Waianae RB Trensten Spragling rushed for a game-high 120 yards on 14 carries against Leilehua. Keita Funakawa | Special to SL

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Leilehua Quarterback, Mack Eberhardt plowed his way through Waianae defenders to score a touchdown for the Mules. Celine Truong | Special to SL

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Waianae RB Jemery Willes carries the ball against Leilehua. Keita Funakawa | Special to SL

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Fri, Sep 6, 2013 @ Leilehua [ 7:30 pm ]

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Waianae

39

Leilehua

21

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Waianae (6-3-0)	13	9	7	10	39
Leilehua (6-4-0)	7	7	0	7	21

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Mack Eberhardt 253 yd 2 TD

Kekoa Kaluhiokalani Jr. 52 yd

Mack Eberhardt 76 yd 1 TD

Trensten Spragling 120 yd

Tristin Kamaka 82 yd 1 TD

Pookela Noa-Nakamoto 36 yd

WAHIAWA - Wai'anae went to the deli at Leilehua Friday night.

The Seariders, No. 7 in the ScoringLive/OC 16 Power Rankings, feasted on ground beef with 356 yards rushing and dined on turnovers for dessert in rolling No. 6 Leilehua, 39-21, in O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red West football at Hugh Yoshida Stadium.

Wai'anae (4-1 overall, 2-1 Red West) snapped a six-game losing streak dating to 2008 to Leilehua (3-1, 1-1). The Seariders improved their series record against the Mules to 30-21-4.

Nearly everyone in the Seariders' backfield made big contributions.

Tailback Trenston Spragling led with 120 yards rushing. Jemery Willes, out last week in the loss to Mililani, returned to action with 96 yards rushing, including an 8-yard TD run. Fullback Mahvan Tau had 79 yards. Quarterback Kekoa Kaluhiokalani, running the option so deftly, had 54 yards.

"Tonight, offense really moved the ball, gave us good field position, just kept up the momentum in key moments." Wai'anae coach Dan Matsumoto said. "It starts with our O-linemen. They're the ones who set everything up."

"Their O-Line did a good job firing out, making plays," Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda said.

The Seariders also capitalized on five turnovers, converting four into scores (three TDs and one field goal). Compounding the matter was that two of the lost fumbles came after first-down yardage was achieved.

"For us, that's the reason we lost," Tokuda said. "We had two opportunities in the red zone and came up with nothing. Three turnovers, two fumbles, the interceptions and we turned the ball over on the kickoff return. You can't expect to win the game when that happens, as much as you want to talk about the option, tackling or whatever it may be. For us on offense, we gave the game away."

Leiehua quarterback Mack Eberhardt, the transfer from Massachusetts, had 329 yards in total offense with 253 yards passing with two TDs and 76 yards rushing, including a 34-yard TD run. But he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.

The offenses of both teams rolled early, each scoring on their first two series. But the difference that provided the Seariders advantage was the first of five turnovers in the game.

After the Seariders took the opening kickoff and marched 81 yards in 12 plays, scoring on Matautia's 2-yard run, the Mules went to their gadgets on the ensuing kickoff. Tristin Kamaka fielded kickoff at the 1, ran from his left to right and turned to pitch the ball back on a reverse; it was a designed play, Tokuda said. But the Seariders' kick coverage, burned by Mililani's Vavae Malepeai's 95-yard kickoff return a week earlier, hustled downfield and hit Kamaka as he was pitching. The errant pitch rolled toward the end zone, where Ioane Kaluhiokalani recovered for a TD to put Wai'anae up 13-0 less than five minutes into the game.

The Mules came back on its first series, rolling 80 yards in eight plays with Eberhardt scrambling for a 34-yard TD run in which he broke several tackles en route to the end zone to pull Leilehua to 13-7.

But the Seariders also went 80 yards on their next series with 12 of the 14 plays staying on the ground, highlighted by two fourth-down conversions, including the 3-yard TD run by Matautia. Kekoa Kaluhiokalani tried to run in the 2-point conversion, but was stopped short, but Wai'anae opened its lead to 19-7.

The Mules kept pace, scoring on their next series with an 11-play, 66-yard drive - featuring an 11-yard pass to Dustin Ancheta-Maeda on fourth-and-10 at the Wai'anae 22 - that ended with Eberhardt's 11-yard TD pass to Toma Savea to pull Leilehua to 19-14 with 8:36 left in the half.

Leilehua finally made a stop on Wai'anae's offense, forcing the first punt of the game. Leilehua took over at its 29, but its drive was stalled by an interception by Joshua Searle at the Wai'anae 38. The Seariders got a 30-yard field goal by Stanton Spencer to make it 22-19 with 1:22 left in the half.

The second half opened with both teams punting after their first series. But on Leilehua's second series, Eberhardt hit Ancheta-Maeda for a 17-yard gain on first down, but a fumble recovered by Koali Opunui gave the Seariders the ball at the Mules' 35. It didn't take long for the Seariders to make the Mules pay; five plays later Willes scored on an 8-yard run after taking a pitch from Kaluhiokalani on an option left, increasing their lead to 29-14 with 7:51 in the third quarter.

Kamaka's 39-yard kickoff return gave the Mules good field position at their 47. But their drive stalled at the Wai'anae 3. The Mules had first-and-goal at the Wai'anae 9, but eventually faced fourth-and-goal at the 12. But Kamaka was stopped at the 3 after a 9-yard reception.

Wai'anae eventually punted from its end zone, giving Leilehua possession at the Seariders' 36. But after a 21-yard pass on first down to the 15, Eberhardt had four consecutive incompletions, two on balls defensed by Opunui and Chade Wong.

Wai'anae eventually punted again and Austin Molina's 18-yard return gave the Mules the ball at the Wai'anae 48. Four plays later, Eberhardt hit Kamaka on a 34-yard TD pass to pull Leilehua to 29-21 with 10:27 left in the game.

But Leilehua still couldn't stop the Wai'anae ground game. The Seariders increased their lead to 32-21 on Spencer's 28-yard field goal with 5:41 left.

The Mules looked like they were going to have a response on their next series. On third-and-24 from their 33, Eberhardt scrambled out for a 28-yard gain, but fumbled and Wong recovered at the Seariders' 39. Wai'anae sealed the game with Matautia's 8-yard TD run with 2:40 left to make it 39-21.

Leilehua's ensuing series ended with an interception by Wong with 1:53 left in the game.

"We knew it was going to be a battle," Matsumoto said. "You never know about this team (Leilehua). They can score at will, so it's never over 'til it's over."

Friday, Wai'anae will visit Campbell and Leilehua will host Kapolei.