For as exciting as it started, the rivalry game between Konawaena and Kealakehe ended with a thud.
Konawaena used momentum swinging scoring plays to quell the raucous, standing-room only crowd at Waverider Stadium and pulled away in the second half to spoil Kealakehe’s homecoming 39-9.
Konawaena running back Algene Kelekolio rushed for 163 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns, shouldering the load of Konawaena’s 252 yards on the ground.
Wildcat quarterback Tristan Fleming-Nazara finished 11-of-22 for 214 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Fleming-Nazara entered the game early in the first quarter after regular starter Austin Ewing went down with an injury.
Austin Santos-Johnson propelled the Konawaena defense with 13 tackles and two sacks.
Meanwhile, for Kealakehe, no runner amassed more than 50 yards and quarterback Markus Degrate finished 8-of-20 for 113 yards and a touchdown. Degrate also accounted for three turnovers.
A wild first half started with a surprise onside kick and recovery by Konawaena. The Wildcats used a few gimmick plays to open up the possession, but were forced to punt.
Kealakehe did not do much with its first possession, but a glaring omission to the Waveriders’ backfield was running back/slot back Riggs Kurashige. The senior back did not suit up Friday night, and the three-headed attack of Kobe Antolin, Ini Paio and Akoni Demello carried the load.
The game took a scary turn on the Konawaena’s second possession when Ewing rolled out of the pocket and was hit with helmet-to-helmet contact after throwing an interception. Coaches from both teams came out to check on Ewing, and the sophomore QB would eventually leave the field under his own power.
Something to note is that the call by the referee was targeting, something that has been highlighted in order to prevent injury. The penalty usually carries an ejection, but no player was ejected for Kealakehe.
After the injury break, Konawaena came out inspired and rallied around new quarterback Fleming-Nazara. Just two plays after Ewing went down, Fleming-Nazara threw a short screen to Cameron Howes, and the slippery senior outran the Kealakehe defense to the corner of the end zone for a 26-yard score to make it 6-0.
Kealakehe seemed to get its first break in the second quarter, when a Konawaena player tagged a punt around the 5-yard line, which made the ball live and then a Waverider player took it into the end zone. However, the play would be called dead at the spot the Kealakehe recovered, and the offense went backwards. The Waveriders would settle for a 26-yard Kolby Martin field goal.
After an interception by Logan Canda, Konawaena added to its lead before half on a 38-yard pass to big play wide receiver Kamakana Ching in single coverage on a streak with no time left.
The second half started as quickly as the first ended for Konawaena.
Fleming-Nazara sparked the opening drive with a series of runs and completions, and then Kelekolio finished it with a 7-yard run.
The score would be first of 20 unanswered points in the third quarter by Konawaena, which included Kelekolio’s second TD run and a 10-yard run by Micah Laban.
Kealakehe broke the slump with a 34-yard play from Degrate to Akoni Demello to make it 32-9 late in the third quarter.
Konawaena used a steady dose of runs to milk the clock, and then Kelekolio added his third touchdown of the game to put the proverbial nail in the coffin.
Konawaena 6 6 20 7 — 39
Kealakehe 0 3 0 6 0 — 9