice blocked a punt, which set up Misipeka's first TD run.

While the Skyhawks were mostly dominant, it was far from a perfect outing, as the team had nine penalties and gave away four interceptions.

"I think we are still trying to gel in our passing game, " said Cunningham. "And we will. It just will take some time. (Starting quarterback) Micah (Weber) didn't even play quarterback last year. So for him to be out here leading the team, and to be 2-1, I'm very proud."

And Cunningham said he was happy to get his first home win as a head coach.

"It feels good," said Cunningham. "Our coaches did a great job. It's kind of like a family here. They love each other … and we have our little scuffles. But it's like a family. That's what I wanted to build here. "