Mark Lagazo and the Surfriders are eager to erase the bitter memory of a season-ending loss at the hands of Rico Rosario and the Seariders, who they meet in an OIA first-round game Friday night. ScoringLive photo illustration

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As memorable as the ride was for the Kailua football team in 2015, the way the season ended was a heartbreaking one.

A 5-0 start to coach Hauoli Wong's first season leading his alma mater was all but an afterthought following a 37-22 loss at Waianae in the quarterfinal round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I tournament.

It was an uncharacteristic performance for the otherwise prolific Kailua offense. Despite an early 7-0 lead, it couldn't overcome three interceptions and faded in the second half, when the Seariders were in the midst of a 24 straight points scored.

"The big key was the three turnovers," Wong reflected Wednesday evening. "You can't do that against a good team like Waianae."

Wong's Surfriders will get their shot at redemption Friday night when they make a return trip to the Leeward coast in one of four opening-round match ups in the OIA D1 tournament.

Kickoff between Kailua (3-4) and Waianae (6-2, 5-2) is set for 7:30 p.m. at Raymond Torii Field.

Both squads are coming off losses in their final regular games. The Seariders dropped a 14-12 decision at Campbell two weeks ago, while the Surfriders fell short against Windward rival Castle, 24-21, Saturday night.

The defeats were costly ones for both teams. Waianae lost out on a first-round bye after it was leapfrogged by the Sabers for the Blue Division's second seed. Kailua's chances at the Red Division's fourth seed with a win over the Knights were never realized.

"The morale is still up there, (but) the whole thing about it is we had a chance to host a playoff game against Aiea instead of traveling to Waianae and playing them at their home field," Wong said.

The Surfriders fell into a 21-0 hole against Castle and didn't get on the board until quarterback Mark Lagazo's 4-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. They mounted a valiant rally with 21 fourth-quarter points, but ultimately ran out of time.

"They know they let one slip away," Wong said. "We should have took care of business and we'd be hosting a playoff game instead of going away for one."

Lagazo, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound senior, has been a bright spot for the Kailua offense despite imperfect circumstances. Lagazo, who started the season at running back, was thrust into starting quarterback duties after Keoni Serikawa suffered a fractured collarbone early in the second game of the season.

Lagazo, who is also a defensive back, has played in all seven games this season. He has passed for 628 yards with eight touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 472 yards. Lagazo has at least one rushing TD in five games this season.

"I think with each game he just shows a different side of him, whether he's running the ball on the read (option) or throwing it," Wong said. "It just shows how versatile he is. He can hurt you with his arm and his legs, so you've got to honor the pass as well."

Wong is more cautious of his defense making enough plays against a Waianae offense that features a multitude of weapons.

"They're a young unit with a combination of sophomores and juniors, but when they play together and they do their assignments, they're really good, but it's about starting that from the beginning and everybody doing their job and their responsibilities, then we can stop people," Wong said. "When we're doing our own thing and not doing the right technique, then we're going to get beat on the deep route, or if we don't fill a gap, one of their running backs will beat you, or if we don't keep contain."

The Seariders have a backfield that features four players with at least 150 rushing yards in Rico Rosario (647 yds, 8 rush TDs), Javen Towne (309, 2), Kade Ambrocio (250, 5) and Jorell Pontes-Borje (159, 2).

In its playoff win over Kailua last year, Waianae churned out 307 of its 362 yards of total offense on the ground.

"Their run game killed us last year, especially in the third quarter," Wong said. "They had a drive for seven or eight minutes that just ate up a lot of clock and limited us in possessions. They're going to run the ball — there's no secret to that — but they'll throw it past you, too."

Enter seniors Jaren Ulu — the second-year starting quarterback, who has 886 passing yards and 11 TDs on the year — and Isaiah Freeney — the speedy wideout with 20 receptions for 361 yards and four trips to the end zone this season.

The Waianae defense has been no slouch, allowing an average of just 15 points and 177 yards per game.

Wong summed it up: "Waianae is just tough, gritty, they tackle well, they play hard every down and they have a great coaching staff that will have them ready Friday night."

The winner will advance to face Mililani, the Red No. 2 seed, in a quarterfinal game next weekend. The loser's season is over.