The Leilehua Mules celebrate after an interception against the Kapolei Hurricanes Saturday night. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Leilehua's Odin Mersberg picks off Kapolei QB Kaniala Kalaola's 2-point conversion attempt to end the game in overtime. Sylvia Lee | SL

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After being shutout in their first two games of the OIA season, Mules QB Konapiliaha Andres (1) threw two TD passes and ran the game-winning score in himself. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Sat, Sep 2, 2017 @ Kapolei [ 6:00 pm ]

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Leilehua

20

Kapolei

19

Final/OT	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Leilehua (6-3-0)	0	0	6	7	6	20
Kapolei (5-5-0)	6	7	0	0	6	19

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Kaniala Kalaola 266 yd 2 TD

Konapiliahi Andres 172 yd 2 TD

Dylan Toilolo 36 yd 1 TD

James McGary 40 yd

Isaiah Ahana 127 yd 1 TD

Jeremy Evans 69 yd 1 TD

KAPOLEI — Odin Mersberg intercepted a 2-point conversion pass in the end zone to preserve Leilehua's thrillling 20-19 overtime win against No. 6 Kapolei Saturday night at the Hurricanes' home stadium.

Konapiliahi Andres passed for 172 yards and two second-half touchdowns and rushed for the game-winner in OT to give the Mules their first win of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I Red to improve to 1-2 (2-2 overall).

The Hurricanes (2-3, 1-3) dropped their second in a row on the field following the forfeiture of their Castle victory three weeks ago.

"My team played their hearts out and didn't stop until it was done," Mersberg said.

The Mules came seeking their first score of the regular season, much less a win. They started without Andres for disciplinary reasons. They gambled on fourth-and-2 their own 49 and failed early in the game. The short field set up Kapolei's first score of the game.

"That's one thing we talked about," Leilehua coach Mark Kurisu said. "Keeping our minds right. The last game against Mililani, we got so excited; we made so many mistakes we typically don't make. That was the focus for tonight, gathering our minds, everybody staying focused. No matter what, you'll fail, you'll be successful. You have to stay even keel until the clock goes zero."

The difference might have been character.

The Mules had three penalties for 30 yards. The Hurricanes, though, were called 13 times for 114 yards. Some of the fouls aided the Mules' drives or set the Hurricanes back into bad field position.

"Right now, we're a very undisciplined team and that's all on me so I take the full responsiblity for that," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said. "We'll fix the problem. I'm going to attack the problem and I think the way it looks now, with the basically three losses in a row, it's going to test our resolve, our adversity. We'll see if we can bounce back."

The game was tied at 13 after regulation with the Mules rallying from a 13-0 halftime deficit with two scores in the second half.

Kapolei won the toss for OT and elected to play defense first. The Mules started from the Hurricanes' 20. After a 4-yard gain, Andres was stopped for a 2-yard loss by Aaron Faumui. But a deadball personal foul against Kapolei gave Leilehua first-and-goal at the 9. After an incomplete pass by Andres, he rushed for 6 to the 3. An illegal substitution against Kapolei put the ball to the 1. Andres lined up in the pistol, then went up to his center, took the quick snap and pushed his way in the end zone. Akoni Tom-Makue, who missed an earlier PAT, made this one to put Leilehua up 20-13.

The Hurricanes moved without trouble in their half of the OT, needing just four plays to score on Dylan Toillolo's 3-yard run off the right side. The Hurricanes tried the 2-point conversion for the win. Quarterback Kaniala Kalaola rolled right and fired into the crowded end zone where Mersberg's interception end the game.

"It's amazing," Mersberg said. "All we did was hard work for this game. Thanks to coach Kurisu and his scheme, you just have to do your assignment. We won as a team."

After being shutout in their first two games of the OIA season, Mules QB Konapiliaha Andres (1) threw two TD passes and ran the game-winning score in himself.

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_17090341_SL-FB-LEI_KAP-5X0A2431-L1.jpg - Sylvia Lee | SL

Leilehua's defense aided in getting the Mules' offense on the board for the first time in the OIA season early in the second half. Because of a 15-yard penalty against Kapolei to end the first half, Leilehua kicked off from Kapolei's 45 and tried an onside kick. But Kapolei got the ball at its 45, only to have Richard Shimasaki intercept Hurricanes backup QB Cody Marques' first-down pass. He returned it 14 yards to the Kapolei 26, setting up Andres' 20-yard TD fade pass to Jeremy Evans to pull Leilehua to 13-6. Tom-Makue's missed the PAT.

Leilehua's defense continued to fend off the Kapolei offense.

With 5:33 left in regulation, Kapolei punted to Leilehua, but an unsportsmanlike conduct foul gave the Mules the ball at the Hurricanes' 25. Two plays later, Andres hit a back-pedalling Jeremy Ramos in the end zone to complete the 24-yard scoring play. Tom-Makue made the PAT to tie the game at 13 with 4:42 left.

A personal foul against Kapolei on the PAT meant Leilehua got to kickoff at Kapolei's 45 again. A pooch kick gave Kapolei the ball at its 31. Behind Kalaola's passing, the Hurricanes moved to the Leilehua 11. After a 3-yard gain, Marcus Spencer sacked Kalaola for a 12-yard loss to the 20. Kalaola then hit Barboza on a long pass, but it was ruled caught out of bounds on third down.

With fourth-and-19 at the 20, the Hurricanes were set up for a 37-yard field goal by Bantolina, but the Hurricanes were penalized 5 yards and backed up to the 25, where he missed the subsequent 42-yard attempt.

Leilehua took over at its 20 and Andres completed a 50-yard pass to James McGary tothe Leilehua 30, but RB Coltyn Cruse-Gombio lost a fumble after a 5-yard gain to the Kapolei 24 with 50 seconds left. But Leilehua's defense again denied Kapolei to force the OT.

While a great win for Leilehua, it was a heart-breaker for Kapolei. Whether the forfeit affected the team's momentum is hard to say.

"If I said, ‘Yes,' then that would be making excuses," Hernandez said. "I don't want to say it did because that's making an excuse."

Kapolei travels to Kailua Saturday, while Leilehua visits Castle on Friday. That will be Leilehua's fourth consecutive road game of the season before returning home for their final three regular season games.