OIA Football
Waianae rolls Kailua, 29-6; will face Kahuku in quarterfinals


  



Sat, Oct 13, 2012 @ Mililani [ 6:30 pm ]


Final 1 2 3 4 T
Kailua (2-7-0) 0 0 0 66
Waianae (5-5-0) 7 15 7 029

MILILANI-Running backs Jemery Willes and Alakai Kealoha combined for 203 yards rushing and Waianae beat Kailua, 29-6, in the first round of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red tournament Saturday night at John Kauinana Stadium.

The Seariders (5-4), eighth in the Scoring Live/OC 16 Power Rankings, will travel to Kahuku for next week's quarterfinals.

The game was played at Mililani because Waianae's stadium bleachers are undergoing renovation. The Seariders haven't played at home since last year's first round of the playoffs.

The Surfriders (2-7) ended their season losing quarterback Kahaku Iaea midway through the third quarter with what Kailua coach Gary Rosolowich described as "a mild concussion." He was hurt when the Seariders blitzed linebackers from both sides and was sacked, losing his helmet from the impact. Iaea spent several minutes on the ground, but was able to leave the field under his own power.

Kailua could not get anything going offensively. It took five possessions before crossing midfield for the first time in the second quarter after a 33-yard pass from Iaea to Kaliko Kaimana. But the Surfriders eventually lost the ball on downs, unable to convert a fourth-and-1 at the Wai'anae 21.

"We came out in the first half and were completely flat," Rosolowich said. "Offense, defense, everything. We're low in numbers, but that's not the reason. It was something was missing. We tried to get something going in the second half but we couldn't put it together and get any momentum going."

Kailua was without RB Jarrin Young since after the Kahuku game on Aug. 31. Rosolowich said Young hasn't been cleared by a physician since, but didn't disclose the injury. Despite missing the last five games, he still leads his team in rushing with 478 yards.

Waianae executed its option and traps in textbook fashion. Willes led with 122 yards rushing and one TD, while Kealoha had 81 yards and a TD. Quarterback Kekoa Kaluhiokalani was masterful with the option, pitching several times as he was about to be tackled. He had 25 yards and a TD himself.

The damage could've been worse on the Surfriders, as they forced four fumbles by the Seariders. Three happened after sizable gains. Willes fumbled three times, once after a six-yard rush and the other after a nine-yard run. Kealoha fumbled after an 11-yard run. But Kailua was unable to capitalize on the turnovers.

"Give credit to their defense," Waianae coach Dan Matsumoto said of Kailua. "They took it out of our hands and did a good job of stripping the ball. We have to be able to protect the ball better than we did."

What helped was Waianae's defense, which had four sacks, three against backup Noah Auld. Also, cornerback Justin Kila returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown. He also broke up numerous pass plays in man coverage. Kailua also lost the ball on a fumble on an errant snap from shot gun formation and muffed a punt that Waianae recycled into a score.

Waianae wasted little time getting on the board. Kailua punted after its first series and Waianae took over at its 46. Five plays later, Kaluhiokalani pulled the ball out of the running back and kept it, racing in from 10 yards for the score. Jacoby Cid's PAT gave Wai'anae a 7-0 lead with eight minutes, 56 seconds in the first quarter.

The Seariders lost fumbles on their next two series. They punted on their next series, but recovered the muffed punt at the Kailua 13. Kealoha scored on the first play, but Cid missed the PAT, keeping it 13-0 with 8:51 in the half.

Later in the quarter, Waianae started a series at the Kailua 42 after the Surfriders punted from their 10. The Seariders increased their lead on Cid's 27-yard field goal to make it 16-0.

Kailua took the ensuing kickoff at its 28. But on second down, Kila intercepted Iaea's pass and returned it 38 yards for a TD to make it 22-0 at the half.

Kailua tried to jump-start itself with an onside kick to start the second half, but was unsuccessful. Then adding injury to insult, Iaea was sacked by Brandon Johnston on a perimeter blitz that forced the QB to leave the game. Kailua eventually punted and Waianae took over at its 41 and scored five plays later on Willes' 15-yard run with 1:30 in the third quarter, making it 29-0.

The Seariders ate about half of the fourth quarter with a 41-yard drive that ended in downs at the Kailua 16.

The Surfriders, with the aid of a pass interference and personal foul penalties, mounted their only scoring drive that ended with a Auld's 29-yard TD pass to Kirk Ronolo with 1:23 left in the game.



Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].




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