HONOKAA — In sports, momentum can be a great ally, but sometimes an even greater adversary.
Konawaena saw both sides of that coin Friday night, but the Wildcats rode a second-half momentum swing and three touchdowns from Bubba Ellis-Noa to a 46-13 win against Honokaa in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II matchup.
“Our team needed a character game, and this was a character game,” Konawaena head coach Cliff Walters said. “With the HPA game last week, it felt like we had lost even though we had won and it never developed into a character game for us. This game developed into a character game and the boys stepped up to the plate.”
In front of their raucous homecoming night crowd, Honokaa (2-3 BIIF, 2-3) held the momentum advantage after the first half.
The Dragons scored 10 points off Wildcats turnovers in the first two quarters, including a perfectly executed 57-yard hook-and-ladder play. After the big plays on offense and a thrilling goal-line stand to maintain a 13-all tie, the Honokaa players sprinted into the locker room, waving their hands and pumping up the crowd.
Konawaena (4-1, 5-1) jogged off into a thick, incoming mist.
“Honokaa had the momentum at the half. They held us down there on the 1-yard line. That is not the way you want to end a half,” Walters said. “It was our errors in the first half that allowed it to be that close. Honokaa is an emotional team, and if you let them stay in the game, they will be right there with you.”
Thanks to a bevy of playmakers, Konawaena quickly stole the momentum after the break, scoring 27 points in just over seven minutes.
Konawaena wide receiver Luca Vartic grabbed a 40-yard pass to set up an Ellis-Noa score from 1 yard out. Moments later, Cameron Howes returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. Ellis-Noa’s third touchdown of the contest came on a 35-yard offensive fumble return, and Kevin Medeiros ended the third-quarter scoring with a leaping 21-yard catch in traffic.
“It was time for us to make something happen. We couldn’t wait for it to happen anymore. We had to go out there and make it happen,” Walters said. “It was the momentum change in the second half that let us flow and saw them drop.”
Konawaena quarterback Shelton Grace sat out with a shoulder injury, and Howes — who started the year as the No. 1 QB — was a game-time decision with his own shoulder issues. Ellis-Noa — the Wildcats’ senior linebacker/running back/wide receiver — got the call to take the snaps behind center. He was 2-of-3 passing early, before moving to running back and wide receiver.
Howes took over the rest of the way, going 10 of 22 for 124 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Howes also added four rushes for 51 yards, and Ellis-Noa had 61 yards and the three touchdowns. Algene Kelekolio led the Wildcats on the ground with 127 yards on 15 carries and added a fourth-quarter touchdown.
Konawaena linebacker Tate “Baba” Hing recorded a team-high seven tackles, one for a loss. Medeiros, Akoni Gouveia-Medeiros and Torin Tuppein each had a sack.
“In the second half, simple mistakes hurt us and the boys got too hard on themselves,” Honokaa head coach Morgan “Hana” Hanohano said. “We never took Konawaena for granted, even heading to the locker room with the score tied. We knew they would come out in the second half and counter whatever we were going to come out with, and they did a heck of a job of that. We couldn’t get the momentum back and our little mistakes piled up.”
Honokaa quarterback Nainoa Falk finished the game 5 of 15 for 125 yards and an interception. He also had an interception on defense.
Six Dragons received carries, but no player recorded significant yardage. Kamaehu Richards led Honokaa in receiving, with 76 yards on three catches — the bulk coming as he sprinted down the sideline after the pitch on the hook and ladder.
Honokaa kicker Preston Branco kicked two field goals, from 24 and 27 yards.
The Dragons know quite a bit about momentum, having scored 28 and 29 points in single quarters in both of its wins this season. While the Dragons have shown potential in spurts, Hanohano is aiming on getting consistent play out of his young squad.
“What we need to work on is when the boys make a mistake, they need to get past it and remember this is a team sport and not an individual sport. It’s hard to watch when they shut down after making a mistake and take it too personal,” Hanohano said. “These boys got it, they just have to believe in themselves.”
The game was the first of three consecutive Division II games for the Dragons to close out the regular season.
“We have to continue working,” Hanohano said. “For us, it will be all about getting back on the field Monday, looking at the film, and getting better for Kamehameha next week.”
Konawaena 7 6 27 6 — 46
Honokaa10300—13
First quarter
Kon — Bubba Ellis-Noa 1-yard run (Quentin Grace kick), 5:28
Hon — Preston Branco 24-yard FG, 1:32
Hon — Kanen Ventura 22-yard catch from Nainoa Falk, Kamaehu Richards 35 yards after pitch on hook and ladder (Branco kick), :09
Second quarter
Kon — Tristan Fleming-Nazara 22-yard catch from Cameron Howes (Grace kick failed), 6:10
Hon — Branco 27-yard FG, 2:50
Third quarter
Kon — Ellis-Noa 1-yard run (Grace kick failed), 9:22
Kon — Howes 37-yard interception return (Howes run), 7:58
Kon — Ellis-Noa 35-yard fumble return (Grace kick failed), 3:44
Kon — Kevin Medeiros 21-yard catch from Howes (Grace kick), 2:03
Fourth quarter
Kon — Algene Kelekolio 1-yard run (Grace kick failed), 1:47