Keiaho Gets 415 Yards in Buena Win

Shattering records as though they were panes of glass Friday night at Ventura High, George Keiaho rushed 29 times for 415 yards and five touchdowns to carry Buena to a 42-30 nonleague win over Westlake.

Keiaho put on a grand season-opening performance in Buena’s new-look, one-back attack. But it took his 19-yard touchdown run with 2 minutes 11 seconds remaining to put the game out of the reach of Westlake’s potent offense.

“My line had me motivated,” Keiaho said. “They were blocking so good.”

And when Keiaho didn’t have a hole, he made one. With his effort he shattered Buena records for points in a game (Tony Williams, 20 in 1989) and yards rushing (234 by Keiaho against Dos Pueblos in 1990). The total is seventh best in Southern Section history.

Keiaho ground out 42 yards on the Bulldogs’ first drive, hauling a Westlake tackler the final two for a touchdown. But that was just the overture for the 5-foot-9, 195-pound junior.

After Rudy Rocha’s recovery of a fumble by Westlake’s Jason Bedell at the Buena eight, Keiaho burst through the line and rambled 92 yards for his second score.

Keiaho’s third touchdown came the next time he touched the ball. He bounced off the Warrior line and spun into the open field for a 73-yard race to the end zone. After one quarter, Keiaho had 215 yards and Buena led, 21-3.

It must have seemed like a moral victory for Westlake when it held Keiaho to eight yards in his next two carries. Then it was 84 yards for another score.

With 300 yards rushing, Keiaho became a decoy as quarterback Aaron Triana, a senior, executed a play fake and hit Drew Johnson for a 28-yard scoring strike to give the Bulldogs a 35-17 halftime lead.

Keiaho’s monster performance overshadowed a fine night by Bedell, Westlake’s junior tailback who kept the Warriors close in the first half and finished with 164 yards in 24 carries. Jeremy Bunn rushed for three touchdowns for the Warriors and quarterback Brian Field (13 of 27, 200 yards) threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Colby Brannan.