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Kahuku avoids being
kicked by Mules
The top-ranked Red Raiders take
advantage of Leilehua's mistakes
to pick up a 12-6 victory
Breathing room is a hard commodity to come by for teams who dare line up against No. 1 Kahuku.
No. 9 Leilehua learned just how costly mistakes can be against the Red Raiders at rain-swept Aloha Stadium. The Mules made five big ones last night in an Oahu Interscholastic Association Red semifinal football game and it cost them a chance at victory.
Defending state champion Kahuku (9-1) took full advantage of those errors and earned a surprisingly tough 12-6 win in a driving rain in front of 3,541 hardy souls.
The Red Raiders play Mililani next weekend for the OIA Red Conference championship as well as the league's top seed and first-round bye in the upcoming Division I state tournament.
Despite the loss, Leilehua (8-2) showed grit and kept the deficit to a respectable 12-0 at the half. The Mules can still qualify for the states by winning next weekend's third-place game against Castle.
Trailing 12-6 late in the fourth quarter, Leilehua stopped a Kahuku drive and pushed the ball into Red Raiders territory, but fumbled their hopes away with less than 5 minutes remaining. Leilehua's final possession, which started with 2:39 left, also ended with a fumble in Kahuku territory with 52 seconds remaining.
"Yes, I can be proud," said Leilehua linebacker B.J. Fruean, who made plays all over the field. "We stuck it to them, but it didn't turn out the way we wanted. We wanted so much to take it away from Kahuku, to give them their first OIA loss."
The Mules' first two big miscues led directly to Kahuku's first two touchdowns. Then, with time running out in the half, a failure to punch home a TD from the Kahuku 1 proved to be another fatal mistake.
After a scoreless first quarter, Leilehua's dropped punt snap and 1-yard loss set Kahuku up at the Mules 19, and two plays later Siaosi Lauhingoa scored from 15 yards out to give the Red Raiders a 6-0 lead.
Kahuku went up 12-0 after another special-teams gem with 3:14 left in the half. This time, B.J. Adolpho's hit caused Leilehua punt returner Chustin Senas to fumble, and the Red Raiders' Kurtney Silva recovered at the Mules 1. Simi Alo had little trouble getting into the end zone on the next play.
"It was a close game," said Adolpho, who also had two sacks. "We worked hard, though, and made do with what we could get. They gave us a hard time and it was a surprise. We need to practice and hold on to the ball."
Kahuku won the turnover war 4-3, but both teams had trouble grasping the wet football on numerous occasions.
In the final minute of the half, Kahuku's high punt snap gave the Mules a golden chance to score. They drove to the 1, but quarterback Bryant Moniz fumbled the snap with 14 seconds left. He jumped on the ball at the 1, but the Mules didn't have any timeouts left and time ran out before they could get off another play.
Kahuku nearly scored again late in the third quarter when Kamuela Alisa ripped off runs of 46 and 26 yards, but Lauhingoa fumbled at the 1 on what looked like a sure TD. The ball skipped out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a touchback.
"We weren't focused," Kahuku defensive lineman B.J. Beatty said. "We should have come out harder. Maybe it was the weather that we weren't ready for. We'll be prepped for Mililani, though."
The Mules finally found the end zone early in the fourth. Moniz connected with Senas for a 54-yard pass play before hitting Anthony Palomares for an 8-yard TD. They were in position for the upset, but ultimately failed.
