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Kubasaki opens a tight game and remains perfect

Posted on by angelo
Kubasaki opens a tight game and remains perfect

Kubasaki's Lukas Gaines looks for space to run between ASIJ defenders Oskar Vermiere and Alex Moores.

Kubasaki’s Lukas Gaines looks to position himself between ASIJ defenders Oskar Vermiere and Alex Moores. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)


Dave Ornauer

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Lukas Gaines lost the ball on the second play of the game. From then on, he was a man on a mission.

The Kubasaki senior recovered a fumble, rushed for a touchdown, returned an interception for another, totaled 193 all-purpose yards and the Dragons scored 25 unanswered points to beat American School In Japan 38-14 on Saturday.

“He had an unbelievable game,” coach Tony Alvarado said of Gaines, who never leaves the field, playing fullback, linebacker and special teams cornerback.

With the win, the Dragons maintain first place in the Division I standings with a score of 3-0, while the Mustangs fall to last place with a score of 0-3.

It was Gaines’ interception with 1:43 left in the third quarter that proved to be the deciding play. The Mustangs struggled to get out of their zone and tried to rally from an 11-point deficit.

“I looked to my right and Tre (Johnson) told me someone was coming my way,” Gaines said. “So I saw the pass and I grabbed it. Once I got it, I looked for the green and I found it.”

Gaines finished with 101 yards on 12 carries and 92 yards on three returns, including the 48-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Led by quarterback Carlos Cadet’s 213 yards and four touchdowns on offense, the Dragons outscored the Mustangs 402 to 181 on offense.

Kubasaki's Josiah Good and Tai McMillan block ASIJ running back Micah Eickbush.

Kubasaki’s Josiah Good and Tai McMillan check ASIJ running back Micah Eickbush. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kubasaki's Jayden Rivera looks to evade ASIJ defender Ammon Summers.

Kubasaki’s Jayden Rivera tries to evade ASIJ defender Ammon Summers. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Haustyn Lunsford rushed for 82 yards on eight carries for Kubasaki.

Haustyn Lunsford rushed for 82 yards on eight carries for Kubasaki. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Isreal Rodriguez had 140 yards of offense and both of ASIJ's touchdowns.

Isreal Rodriguez had 140 yards of offense and both of ASIJ’s touchdowns. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Lukas Gaines was a man on a mission for Kubasaki: He rushed for a touchdown, recovered a fumble and returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown.

Lukas Gaines was a man on a mission for Kubasaki: He ran for a touchdown, recovered a fumble and returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kubasaki quarterback Carlos Cadet defends against the tackle of ASIJ's Michael Piscopo. Cadet had 213 yards and four touchdowns on offense for the Dragons.

Kubasaki quarterback Carlos Cadet defends against a tackle from ASIJ’s Michael Piscopo. Cadet had 213 yards and four touchdowns on offense for the Dragons. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

The lead fluctuated throughout the first half. ASIJ scored first on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Isreal Rodriguez to Shou Murakami-Moses to make it 7-0.

Cadet responded with a 10-yard TD run, then Gaines scored from the ASIJ 8-yard line to give the Dragons a 13-7 lead. Rodriguez’s 1-yard touchdown run, set up by two passes to Murakami-Moses for 43 yards, gave ASIJ a 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Rodriguez and first-year coach Ron Schnell both said it was the best football ASIJ had played all season until injuries caught up with the Mustangs.

“We gave Izzy (Rodriguez) time to throw the ball, we gave him protection,” Schnell said. “We contained the game well until the second half. We didn’t have a lot of players left. Kubasaki is a good team.”

“We just have to focus on that throughout the game,” Rodriguez said.

Alvarado said he was impressed with the Mustangs’ play from the start.

“They came to play,” Alvarado said. “They had a great game plan and they executed it perfectly” in the first quarter. Alvarado said of Rodriguez that he was “patient, he made smart choices and the receivers ran well.”

But after the first quarter, it was the Dragons’ turn.

Cadet threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-3 receiver Alex James to give Kubasaki the lead and stay within 19-14 with 4:35 left in the half, then Cadet added a 5-yard touchdown run with 3:32 left in the third quarter.

That preceded Gaines’ back-breaking interception return. The Dragons capped it off with a 70-yard touchdown pass from the Cadets to Elijah Durnell with 4:20 left.

“The line is unbelievable,” Gaines said. “Our quarterback and receivers are excellent. The holes the line created, it was outstanding.”

Cadet finished with 112 yards on 15 carries and went 5 of 11 for 101 yards. Haustyn Lunsford added 83 yards on eight attempts for a Dragons running game that racked up 301 yards on 38 carries. Maurice Brown also intercepted a pass and Kaiser Armour had a sack and blocked two ASIJ punts.

Rodriguez completed 10 of 25 passes for 132 yards and rushed for eight yards on six carries. Murakami-Moses caught four passes for 112 yards.

The Dragons next host Kadena, in what could be a battle for the top spot in next month’s Division I playoffs. The Mustangs travel to Humphreys, with the final playoff spot likely on the line. Both games are scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. Friday.