Aiea QB Ezekiel Olie scrambles up the middle for a TD run in the third quarter against Kailua. Michael Lasquero | SL

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Aiea DL Sila Unutoa gets into the Kailua offensive backfield. Michael Lasquero | SL

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Aiea DB Elijah Nahoopii-Makakona drops back in coverage against Kailua. Michael Lasquero | SL

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Aiea DE Logan Rouse sacks Kailua QB Romeo Ortiz. Michael Lasquero | SL

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Sat, Oct 22, 2022 @ Radford [ 6:30 pm ]

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Kailua

0

Aiea

41

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Kailua (4-4-1)	0	0	0	0	0
Aiea (9-4-0)	14	7	14	6	41

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Ezekiel Olie 240 yd 2 TD

Romeo Ortiz 29 yd

Kaimana Lale-Saole 14 yd 1 TD

Clayton Quidashay 20 yd

Geronimo Ulgaran 96 yd

Nainoa Smith-Akana 12 yd

ALIAMANU — It will be the defending champion versus the No. 1 seed for the league crown next Saturday. 

With its resounding 41-0 semifinal win over Kailua Saturday, No. 11 Aiea will get a shot at a second Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I title in as many years when it faces No. 10 Waipahu in the championship game. 

Ezekiel Olie passed for 240 yards with a pair of touchdowns and also ran in a couple of scores to lead second-seeded Na Alii (8-2) in a thumping of the third-seeded Surfriders (4-4-1) in a semifinal at Radford's John E. Velasco Stadium. 

The game was in stark contrast to the regular-season meeting between the teams back on Sept. 10. Aiea won that game by a score of 13-7. 

"We were more focused (this time) and this last week it was all determination rather than playing around," said Olie, a junior quarterback. 

Olie completed 21 of his 29 pass attempts and was not intercepted. His first touchdown pass went for 10 yards to Rico Figueroa and gave his team a two-touchdown lead less than five minutes into the game. 

Aiea capped three of its first four possessions with trips to the end zone. Its opening drive resulted in a 5-yard touchdown run by Kaimana Lale-Saole two plays after a 12-yard completion from Olie to Jayden Chanel to convert a third-and-5. 

After Bryson Boyea Quiton booted the extra point, the Surfriders muffed the ensuing kickoff return and Hiki Kim Choy-Keb-Ah Lo recovered it for Na Alii. 

On the very next play, Geronimo Ulgaran turned a short shovel pass from Olie into a 22-yard gain to set-up Olie's 10-yard scoring strike to Figueroa on a well-executed run-pass-option play design. 

Olie credited Choy-Keb-Ah Lo and the kickoff coverage team for getting the ball back to the offense. 

"I mean, every game that happens. Special teams is one of the most important aspects of our team and having those certain guys on special teams, it's a blessing," Olie said. 

Aiea got another takeaway a few minutes later after Eric Saau recovered a Kailua fumble. Na Alii got into the red zone and attempted a field goal two plays into the second quarter, but Boyea Quiton's kick from 36 yards out sailed wide right and was no good. 

Fortunately for Aiea, however, Kailua's offense could do nothing with it and went three-and-out. A punt of only nine yards set-up Na Alii in optimal field position at the Surfriders' 30-yard line. From there they needed just four plays to cash in on the short field after Olie scrambled for a 10-yard touchdown with eight minutes and 33 seconds left in the second quarter. 

Kailua was able to move the football on its ensuing drive, which spanned 12 plays and included three third-down conversions. The Surfriders drove to the Aiea 33-yard line, but Sila Unutoa forced a fumble by Caysen Samson and Elijah Nahoopii-Makakona recovered it for Na Alii. 

Aiea DL Sila Unutoa gets into the Kailua offensive backfield.

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_22102320_FB-10.22.22-KAILvsAIEA-9687.jpg - Michael Lasquero | SL

The Surfriders had another promising possession just before the end of the first half, but Nahoopii-Makakona intercepted a Romeo Ortiz pass near the 7-yard line and returned it 20 yards before he was tackled on the final play before halftime. 

