[ HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Aiea players and coaches celebrated a 22-15 win over Kapolei last night. With the victory, Na Alii won the OIA White.
Na Alii shock
Kapolei 22-15
Safety James Hadley's interception in the end zone stopped a late Kapolei drive and gave Aiea a stunning 22-15 Oahu Interscholastic Association White Conference victory last night on a muddy and rainy Mililani High School field.
Na Alii (8-2) wanted to keep the Hurricanes' potent offense down, and that's exactly what they did to gain the league's top seed in the upcoming Division II state tournament.
"It's awesome, baby," Hadley said. "I saw the ball, ran in and it was mine. We're going to the state title, baby. We're almost there."
The previously undefeated Hurricanes drove 71 yards to the Aiea 9. That's when dangerous quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada dropped back and saw an open Jon Medeiros on the left side at the 5, but he faked a pass and Medeiros started sprinting toward the middle of the end zone. Kaheaku-Enhada lofted one and Hadley locked on to the ball.
Kapolei (9-1) stormed through the conference regular season, but settled for runner-up status after the final playoff whistle. The Hurricanes face Damien (3-5) on Nov. 21 in the first round of the states.
Aiea gets a first-round bye and plays either Lahainaluna or the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion (Konawaena or Hawaii Prep) on Nov. 28.
"I've been better," Hurricanes coach Darren Hernandez said. "It was a great game and we were hoping to score and kick the extra point and send it to overtime. But it's not the end of the world for us. We're still in the states. Yeah, we had to lose, but we won nine straight games. Aiea played a much better game than us and deserved to win."
Early in the second half, with Aiea leading 15-7, a reversal of fortune helped Kapolei tie it. Na Alii's RJ Kiesel-Kauhane picked off a pass deep in Kapolei territory and ran it to the 5, but he fumbled and the Hurricanes' Ikaika Aken-Moleta jumped on the loose ball to keep Aiea from taking a bigger lead.
Kapolei had to punt, but Andy Buchanan intercepted an Aiea pass to set up the tying score -- Kaheaku-Enhada's 48-yard run. He was hit hard three times, but was able to stay on his feet and outrun everybody to the end zone. He also sprinted home for the 2-point conversion to make it 15-all.
Lawrence Leovao, who turned in a stellar two-way game for Na Alii, scored what turned out to be the winning touchdown on a 2-yard run with 2:58 left in the game and Brandon Puckett added the extra point.
"We did it, we did it," Leovao said. "We wanted to win and I would have done anything to win."
Aiea led 15-7 at the half -- an eight-point edge that could have been bigger. Puckett missed an early 44-yard field-goal attempt, and two possessions later, Na Alii were stopped at the Hurricanes' 1 after a 73-yard march early in the second quarter.
Kapolei scored on its first possession of the game -- Kaheaku-Enhada's 12-yard, up-the-middle TD run for a 7-0 lead.
After Aiea's two near misses, Na Alii finally got on the board, and pinning Kapolei at its own 5 started the pendulum swing. Ben Ah Mook Sang took Kapolei's punt 26 yards to the Hurricanes 15, and four plays later, he took a quarterback sneak 1-yard into the end zone to make it 7-6.
Na Alii's defense kept Kapolei down the rest of the first half and it even got into the scoring act on Kapolei's next possession. CJ Tausaga's intercepted a Kaheaku-Enhada pass and returned it 32 yards for a 12-7 Aiea lead with 2:45 to go in the half.
Aiea took its eight-point halftime lead with 19 seconds left as Puckett booted a 31-yard field goal to cap a 48-yard drive.
At Mililani H.S. field
Kap -- Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada 12 run (Kerisiano Tuiniga kick)
Aiea (8-2) 0 15 0 7 -- 22 Kapolei (9-1) 7 0 8 0 -- 15
Aiea -- Ben Ah Mook Sang 1 run (kick failed)
Aiea -- CJ Tausaga 32 interception return (pass failed)
Aiea -- Brandon Puckett FG 31
Kap -- Kaheaku-Enhada 48 run (Kaheaku-Enhada run)
Aiea -- Lawrence Leovao 2 run (Brandon Puckett kick)RUSHING -- Aiea: Raymond Tauala 16-117, Jonathan Burgos 3-87, Lawrence Leovao 7-13, Ah Mook Sang 4-7, Donny Mapusaga 2-0, Kali Kuia 5-(-11). Kapolei: Kaheaku-Enhada 15-145, Gilbert Brown 5-9, John Dela Rama 5-0, Jon Medeiros 2-(-1), Colin Dumlao 1-(-3), Chaves Gamboa 2-(-7).
PASSING -- Aiea: Kuia 12-17-1-93, Ah Mook Sang 1-3-1-8. Kapolei: Kaheaku-Enhada 7-14-2-102, Medeiros 0-4-1-0.
RECEIVING -- Aiea: Alden DeMello 6-38, Ah Mook Sang 2-37, Jabez Armodia 2-15, Tauala 2-11. Kapolei: Brandon Pieper 2-27, Medeiros 3-26, Gamboa 1-25, Dumlao 1-24.
Junior varsity championship game -- Kahuku 38, Leilehua 29
