High school football: West ground game too much for Hunter

Fans at Friday's Hunter-West football matchup were treated to a pregame aerial show featuring sky divers landing on the field.

The Panthers then delighted their homecoming crowd with an impressive display on the ground. Tana Afeaki rushed for 160 yards on 18 carries and had two touchdowns, and Anetipa Vaisagano added 39 yards and a score as West earned its first 5A Region 2 win, 21-10 over the Wolverines.

"Our offensive line just stepped up today," said Afeaki.

"Our strength … is our offensive line, (Afeaki) and (Vaisagano)," said first-year Panthers coach Justin Spencer.

"That kid is a stud," he added, pointing to Afeaki.

The Panthers were dominant in the trenches on both sides of the ball, as holes opened on offense, led by senior lineman Jovonte Scott, and the West defensive linemen frequently made their way into the Wolverine backfield.

West had a long way to go for its first score. A punt by Hunter's Fausia Tanuvasa pinned the Panthers at their own 2-yard line.

That's when Afeaki started his engine. The senior tailback's number was called seven times on the 10-play, 98-yard drive. His 10-yard screen reception followed by an 18-yard run got the Panthers near midfield, and he capped the march with a 43-yard scoring romp.

Hunter's rushers then set the Wolverines up for their first score. Long runs by La'au Tanuvasa, quarterback Brett Lunceford and Tevita Bloomfield got Hunter in position for a 36-yard field goal by Jake Jex.

But that's all the points the Wolverines would get until the last minute of the game. West's defensive front, led by Semisi Afeaki, Jade Slade and Sione Talakai, kept the Hunter running game at bay most of the night. Panther linebackers David Solomon, who had six tackles, and Josh Fitisemanu made outstanding plays as well.

West extended its lead shortly before halftime. Afeaki's 48-yard scamper got the Panthers into the red zone, and West scored when Vaisagano took an option pitch from quarterback Chance Abrath five yards into the end zone.

West's Tevita Fangupo picked off Lunceford to stop a late first-half Hunter drive.

West dodged a bullet early in the third quarter. Hunter had good field position after a failed Panther fake punt. On third down, Lunceford ran a play-action and had La'au Tanuvasa wide open at the 5-yard line, but the pass bounced off his hands.

West ran out most of the clock in the fourth with another 10-play drive, as Afeaki took a handoff from the 5 into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.

Hunter responded, as Lunceford took the Wolverines down and found Niko Davidson for a 5-yard touchdown pass.

A tense moment followed. Hunter executed and recovered an onside kick, but a near-melee ensued on the sideline. Cooler heads prevailed, however, and the teams shook hands after the game.

"This is gonna be an instant rivalry," Spencer said of the matchup. "The teams are mirror images of each other, physical teams. … Their emotions are right at the surface."