KAILUA-KONA — The game between Hawaii Prep and Kealakehe turned out about as ugly as the waterlogged field, with nearly as many fumbles as there were points scored.
In excessively muddy conditions and a steady downpour of rain, Kealakehe (4-2 overall, 3-0 BIIF DI) topped Hawaii Prep 20-0 on Friday night.
Kealakehe kicker Kolby Martin nailed two field goals, and quarterback Markus Degrate hit on 7-of-12 passes for 89 yards and added a rushing score to lead the Waveriders to victory. Riggs Kurashige accounted for 47 total yards of total offense.
“A win is always nice,” Kealakehe head coach Sam Kekuaokalani said. “We will have take what we have done tonight and build on it.”
For Hawaii Prep (1-3 overall, 1-2 BIIF DII) the numbers were not pretty offensively, the biggest chunk coming on a 50-yard pass from Kekoa LeBlanc to Kevin Durkin. Durkin also added 18 rushing yards, and accounted for a long punt return.
The stingy Kealakehe defense, led by a tenacious front four combo of Joseph Kaopua, Howard Cosare, BJ Mareko-Berdon and Isaac “Sake” Kioa, held Hawaii Prep to less than 100 yards of net offense.
The story of the night was turnovers though, with Kealakehe capitalizing on Hawaii Prep putting the ball on the turf.
“Messy game,” Kekuaokalani said. “I think we learned we have to be more deliberate on our exchanges and with ball security in general. It was just a mess.”
The Waveriders came out in a new look offense, with Markus Degrate at quarterback and an empty backfield. Sophomore Anthony “Head” Trevino had started the previous two BIIF contests.
Other welcome additions were Ini Paio and Kobe Antolin. Both seniors are bruising runners, and missed the start of the season with injuries. They were utilized early on a series of sweeps out of the slot, but eventually settled into roles out of the backfield.
After going three-and-out on its first drive, Kealakehe drove 46 yards on eight plays on its next chance with the ball, settling for a 31-yard Martin field goal to go up 3-0.
Hawaii Prep could not manage a first down early, but the big leg of Alex Brost on punts helped in the field position game.
Ka Makani’s first scoring chance came on an Alex Winters fumble recovery inside the Kealakehe 10-yard line. However, Hawaii Prep would give it back on a stray pitch the next play.
Fumbles filled the first half, with the teams combining for nearly a dozen. At one point, the teams traded fumbles on three consecutive possessions.
Kealakehe ended up wining the battle of holding onto the ball in the first half, turning a Hawaii Prep fumble into a 27-yard Martin field goal with less than a minute left. The Waveriders entered the break with a 6-0 lead, and Ka Makani remained within striking distance despite nearly no offensive yardage.
The rain let up in the second half, but the results on the field were very similar. Hawaii Prep moved down field 30 yards on their first drive thanks to a 15-yard run by Durkin and a pass interference penalty, but turned the ball over on a fumble.
On Kealakehe’s first play after the turnover, they gave it back with their own fumble.
The first touchdown of the game came — appropriately — when a fumble fell into the arms of Kealakehe defensive back Keanu Alu and he returned it 23 yards.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, so the Hawaii Prep offense decided to change it up in the fourth quarter.
Kekoa LeBlanc entered the game at quarterback and completed his first pass on a slant to Kevin Durkin. Durkin took the short pass 50 yards and Ka Makani looked primed to get momentum in their favor. However, a chop block penalty backed up Hawaii Prep 15 yards, and pressure from a stacked Kealakehe box led to consecutive sacks.
“We were pretty confident stacking the box,” Kekuaokalani said. “We knew that there were guys we had to account for, and I think we did that.”
The teams traded fumbles inside Hawaii Prep’s five-yard line late, and Degrate punched in the lone offensive touchdown of the night on a two-yard QB keeper.
Kealakehe 3 3 7 7
HPA 0 0 0 0
Scoring summary
First quarter
KEALA — Kolby Martin 31-yard FG
Second quarter
KEALA —Martin 27-yard FG
Third quarter
KEALA — Keanu Alu 23-yard fumble return
Fourth quarter
KEALA — Markus Degrate 2-yard run (Martin kick good)
