Kahuku's Salanoa-Alo Wily rumbled for a season-high 136 yards and two scores in a win over Hilo. Jim Lebeau | Special to SL

Purchase image 1 of 1

Fri, Nov 7, 2014 @ Aloha Stadium [ 7:30 pm ]

---

Kahuku

20

Hilo

10

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Kahuku (9-3-0)	0	0	3	17	20
Hilo (10-1-0)	0	10	0	0	10

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Sione Atuekaho 68 yd 1 TD

Samuta Avea 42 yd

Tristin Spikes 35 yd

Salanoa-Alo Wily 136 yd 2 TD

Isaac Lerma 17 yd 1 TD

Chance Maghanoy 36 yd

HALAWA – The game isn't over until the clock shows triple zeroes.

Kahuku, ranked No. 4 in the ScoringLive/OC16 Division I Power Rankings, overcame a 10-0 halftime deficit to eliminate Hilo, 20-10, in the opening round of the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I Football State Championships. The Red Raiders (9-2) advance to take on defending state champion Punahou in the semifinal round on Nov. 15. 

"It feels great," two-way player Salanoa-Alo Wily said on the win. "In the first half we came out kind of slow. In the second half the score started to hit us and we started to pick things up and fix all our little mistakes. This win means a lot because now we get to move forward in the season."

Wily led the second half surge with a season-high 136 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-1, 270-lb senior's first touchdown run of the game tied the game at 10-all, and his second score gave Kahuku its first lead of the game with 2:34 left in regulation. Defensively Wily added three tackles and netted a sack after forcing an intentional grounding penalty.

"He's a stud through and through. One of the greatest kids I've ever known," said Kahuku coach Lee Leslie. 

Hilo, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I champion, suffered its first loss of the year and had its season end with a 10-1 record. 

"We had them where we wanted them," lamented Hilo coach David Baldwin. "Finishing in the program is something that we preach. We've been able to finish games 10 times – so this is (our) first experience of the year not finishing it out. 10-0 lead, you know we should have closed it out, but so much credit has to go to Kahuku. 20 points in the second half. What a fight. Great job and great coaching."

Kahuku had a handful of offensive starters out of the game with injuries. Those players include: quarterback Tuli Wily-Matagi (concussion), running back Kesi Ah Hoy (separated shoulder), left tackle Alekisanita Vimahi (hamstring) and tight end Pua Falemalu (neck strain). Sophomore Samuta Avea got the start under center in place of the injured Wily-Matagi.

Despite being held to 37 yards of total offense in the first half, Hilo was able to position itself in scoring position thanks to a pair of Kahuku turnovers and a plethora of Red Raider penalties. Kahuku had nine first half penalties for 78 yards.

Defensive back Donovan Kelley, a 2014 All-Hawaii second team utility selection, had two key turnovers in the first half before having to leave the game due to a concussion. Kelley had an interception on Avea, and also recovered a Chance Maghanoy fumble that led to Hilo's first score of the game. Linebacker Craighlen Lapilio forced the fumble on Maghanoy after a 23-yard gain. 

Three plays after the turnover Hilo quarterback Sione Atuekaho hooked up with running back Isaac Lerma for a 4-yard score. Rayce Takayesu's PAT gave Hilo a 7-0 lead with 6:44 to play in the second quarter.

Takayesu added a 29-yard field goal just before the end of the first half to give the Vikings a 10-0 lead at the break. 

"It was the worst half of football we ever played, and maybe the first half of football that I've ever coached. I put that on me. I put too much on Samuta. I put too much on him to get things down and I just got to be patient. Not having Kesi, Tuli and our left tackle in there was tough and there was a lot of adversity that we faced there," said Leslie.

The second half was a reversal of fortune.

Offensively the Red Raiders were able to dominate the line of scrimmage after halftime. Kahuku exploded for 151 second half rushing yards after being held to just 14 in the first half.

"Our mindsets were different. We came out with a lot more energy in the second half," said Wily. 

Kahuku's defense was also able to tweak some things and shutout the Vikings by holding them to just 32 yards of total offense in the second half. Malcom Macatiag led the way with a game-high eight tackles.

"The first half we were missing our assignments. The second half we just had to buckle down and sharpened up (on) our assignments," explained Kahuku defensive coordinator Sola Soliai. "That was it. Just play assignment ball and wake up."

The Red Raiders' defense also picked off Atuekaho two times in the fourth quarter, the first of which led to a 25-yard touchdown run by Wily to tie the game at 10-all.

"I noticed that they were picking on the inside slot so I just played over the top and I was able to break on the ball. It was good coverage by the rest of my defense and I just made a play," explained cornerback Alohi Gilman, who recorded the first interception for Kahuku. 

John Ofahenguae-Farley also had an interception that netted a Gabriel Pinheiro-Alves 31-yard field goal for Kahuku's last score of the game. Pinheiro-Alves also had a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter to put Kahuku on the scoreboard.