OIA Football
Moanalua edges Kailua to stay unbeaten


Leighland Tagawa | ScoringLive
August 17, 2019, 8:17am

  

Fri, Aug 16, 2019 @ Kailua [ 7:30 pm ]

Moanalua

19

Kailua

18

Final 1 2 3 4 T
Moanalua (10-2-0) 0 13 6 019
Kailua (4-7-0) 6 6 6 018
Cameron Friel 135 yd 3 TD
RJ Javar 333 yd 2 TD
Cameron Friel 83 yd
Darius Johnson 24 yd 1 TD
Kamryn Kahoonei 86 yd 2 TD
Jansen York 154 yd 1 TD



Manic Moanalua strikes again.

Na Menehune recorded four interceptions on defense and earned their second consecutive one-point victory to start the season after defeating Kailua, 19-18, at Alex Kane Stadium in an OIA Division I contest Friday night.

Kailua (0-3 overall, 0-2 OIA D1) started the game off with a bang when junior Jayden Kamakele picked of RJ Javar's first pass of the game. A few plays later, Kailua quarterback Cameron Friel found wideout Kamryn Kahoonei for a 14-yard touchdown to make it 6-0. This was the Surfriders' first points of the year.

Moanalua (2-0 overall, 1-0 OIA D1) managed to shake off the slow start and took the lead 9:41 into the second quarter. Javar easily found Dacyres Domingo from nine yards out at Griffin Motas tacked on the PAT to give Moanalua a 7-6 lead.

The Surfriders rallied a few minutes later when Friel found Raynen Ho Mook over the middle for a 20-yard score. The 2-point conversion run failed so Kailua led, 12-7.

After a fumble recovery by Kailua's Molena Kekauoha and a pick by Moanalua's Jesus Lopez, Na Menehune would tilt the tide back into their favor as they scored with 1:09 left in the first half. Javar found his former Mililani teammate, Jansen York, on a 17-yard TD pass. York was the leading receiver for Moanalua with nine receptions for 154 yards.

Moanalua entered the half with a 13-12 lead. The two teams traded picks (Rashod Tanner for Moanalua and Elijah Pittman for Kailua) in the final minute of the half.

The third quarter started off with a big passing TD from Kailua. From the Kailua 35-yard line, Friel fired a deep ball to the left side of the field that went through the arms of a Moanalua defensive back and into the waiting palms of Kahoonei for a 65-yard score, his second TD of the night. After another failed 2-point conversion, Kailua led 18-13.

Moanalua would return the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Kailua 16-yard line, but turned it over on downs. Kailua seemed to have gained back the momentum when Hastings Yee Hoy intercepted Javar's third pass of the night, but Na Menehune would answer back again at the end of the quarter.

Running back Darius Johnson punched in a 1-yard TD run to give Moanalua a 19-18 lead with 2.8 seconds left in the quarter.

Kailua gained back some momentum in the fourth quarter after a second pick for Pittman and a 57-yard run from Friel. However, Friel would fumble the ball near the Na Menehune red zone and Jett Tanigawa came up with the loose ball.

The Moanalua offense stalled and Kailua had one more chance to win the game. But when the Surfriders got into the red zone, Aukai Grace picked off Friel with 1:12 left in the game to secure the win for Na Menehune.




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