Hunter football falls in state playoffs

With a bumpy first half of the season the Wolverines came together at the end of the season to play in the state playoffs.

“It was a great season,” Hunter head football coach Les Hamilton said. “We were just a few plays away to more wins in the league. We really started to come together at the end of the season.”

The highlight of the Hunter football season was the game at eventual region champion Viewmont Oct. 19. Hunter took an early lead in the first half with a 97-yard kick return from senior Davonte Maez. By halftime Hunter had a 14-point lead on its opponents at 28-14. The lead would remain in Hunter’s favor as neither team scored in the second half.

“We had a really fun group of seniors this year,” Hamilton said. “These young men stepped up and showed great leadership. They never stopped working hard all year. I am really proud of them.”

The team’s main weaknesses during the beginning of the season were 25 turnovers in the first 6 games. Yet, their strength was in the defense that stepped up and kept the games close.

“We changed a little in the formations this year, and once we stopped turning the ball over we won,” Hamilton said. “These boys never quit. They had a chance to get down on themselves during the streak of losses, but they never did. They kept working hard and that made a successful year.”

The win against Viewmont put the team in the state playoffs. At fourth place in Region 2, it competed against Lone Peak, the top-ranked team in the state, in the first round. While Lone Peak scored quite a few points in the first three quarters for the win of 51-6, Hunter never gave up and kept the Knights from scoring in the fourth quarter.

“In the offseason, the boys will work on more speed and strength to have a little more edge next year,” Hamilton said.

Hunter recovered from a rough start to reach the playoffs. The Wolverines started the season 0-5, including zero points in their first three games. But Hunter finished the regular season by winning three of its final four games, including the win at region champion Viewmont.

Senior Moses Folauhola, a defensive lineman who has committed to play at the University of Utah, and senior Travis Aiono, a linebacker, were mentioned as exemplary leaders and players by Hamilton.

Other senior football players graduating this year were: Erick Rivera, Derek Tuitavuki, Dimitri Saliba, Sioeli Kupu, Sherman Faulkner, Siamani Harris, Nyles Lapuaho, Davonte Maez, Terrence Davidson, Josh Gabbard, Alii Ete, Jose Roman, Gus Cordova, Jordan Huffman, Ziggy Lutui, Derek Colindres, Michael Cortez, Clarence Henry, Tohi Angilau and Cesar Gomez.