"I seen (Nainoa Smith-Akana), their key player, running straight up for the (end zone) wide open," said Nahoopii-Makakona, a junior defensive back. "I seen the ball come up and I ran for it, called it, almost dropped it but had it in my hands. I started running then I seen, I don't know, a huge lineman running at me."

The pick kept Kailua off the scoreboard and kept momentum on the side of Aiea at the half. 

Na Alii's defense came up big once more after the intermission. 

One play after Olie lost a fumble when he was sacked for a six-yard loss, Nahoopii-Makakona came up with his second interception off of Ortiz. 

"I was tired, I wanted to get off the field," he recalled. "I just executed, Ran out to (Smith-Akana) again, picked the ball and just ran straight down the field."

Aiea DB Elijah Nahoopii-Makakona drops back in coverage against Kailua.

×

_22102313_FB-10.22.22-KAILvsAIEA-9875.jpg - Michael Lasquero | SL

Nahoopii-Makakona returned this one from near midfield to the Kailua 28-yard line, but a penalty against the Surfriders after the change of possession pushed them back to the Kailua 42. 

They picked up 26 yards with Olie's pass to Ulgaran on the first play of the drive. A few plays later, Lale-Saole converted a third-and-4 with his 4-yard run inside the 10-yard line and two plays after that, Ezra Nahoopii-Makakona — all 5 feet, 10 inches and 240 pounds of him — rumbled in from five yards out on a direct snap. Boyea Quiton tacked on the PAT to stretch it to a 28-0 lead four minutes into the third quarter. 

Aiea's defense forced another three-and-out by Kailua and got its offense the ball back in Kailua territory at the 48-yard line. Olie hit Choy-Keb-Ah Lo for a 27-yard completion on the second play of the drive and Ezra Nahoopii-Makakona moved the chains on fourth-and-2 with a 6-yard run to set-up a 7-yard TD run by Olie on a keeper around left end. Boyea Quiton's extra point induced the mercy rule with 4:04 left in the third quarter. 

Olie closed out the scoring with his 8-yard TD pass to Chanel on a third-and-4 with 8:46 to play. 

Aiea finished with 296 yards of total offense, well below their average of 427 yards per game. However, its defense recorded its second shutout in a month and shut down Kailua to a season-low 54 yards of total offense. 

"(Defense) did work, (offense) did ours — I mean, they did their work and we capitalized, that's all we had to do and from start to (finish) and that's what we did," Olie said. 

Na Alii converted on five of their 11 third downs, but were penalized 10 times for 109 yards. 

Ulgaran caught seven passes for 96 yards and Figueroa hauled in seven receptions for 66 yards. 

Aiea DE Logan Rouse sacks Kailua QB Romeo Ortiz.

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_22102321_FB-10.22.22-KAILvsAIEA-9797.jpg - Michael Lasquero | SL

Logan Rouse had two tackles for loss and one of Aiea's three sacks. 

Kailua was 3 of 11 on third downs and picked up only six first downs all night. Six of its eight possessions resulted in three-and-outs. 

Ortiz, who started his second straight game at quarterback in place of the injured Maa Fonoti, finished 7-of-18 passing for 29 yards with three interceptions.

The Surfriders averaged only 1.2 yards per rush. 

Garrick Pahinui led Kailua defensively with a sack and a fumble recovery. 

Aiea will get a chance to avenge its lone loss during league play this season: a 20-14 defeat at the hands of Waipahu back on Sept. 17. Olie was out with an injury and did not play in that contest. 

"(I'm) very determined," he said. "I missed my opportunity last time at homecoming and coming back up with finishing playoffs and seeing them in the championship, should be a good game."

The win Saturday also secured a spot in next month's First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA D1 State Championships for Na Alii. 

"It's very exciting," Elijah Nahoopii-Makakona said. "We want our spot again back in the states, we just don't want an OIA championship, but we want states, too."

Kickoff between Aiea and Waipahu is scheduled for about 7 p.m. Saturday. It will follow the Division II title game between Kaiser and No. 15 Nanakuli at 4 p.m. Both games will take place at Mililani's John Kauinana Stadium.