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Mililani grabs first place
Maka Kahoano connected with Jon Santos for two early touchdowns, and Kekoa Perbera ran for 185 yards as Mililani outslugged Leilehua 35-14 last night in a wild west showdown.
Mililani, ranked No. 3 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, improved to 5-0 in Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West play (7-0 overall). Sixth-ranked Leilehua suffered its first loss (6-1, 4-1).
It was a big win before a big crowd at the Trojans' stadium, marking the first time in years that the two archrivals were unbeaten this late in the regular season.
"I think they were too confident, thinking we'd roll over for them," Santos said.
Leilehua, a younger team with plenty of offensive firepower, stayed close for a half. Mililani's defense, however, stifled the Mules' passing attack, allowing just 76 total yards in the second half. Penalties derailed much of Leilehua's opportunities, especially in the pivotal third quarter.
"It's like I said earlier, we need to be consistent, execute and trust each other," Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda said. "If we took care of our responsibilities, it would've been a different game. We'll see them in the playoffs, I'm sure."
Kahoano found Santos for touchdown strikes of 51 and 28 yards in the first 6 minutes of the game.
"Their defense was playing really tight. The safeties were way up," said Santos, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior. "They were biting on everything.
Mililani's powerful offensive line, led by Sene Ma'afala (6-2, 360 pounds) and Micah Kia (6-5, 280) then took control of the line of scrimmage.
In all, the Trojans rushed 43 times for 316 yards. They finished with 428 total yards.
Leilehua sophomore Bryant Moniz completed 26 of 42 attempts for 268 yards. Only 61 of those yards came in the second half, however.
Anthony Palomares finished with 140 yards on seven receptions, including an 80-yard touchdown play. Chustin Senas caught seven balls for 63 yards in tough coverage by cornerback Chris Dickerson.
Dickerson had three deflections and didn't allow Senas to score despite the void left by injured safety Justin Morris.
"I just did what the coaches said. They said (Senas) isn't that aggressive, but he came out strong," Dickerson said. "I realized what I had to do."
The Trojans established their power running game from the start. They ran on four plays in a row before Kahoano launched a 51-yard bomb to Santos for Mililani's first touchdown. Todd Sorbin's PAT kick capped a five-play, 69-yard march, and Mililani led 7-0 with 8:53 remaining in the opening quarter.
A 40-yard kickoff return by Justin Lawelawe, plus a personal foul against Mililani, set the Mules up at the Trojan 35-yard line for their first possession of the game. Moniz connected with Senas immediately for a 24-yard gain, but the drive stalled. Dickerson and Matt Welch deflected passes in the end zone for Mililani on third and fourth downs.
Lining up in an I formation, Mililani needed just three plays to find pay dirt. Perbera bolted up the middle for a 56-yard gain, and Kahoano fired a strike to Santos on a slant for a 28-yard touchdown pass. Sorbin's extra-point kick lifted the Trojans to a 14-0 lead with 5:27 left in the first quarter.
Leilehua's offense came to life in the second quarter. After a Jordan Torres punt for a touchback gave the Mules first down on their own 20-yard line, Moniz dropped back into the pocket on first down. He spiraled a pass to Anthony Palomares at midfield, and the 6-foot-2 senior broke tackle attempts by Welch and Troy Murakami for an 80-yard touchdown play.
Mililani's Aaron Po'oloa blocked the PAT attempt, but Leilehua was down 14-6 with 8:47 remaining in the second quarter.
