[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Waianae's Chris Lave rolled in for a second-half touchdown against Nanakuli last night.
Seariders end skid
with 39-8 win
Waianae was down, way down, in its first two games, but you can't keep the Seariders down too long.
They didn't score a point in losses to Kapolei and Kahuku, but played inspired football for four quarters last night to drop West-side rival Nanakuli 39-8 in an OIA Red West Conference game at Waianae.
"It's simple. We got our (butts) kicked, plain and simple," Golden Hawks coach Al Beaver said. "Waianae outplayed us and outcoached us tonight and that's it right there in a nutshell."
Nanakuli (2-1, 1-1 Red West) came out flying and took an 8-0 lead, but failed to cash in and extend the lead to two touchdowns after Rolando Celes' fumble recovery deep in Waianae territory.
After losing two early fumbles, the Seariders (1-2, 1-1) pounded away for three straight touchdowns and a 20-8 halftime lead.
"It was nice to put points on the board," Seariders coach Daniel Matsumoto said. "But we still need to work on our running game (which gained 116 yards on 48 carries). It needs to be a lot more efficient than it is right now. Of course it's always good when you win and if we keep to our assignments on defense, we should be competitive."
The Waianae defense set up the team's first two TDs.
Ryan DeSoto's interception led to the Seariders' first TD -- Jared Laa's 3-yard run. The big play in the 80-yard drive was senior quarterback Uilau Faliuga's 77-yard pass to James Robinson down the right sideline. A saving tackle by Nanakuli's Jimmy Afamasaga kept Robinson -- who finished with 124 yards on five receptions -- from the end zone.
Waianae co-captain Oha Savini recovered a fumble and returned it 25 yards and the Seariders marched in for the go-ahead score -- Faliuga's 2-yard sneak. It was Waianae's first lead of the season, and Faliuga quickly extended the margin to 14-8 with a 2-point conversion run.
Chris Lave's 12-yard scoring run, which was made possible by Michael Spencer's clean-out block of a Nanakuli defender -- put the Seariders up 20-8 with 4:30 left in the half.
Nanakuli's early 8-0 lead came by way of quarterback Albert Distajo's 57-yard touchdown rumble and Alex Maiava's 2-point conversion run.
"We thought the game was over after that first touchdown," Golden Hawks defensive back Afamasaga said. "We didn't come to play and Waianae came to play. We let them come back. If we win the rest of our games and make the playoffs, maybe we'll meet them again. We don't like losing to our rivals."
The Golden Hawks, who moved up to the Red from the White Conference this year, failed in their attempt to remain unbeaten. They lost the battle in the trenches, especially in the second half, when Lave and fellow running back Maka Tanele kept the chains moving.
"We told everybody at halftime that we should come out playing like the score is 0-0 in the second half -- that we still gotta give it our all," said Lave, who finished with 49 yards on 13 carries and scored two TDs.
Lave's 5-yard TD run capped a crisp 57-yard drive to open the second half as the lead zoomed to 26-8.
Midway through the fourth quarter, sophomore Junior Faliuga's sack of Golden Hawks backup quarterback Jaycee Alapai at the Nanakuli 1 led to a short punt, and older brother Uilau Faliuga hit Dillon Guzman on a fade pattern in the right corner of the end zone as the lead ballooned to 32-8.
Bryson Baker's interception and 33-yard return for a touchdown and the elder Faliuga's extra-point kick capped the scoring.
At Waianae H.S. field
Nan -- Albert Distajo 57 run (Alex Maiava run)
Nanakuli (2-1, 1-1) 8 0 0 0 -- 8 Waianae (1-2, 1-1) 6 14 6 13 -- 39
Wain -- Jared Laa 4 run (pass failed)
Wain -- Uilau Faliuga 2 run (Faliuga run)
Wain -- Chris Lave 12 run (kick failed)
Wain -- Lave 5 run (run failed)
Wain -- Dillon Guzman 16 pass from Faliuga (kick failed)
Wain -- Dominic Gomes 33 interception return (Faliuga kick)
RUSHING -- Nanakuli: Distajo 9-70, Maiava 3-12, Keikiokalani Kolii 4-18, Kyle Beck 7-15, Newton Palakiko 1-(-12), Jaycee Alapai 7-(-25). Waianae: Lave 13-49, Maka Tanele 15-30, Tafilele Pauulu 3-18, Jared Laa 4-15, Peter Carba 2-6, Faliuga 7-2, Kala Honda 4-(-4).
PASSING -- Nanakuli: Distajo 0-2-1-0, Alapai 3-10-0-47. Waianae: Faliuga 9-15-0-173.
RECEIVING -- Nanakuli: Beck 3-47. Waianae: James Robinson 5-124, Guzman 3-42, Tanele 1-7.
Junior varsity -- Waianae 34, Nanakuli 14.
