Moanalua quarterback Alakai Yuen passed for 420 yards and six touchdowns in a win over Leilehua. Peter Caldwell | SL

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Fri, Oct 9, 2015 @ Leilehua [ 7:00 pm ]

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Moanalua

58

Leilehua

22

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Moanalua (4-6-0)	14	28	7	9	58
Leilehua (3-6-0)	0	10	6	6	22

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Konapiliahi Andres 220 yd 1 TD

Alakai Yuen 420 yd 6 TD

Zach Kamalani 24 yd 1 TD

Michael Feliciano 28 yd 1 TD

Ty Keough 79 yd 1 TD

Michael Feliciano 131 yd 2 TD

WAHIAWA – The 25^th time proved to be the charm.

Moanalua unleashed seasons of frustration in beating nemesis Leilehua, 58-22, Friday night in the opening round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I football tournament at Hugh Yoshida Stadium.

Na Menehune (4-5) advance to the quarterfinals to face defending champion Mililani next weekend. The Mules (3-6) end their season for the first time after the first round since the advent of the 12-team tournament format in 2011.

Quarterback Alakai Yuen completed 33 of 44 passes for 420 yards and six touchdowns for Moanalua.

It was the first time in 25 meetings that Moanalua beat Leilehua. The series, dating to 1973, when Moanalua first played varsity football, had been dominated by the Mules, who had outscored Na Menehune, 747-113, during the previous 24 meetings. From 2011 to 2013, the teams met in the OIA tournament with Leilehua winning those three games by an average margin of 41-9. The 58 points were the second-most a Moanalua team has scored in its school history; it beat Kalani, 61-0, in 2001.

"Watching my brother (Stevie in 2013) lose by 60 points, (the win) feels like one of the greatest feelings I've had in a long time," Moanalua senior running back Michael Feliciano said of finally beating the Mules.

(Actually, Leilehua beat Moanalua, 54-17, in the first round of the tournament in 2013; the Mules did beat Na Menehune, 60-14, in 1991.)

"Yes, that was the first time Moanalua has ever beaten Leilehua," Moanalua coach Jason Cauley said. "It's amazing. I get chicken skin just saying it."

The game started off conservatively with each team punting after its first series.  Moanalua was forced to punt on its second series, too, but was given second life when Kea Rodrigues recovered a muffed punt by Leilehua at the Mules' 29. It was the first of five Leilehua turnovers that Moanalua recycled into scores.

"We started out on fire," Cauley said. "Usually, we wait until the second half, but tonight, we started out in the first quarter. We didn't stop. We kept going, putting it on the gas pedal."

Pressing the pedal was Yuen, who through for season highs in completions, attempts, yardage, TD passes and completion percentage. He threw TD passes of 9 and 8 yards to Feliciano; 12 and 18 yards to Ryan Romones; 30 yards to Brandon Bender; and 36 yards to Rodson Kealohi. Feliciano also had a 3-yard TD run and Kealohi returned an interception 45 yards for another score. Blake Tom, who had seven PATs, also booted a 43-yard field goal.

"He got hot and everyone was catching the ball," Cauley said of Yuen. "He was working with space. Leilehua did a great job of shutting down the run game. An amazing job, but that opened things up for Alakai and he took advantage of it."

What Moanalua did was cash in on the turnovers.

Following the muffed punt by Leilehua, Yuen hit Brandon Bender for the 30-yard TD pass.

Later in the first quarter, Moanalua recovered a fumble at the Mules' 37. Six plays later, Yuen hit Feliciano on a cross pattern for a 9-yard TD and it was quickly, 14-0.

But the Mules answered quickly on their next series, needing only three plays because of Kona Andres' 66-yard TD pass to Keough to start the second quarter and cut Leilehua's deficit in half.

Moanalua responded with Yuen's 8-yard TD pass to Feliciano to make it 21-7.

Leilehua chipped away with Connor Murakami's 35-yard field goal to pull the Mules to 21-10. But that would be the closest it got.

On Moanalua's next six-play series, Yuen completed 6 of 6 passes for 80 yards, the last being a 36-yard TD to Kealohi to make it 28-10.

Less than a minute later, Kealohi jumped in front of receiver Anthony Ugalino and returned an interception off Andres 45 yards for a TD to make it 35-10.

Moanalua still had its foot on the pedal, scoring on Yuen's 12-yard TD pass to Ryan Romones with 16 seconds left in the half to increase the lead to 42-10.

Leilehua opened the second half by driving down into Moanalua territory, only to lose another fumble at the Na Menehune 14. Moanalua methodically drove down the field and ended the drive with Feliciano' scoring from 3 yards out to make it 49-10.

Leilehua did not roll over, scoring on its ensuing series on a 1-yard run by running back Zach Kamalani. The Mules tried a fake PAT with a run, but failed in the attempt for the 2-point conversion keeping the score 49-16.

An interception by Rodrigues inside Leilehua's red zone set up Yuen's 18-yard TD pass to Romones. Jostin Gampoyan blocked the PAT to make it 55-16.

But Keough took a lateral from Charles Watson inside the 5 on the ensuing kickoff and returned the ball 93 yards. Leilehua's 2-point conversion try failed, but it pulled to 55-22 with 10:05 left in the game.

Leilehua's failed onside kickoff gave Moanalua the ball at the Mules' 48, easily setting up Tom's 43-yard field goal.

Moanalua has the first crack at spoiling Mililani's defense of the OIA title. A convincing win against perennial contender Leilehua is a start, isn't it?

"I hope so. Are they going to hold their team out," Cauley jokingly said of the Trojans, who average 59 points per game this season. "No, it's a good booster for the boys and hopefully they see when they work hard during the week – if they do work hard during the week - it puts out on the game night as well."