Chaminade football silences Oaks Christian in home opener

WEST HILLS — Chaminade junior linebacker Josiah Rand and senior defensive linemen Kingston Williams and Hudson Manning came after Oaks Christian sophomore quarterback Niko Bladow hard in the pocket.

Williams came forth with the pressure in the first half, and then Rand’s attack followed with pressure that was strong and calculated.

Bladow was sacked four times in the first half, and Rand blocked a punt that bounced out of the end zone for a safety in the second quarter in a demonstrative 18-0 shutout for Chaminade in its home opener.

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Bladow kept getting hit, and Chaminade kept delivering shot after shot in the backfield, led by the senior duo of Williams (a UNLV commit) and Manning (Idaho commit).

Williams made five tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss in a complete performance by Chaminade’s defense. Senior cornerback Elijah Washington (a Northern Arizona commit) had an interception before halftime with Chaminade ahead 5-0.

“My reaction is what I did best,” Williams said. “Whether it was run or pass, we instantly got to that ball, whether it was hitting the quarterback or getting to the running back. I got my hands on everything.”

Chaminade found its rhythm in the running game despite being without top offensive lineman Jackson Hill (a Notre Dame commit). Coaches wouldn’t comment on Hill’s status. With Hill unavailable, that created an opportunity for sophomore Joel Silva to step in.

Senior Marquis Jones scored on a 40-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and senior Shilo Beavers added a 22-yard touchdown run later in the fourth.

“Once we started establishing the physicality and we started moving, it changed the whole perspective on the game,” Silva said. “Our captains Jordan Ward and Chase Mason did a great job of leading us, and we just dominated.”

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Oaks Christian (0-1) had its share of defensive success, led by defensive lineman Alifeleti Tuihalamaka. The USC commit finished with seven tackles and a sack, but the Lions’ offense couldn’t get anything going.

Tuihalamaka kept pressure on sophomore Jeremy Mellalieu, and neither team scored a touchdown until Jones broke loose for Chaminade with 10:40 left in the fourth quarter.

“Shout out to our defense and our special teams,” Oaks Christian coach Rudy Carlton said. “I thought we outplayed them in those two aspects, but our offense was our glaring issue. Being an offensive guy, that was hard to watch, but it’s what we thought. We have a veteran defense that played lights out, and what I leave with today is that we are physical, we won the fistfight, and we played really hard against a really good football team. Our culture is great; our brotherhood is coming together.”

Bladow was 2-of-12 passing and held to under 50 yards in the first half. Carlton later brought in sophomore quarterback Talis Payne, and freshman Cody Bird got reps as well. But neither Bladow, Payne nor Bird could find comfort running or throwing the ball.

“We always try to create competition because this is such a QB-centric offense,” Carlton said. “We put a lot on those guys, and it’s never just hand the ball off. We are going to continue to develop everyone in the program, and Niko has every physical intangible you need to have a great quarterback and Talis has a unique skill set. We want competition, and we want to try and utilize every guy’s strengths.”

Chaminade (2-0) plays at Valencia (1-0) next Friday.

Oaks Christian travels to Rancho Cucamonga (1-0) next Friday.

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