Lahainaluna wins late
on thrilling play
WAILUKU » Forgive the Mililani Trojan defenders if they still see red blurs on the way back to Oahu.
The Trojans have the Lahainaluna Lunas to thank for that. Preston Medeiros snuck in on a 1-yard run with 9.2 seconds left, lifting Lahainaluna to a thrilling 41-34 win last night before 4,000 at War Memorial Stadium.
The win vaulted the Lunas (9-1-1) into the semifinals of the First Hawaiian Bank State Football Championships. Lahainaluna meets No. 2 seed Kamehameha on Friday at Aloha Stadium.
Mililani, the runner-up from the Oahu Interscholastic Association, closed the season 10-2.
The finish was an amazing drive by Lahainaluna, which had no timeouts and just 1:35 to drive from its own 35. The Lunas were at the Mililani 1-yard line with time running out. Medeiros, the holder, stood up and approached his center, Joey Luuwai. As Mililani stood waiting in confusion, Luuwai made a quick snap and Medeiros drove across the goal line without a challenge for the winning touchdown.
It was a gutsy move by Medeiros.
"I kinda made that call on my own," the senior said. "Especially the way we were kicking."
Lunas coach Bobby Watson was as amazed as anyone.
"It could've gone either way. We knew Mililani wasn't gonna give up," he said. As many as eight of his starters played both ways. "They were tired, but they sucked it up. From summer camp on, they put their hearts and souls into it. They're overachievers. You gotta give credit to Mililani, also."
Mililani, unbeaten until eight days ago, was visibly distraught after the loss.
"We can't let this take away from the season we had," Trojans coach James Millwood said. "We gotta keep our heads up. We didn't play a good game tonight, and Lahainaluna played a really good game."
The Trojans suffered three losses when safety Aaron Po'oloa, their defensive leader, injured a leg in the first half. Defensive end Michael Suan played sparingly due to leg injuries, and top receiver Jon Santos suffered a concussion and didn't play in the second half.
The Trojans entered the game ranked third in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, but sputtered offensively in the first half.
Defensively, they weren't able to consistently stop Lahainaluna's unique misdirection offense. Wayne Phillips, in motion nearly every play, took the handoff from Medeiros seven times in the first half for 71 yards. That set off a series of big plays for Lahainaluna, which amassed 227 first-half yards.
Medeiros was accurate enough to connect with tight end Stanley Malamala for two big passes for 60 yards, setting up both of the Luna offense's touchdowns before intermission.
Lahainaluna got on the scoreboard on its first possession when Medeiros found Rylan Ancog wide open in the end zone on a play-action pass. The point-after kick by Sam Tillman was blocked, but the Lunas led 6-0 with 5:10 left in the first quarter.
Lahainaluna then drove 70 yards in nine plays, with Phillips bolting up the middle on another misdirection play. Phillips' 4-yard run and Medeiros' keeper around right end on the 2-point PAT gave the Lunas a 14-0 lead with 11:23 remaining in the first half.
Mililani finally came alive offensively, driving 71 yards in six plays. Jordan Apduhan entered for the first time, tearing off a 37-yard run, and capping the march with a tough 18-yard toss sweep on the left side to pay dirt. The PAT kick was wide left, and Mililani trailed 14-6 with 8:31 to go in the half.
With 13 seconds remaining, the Trojans elected to try to score. Maka Kahoano scrambled for 17 yards and called timeout with 1.8 seconds left in the half.
However, on the final play of the half, he scrambled too long and was sacked by Fine Latu from behind and fumbled. Glen Kuresa picked up the ball and raced untouched 42 yards to the end zone.
Mililani came out with a renewed commitment to the ground game after halftime.
The Trojans drove 62 yards in nine plays. Kahoano connected with Nick Rogers on a fade route for a 14-yard touchdown pass, and Jordan Torres' extra-point kick brought Mililani within 21-13 with 7:26 left in the third quarter.
Lahainaluna had a forgettable third stanza, burning two timeouts and committing penalties. After going three-and-out, the Lunas saw Mililani drive 53 yards for another touchdown, but on one of the freakiest plays of the season Kahoano hit Torres on a slant for a 24-yard gain, but he fumbled, and Rogers picked up the bouncing ball and ran 21 yards for the score.
Kahoano was stuffed on the PAT, and Lahainaluna still led 21-19 with 4:16 to go in the third.
Mililani took the lead on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Kahoano to Rogers, the junior's third score of the night. The two connected again on the 2-point PAT, and Mililani led 27-21 with 11:53 to play in the contest.
Lahainaluna's offense woke up on the ensuing possession. In seven plays, the Lunas drove 78 yards, and Phillips raced around right end with an escort of pulling linemen for a 9-yard touchdown run to tie the game. The extra-point try by Colby Wyckoff sailed wide right, and the score remained 27-all with 9:27 left.
