HONOKAA — Waialua didn’t look like a middle of the pack OIA Division II football team, at least not against Honokaa, which is green around the ears.
Mila Lele rushed for three touchdowns and 163 yards on 20 carries to power the Bulldogs over the Dragons 32-14 in a preseason game on a chilly Saturday night that featured a lot of fireworks in the second half.
Unfortunately, it came at the expense of the young Dragons, who return four starters in quarterback Nainoa Falk, lineman Sese Manriquez, and defensive linemen Riley Rechiro and Trueston Andrade.
The Bulldogs, who finished with a 4-4 record last year, led just 6-0 at halftime, before busting loose for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
“For us, it’s about getting back to basics and fundamentals and tackling and wrapping up,” Honokaa coach Hana Hanohano told the Tribune-Herald. “A lot of kids had to go both ways.”
The second-year coach said the Dragons were missing several players because of academic probation.
It was strictly a business trip for Waialua, which had a long drive back to Hilo Hawaiian and a flight to catch on Sunday. There would be no sightseeing, only the nice memory of putting an overpowering run game to good use.
Lele, a shifty 5-foot-7 senior, piled up 90 yards on 10 carries in the first half, often shooting through huge gaps provided by left tackle Kapono Kamai and right tackle Richard Kamakea, two players bigger than any Dragon defenders.
Waialua quarterback Royce Tashiro provided enough balance, and adequate ball security. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 149 yards, and had zero turnovers (interceptions or fumbles).
Falk and senior wideout Jonathan Charbonneau provided a sprinkling of highlights for the Dragons (2-5 BIIF Division II last season), who struggled to get a running game going.
“It was a preseason game, we wanted to see if we could throw the ball,” said Hanohano, who’s team is introducing spread and zone-read principals on offense. “We had about three weeks to learn a new zone blocking scheme.”
The Bulldogs played a single safety, pressed the wideouts, and attacked hard to fill running lanes. They only got burned twice, and the pair of big plays had the Dragon faithful exercising their vocal chords.
Late in the first quarter on third-and-9 from the 37, Falk connected with Charbonneau on a post pass. The senior wideout had a step on his defender, slammed on the brakes, and changed direction for a 62-yard gain.
To the dismay of the Dragons, the drive was unproductive. A 20-yard field goal attempt was no good.
“Nainoa did an awesome job delivering the ball,” Hanohano said. “We need our receivers to do a better job of getting separation.”
In the third quarter, Falk and Rivera burned Waialua’s single coverage on a simple streak route. After a punt, Falk launched a perfect 45-yard scoring strike to Kainalu Rivera, who got separation from his defender, and cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 12-6.
Then the fourth quarter rolled around and Honokaa’s youth and inexperience showed up as Waialua scored three touchdowns, two off interceptions.
Still, the Dragons didn’t go down without a fight.
From their 41, they took six plays to score, with Falk ramming in for a 1-yard run. It was a productive two-minute scoring drive that teams practice all the time.
On Honokaa’s first possession, Falk returned a punt 41 yards, but the offense couldn’t capitalize and the Bulldogs took the ball and scored, an ominous sign for the young Dragons.
Falk went 9 of 20 for 222 yards with a touchdown and two picks. The senior Dragon rushed for 85 yards on 10 carries. Charbonneau had four receptions for 114 yards for Honokaa, which heads to Oahu to play St. Francis on Aug. 22.
“We’ll work on our tackling in zone coverage and plug some holes,” Hanohano said.
Waialua 6 0 6 20 — 32
Honokaa 0 0 6 8 — 14