StarBulletin.com

Waianae rolls out an offense


By

POSTED: Sunday, October 11, 2009

Take away the famed “;W”; on one side of each helmet and you'd probably never guess this team is from Waianae.

The traditionally defense-minded Seariders have unleashed a multi-faceted offense that has befuddled and confused Oahu Interscholastic Association opponents.

That trend continued Friday night as No. 8 Waianae clicked on offense in a way that it never has before, piling up more than 500 yards of total offense in a 54-41 victory over No. 5 Mililani at John Kauinana Stadium to clinch a share of the OIA Red West division title.

“;That's the first time, I think, I've seen the scoreboard like that,”; Waianae coach Daniel Matsumoto said. “;Our offense executed real well tonight; feel real fortunate.”;

Yes, Waianae has been able to physically pound away at opponents in the past, but maybe never has it fielded such a variety of talented playmakers who can explode for big plays at any time.

Quarterback Puletua Wilson, James Wilson and Keoni Napierala-Rose took turns chewing up Mililani's defense. All three had more than 100 yards apiece on the ground and combined for six of Waianae's seven rushing touchdowns.

;  The Seariders had 18 runs of at least 10 yards and seven that went for a minimum of 20 yards. By the time the final whistle blew, Waianae amassed 454 rushing yards on 53 carries, executing exactly as it's drawn up in practice.

“;It's all about our O-line,”; James WIlson said. “;They push hard and we push harder and that's why we get so many good running backs.”;

The win allowed the Seariders (5-3, 5-1) to share the division title, but despite an unstoppable offense, they couldn't quite put the game out of reach.

Mililani quarterback Trent McKinney torched the Seariders secondary, completing 21 of 32 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns.

“;We felt like Mililani was always in the game,”; Matsumoto said. “;They were scoring at will and it was a very exciting game for us.”;

The real turning point came in the minutes before and after halftime. After a Taz Stevenson touchdown catch tied the game at 20 with less than 2 minutes remaining, Puletua Wilson answered with a 35-yard touchdown run on third down with 16 seconds left to put Waianae up 27-20.

Then in the second half, Guyson Amina intercepted a McKinney pass on Mililani's first offensive play from scrimmage and the Seariders rolled up 21 points in an 8-minute span.

“;We just played ball,”; Amina said. “;We went out there trying our hardest to try to (get a) turnover.”;