RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Mililani's Trent Tamate pulled in a pass ahead of Leilehua's Rob Siavii last night at Mililani. Tamate finished the game with two catches for 31 yards.

Lund kicks 1 in for coach

Gone in body, but near in spirit, Kaimi Tong is alive in the minds and hearts of the young men he coached.

Moments after Colin Lund drilled a 27-yard field goal with 43 seconds left to give No. 6 Mililani a 16-14 win over Leilehua, Coach Tong was on everyone's mind.

"That was for Coach 'Imi," Lund said of Tong, an assistant coach who died recently. The entire coaching staff wore T-shirts bearing Tong's picture and name.

Leilehua drove to the Mililani 29-yard line in the final 30 seconds on a 51-yard screen pass to Allan Macam, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed the Mules back and they never got closer.

Lund's winning kick gave Mililani its first win in Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West play (1-1). Ninth-ranked Leilehua dropped to 1-1 in league play.

The field goal capped a drive that began on Mililani's 20-yard line with 4:32 to play. Rustin Funakoshi's 18-yard connection with Geoffrey Badua on fourth and 8 kept the drive alive. And a late hit on Funakoshi advanced the ball to the Leilehua 19-yard line.

"I knew it was gonna come down to me. I heard Coach (Darnell Arceneaux) say, 'All we have to do is get Sunshine in range,' " Lund said, a bit shy about his nickname.

The Mules marched at will with their opening series. Out of a shotgun, five-receiver set, Kaipo Kea completed four passes and Leilehua was at the Mililani 18-yard line, but right on cue, rain poured down to stall the drive. The Mules proceeded to drop two passes and turn the ball over on downs.

The hometown Trojans adjusted to the wet weather and switched out of a shotgun formation to an I with success. They marched 78 yards in six plays, getting a 17-yard scramble from Funakoshi to set up a big scoring play.

Funakoshi hit Dalaunte Stevenson with a short screen pass, and the speedster raced up the middle untouched for a 45-yard touchdown. Mililani led 6-0 with 1:34 left in the opening quarter.

After a special teams snafu by Mililani, Leilehua's Rico Newman burst off right tackle for a 5-yard touchdown. Newman's extra-point kick gave the visiting Mules a 7-6 lead with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter.

A diving interception by Cody Kilthau, his second pick of the game, gave Mililani the ball at Leilehua's 28-yard line. On the next play, Funakoshi fired a bomb down the right sideline to Joshua Manuma for a touchdown. Lund's PAT kick gave Mililani a 13-7 lead with 3:14 to go in the third quarter.

Leilehua responded with a 10-play, 80-yard drive. The Mules also got help from Mililani with a 15-yard illegal helmet contact penalty. Bronson Pausa punched the ball in from the 2-yard line, and Newman's kick gave Leilehua a 14-13 lead with 10:58 remaining in the game.

All that was left in the final minute was a good snap by Lucas Ingram and a proper hold by Zachary Villanueva, and it was all sunshine in Mililani.

"That's football. Someone's gotta win and someone's gotta lose," Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda said. "Our kids fought hard and played classy, but it was the little things, the lack of discipline, that hurt us."