Waianae crushes Aiea to clinch title

Smashmouth football is never pretty, but clinching division titles is a beautiful thing.

Riding on a defensive unit that forced five turnovers, Waianae rallied past Aiea 34-21 to clinch the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West crown last night at Raymond Torii Field.

The Seariders, 5-0 in Red West play, are in prime position to host a first-round playoff game. Seventh-ranked Waianae is the only remaining team in the OIA that is unbeaten in conference play. The prospect of a league crown -- Waianae has not won the title since 1997 -- is still far from the mind of coach Daniel Matsumoto.

"Our goal is to win the West, but this bye week is gonna be key. How we work through the bye is very important," he said. "It's going to be a challenge. We have to keep our team focused."

Waianae's next game is at Kapolei on Oct. 13. Aiea (3-3, 2-3) hosts Leilehua on Friday.

Lofa Liilii, coming back from an ankle injury, had 14 receptions for 154 yards.

The Seariders trailed 14-0 early on, and the partisan crowd wasn't sure what to make of their team.

"We knew they had a mean passing game," Matsumoto said of Aiea. "We tried everything in the book. They kept moving the ball on us."

A blocked punt by Kekona Werner led to a fumble return by Bronson Panui for a touchdown, turning the tide. From that point, Aiea failed to score until late in the contest, when Waianae had a 14-point cushion to work with.

"It was nice for the boys to execute on special teams," Matsumoto said.

Waianae quarterback Ben McQuown threw an early interception, but settled down and passed for 112 yards while running for 51 yards.

"We were struggling at the beginning, but our defense helped us out," he said.

Linebacker George Kauwalu led a physical, punishing defense.

"We've had a big improvement (since preseason). Everybody stepped up. Our offense stepped it up a big notch," the senior said. "We've got our act together, and we just rock."

Aiea amassed 350 total yards against the top defense in the Red West, but six turnovers hurt badly. Five were interceptions by quarterback Alfredo Higa, who finished with 313 yards and one touchdown pass.

"The effort was there," Aiea coach Wendell Say said. "We needed more time. Waianae was prepared well. By far, they are on top of the West. Their defense just flies all over the place."

Higa returned after missing a few games with an infected boil. He completed eight of his first 10 pass attempts and guided Na Alii on a 13-play, 66-yard scoring drive to open the game. Crenston Ioapo's 2-yard plunge into the end zone gave Aiea a 6-0 lead with 7:06 left in the opening quarter.

Aiea's problems with PATs and special teams were just beginning. On the extra-point try, the snap dribbled to the holder, and both teams gave chase to the bouncing ball until it escaped past the sideline at the 15-yard line.

Aiea got the ball back soon, though, when safety David Savaaetasi intercepted McQuown's first pass attempt of the game and returned the ball to the Waianae 32-yard line. Alan Fonoti picked up 23 yards on a shovel pass and Higa scored from the 1-yard line. Higa's pass to Fonoti on the 2-point PAT gave Aiea a 14-0 lead with 5:10 to go in the first quarter.

Waianae, relying on bone-crunching, smashmouth football, settled down on the next series. Twelve of the Seariders' 13 plays were on the ground as they drove 80 yards for their first touchdown. Abell scored off right tackle for a 1-yard touchdown with 11:42 remaining in the second quarter.

David Paaluhi's extra-point kick caromed off the right upright, and the Seariders trailed 14-6.

Aiea's next drive stalled, and Werner steamrolled up the middle to block Josh Chung's punt. Chung got the ball back, but fumbled, and Panui returned the ball from the 15-yard line for a Searider touchdown.

Waianae trailed 14-12 with 9:47 left in the half. The Seariders began their next two possessions inside Aiea territory, but came up empty. However, a 17-yard punt return by Preston Ayala set up another Waianae touchdown. McQuown scrambled for a 21-yard gain to set up a 20-yard screen pass to David Ferreira. The senior running back, following his posse of blockers, scored easily.

McQuown fired a pass to Don Medeiros on the PAT as Waianae led for the first time, 20-18, with 49 seconds to go in the half.

Waianae seized momentum to start the second half when Isaiah Tua picked off a pass over the middle and returned it to the Aiea 38-yard line. Ferreira rambled for a 27-yard run, setting up his 2-yard touchdown run. After McQuown fired a pass to Nathan Malaki on the PAT, Waianae led 28-14 with 8:22 left in the third quarter.

Aiea's offense, asleep for much of the second half, woke up with a nine-play, 73-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter. On fourth and 10, Higa found Fonoti open down the sideline on a fly route for a 24-yard touchdown pass. Na Alii trailed 28-21 with 5:13 to go.

Waianae went three and out on the ensuing series, and Aiea took possession at its own 25-yard line. Na Alii advanced to their own 37, but on fourth down, Waianae linebacker Kawika Fuga sacked Higa to end the drive.

Moments later, McQuown raced down the sideline on a bootleg for a 29-yard touchdown, sealing the win with 42 seconds left.

OIA WHITE
Kaiser 7, Pearl City 0

The Cougars capitalized on excellent field position in the third quarter, starting a drive from the Chargers' 45-yard line, and C.J. Criado ran in a 4-yard bootleg for the game-winning touchdown as Kaiser handed Pearl City its first loss of the season.

The Chargers threatened inside the Cougars' red zone four different times over the first three periods, but were snuffed on fourth down three of those times and had a field goal blocked. Pearl City never seriously threatened in the final quarter.

Nanakuli 28, Anuenue 6

Chase McGill sparked the Golden Hawks in the first half with a rushing and passing touchdown apiece to lead Nanakuli over Na Koa.

Kaehu Nauka connected with Kelii Kon in the third quarter for Anuenue's only score.

BIIF
Kamehameha-Hawaii 55, Kohala 14

Reece Alnas scored three touchdowns to lead the Warriors over the Cowboys.

Alnas, who caught two passes for 54 yards, scored on a punt return, kickoff return and a 28-yard pass from quarterback Nick Miyasato. Miyasato completed six of seven passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

Warrior Kolten Wong rushed for another three touchdowns, finishing with a team-high 168 yards on 21 attempts.

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