Kealakehe loaded the box for bear and displayed early rushing resistance, but things changed for Waiakea, which relied on its O-line and coaching schemes on both sides of the ball in a golden-ticket game.
Behind big-play rushing attacks, the Warriors bulldozed the Waveriders 29-14 in a BIIF Division I football game on Saturday, which also served as Waiakea’s homecoming.
With the win at sun-baked Ken Yamase Memorial Stadium, Waiakea (3-3 BIIF, 3-6) claimed the league’s final berth to the HHSAA Division I state tournament.
“It’s good for the program. We’ve work years for it,” Waiakea coach Moku Pita said. “It’ll be the first time in many, many years Waiakea will in the championship game.”
The Warriors will play three-time defending champion Hilo (6-0, 6-1) for the BIIF crown on Oct. 21 or 22 at Wong Stadium.
Waiakea last went to states in 2001, after sharing the BIIF title with Konawaena. Both finished with the same record, but the Warriors beat the Wildcats in the regular season.
In a pilot program, the HHSAA has a three-tier format: Open, Division I and II. It’s the first time the BIIF will have two berths to states for a single division. For Division II, the BIIF has only one state spot.
Kealakehe (2-4, 2-5) no longer looks like the power-running or speed-spread outfit, with a massive offensive line, that reeled off a string of BIIF crowns (2004-07, 2010-12).
Actually, for the first half, the Waveriders stoned Waiakea’s ground game: 24 attempts for 51 yards, a 2.1 carry average.
But Pita pointed out that Clemson’s Memorial Stadium is known as Death Valley, and nicknamed Yamase stadium The Imu, for the heat missiles that bounce off the artificial turf and metal bleachers. Even his guys got cramped up, but the visitors never looked comfortable, especially as the day grew longer.
In the second half, Waiakea’s offensive line, led by Isaiah K-Aloha, started to leverage defenders out of the way. The ground game went nuts in the last 24 minutes: 17 attempts for 211 yards, a 12.4 average.
Waiakea speedster/quarterback Gehrig Octavio ran for 102 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown, on seven carries, and caught five passes for 91 yards and two TDs.
Octavio has been to states before with the Waiakea baseball team for the last three years. But it was a new feeling qualifying for football.
“I love the experience,” he said. “It was a goal to get to states, knowing we’re the first team in a generation to do it.”
His partner, pile-driver/QB Makoa Andres, rushed for 135 yards on 18 attempts, including a touchdown, and went 6 of 16 for 101 yards with two scoring strikes and no picks.
Waiakea’s O-line allowed no sacks, and the best scheme design came on a simple off-tackle run in the fourth quarter, when Kealakehe trimmed the lead to 22-14 with seven minutes left.
Before that’s revealed, here’s how the Warriors set up Octavio’s momentum-shifting 80-yard touchdown run:
For much of the game, the Waiakea put Andres at QB in a run-and-shoot look and sent out Octavio, who consistently got open in man coverage, the mark of a stellar route runner.
When the Waveriders came hard on run defense, Andres went to the air and found Octavio for long completions: 44 yards, 10, 10, 18 and nine yards to stretch the field.
Waiakea also ran the ball up the middle with Andres at QB, and he ripped off a couple of monster gains of 58 and 30 yards because the line blasted defenders backward.
Instead of busting through the tackles in pure smash-mouth football style, the Warriors then threw a curveball with an overload left-tackle play.
K-Aloha was the left tackle and on his outside was receiver Wes Amuimuia, snuggled close. And linebacker Brandon Stewart served as a blocking back. Octavio was the QB, and Andres was the split-back on his left with Austin Deperalta, the other split, on the right.
Amuimuia and K-Aloha kicked out and sealed their blocks while Stewart and Andres caved in the backside pursuers. That left Octavio with a wide-open freeway of green turf.
He stepped on the gas and was gone, 80 yards for a touchdown and a 29-14 cushion, grabbing the momentum back from the Waveriders.
Defensively, the Warriors designed a blanket cover scheme with their athletic personnel. Octavio and Deperalta joined Isaiah Pagay, Steff Sepp, who had the game’s only sack, and Chazdon Kenui in the secondary.
They allowed nothing deep, a reason Kealakehe quarterback Anthony Trevino went 13 of 30 for just 77 yards with one interception.
Andres also filled in on defense, and he relied on his wide-set body and aggressiveness to dominate his gap and allow teammates to make tackles.
“He’s been a key asset for us on offense and defense,” Pita said.
When Trevino hit intermediate targets, linebackers Stewart and Chance Silva-Borero, who had a pick, cleaned house with lockdown tackles. Silva-Borero compiled a game-high 10 tackles.
The Waveriders finished with 161 yards on 34 attempts, a 4.7 average. But that’s deceptive because Trevino ran for 66 yards on 10 carries, often on mad scrambles.
Luckily for Waiakea, Kealakehe’s most dangerous weapon, junior Bryton Lewi, was kept under wraps. He had no receiving or rushing yards.
On the opening kickoff, Lewi found a crease and outraced Waiakea’s coverage almost the entire field, but he was caught and fumbled at the 11.
That 81-yard kickoff return was one of three Kealakehe turnovers in the first half. The Warriors had no turnovers and capitalized only on one free gift in the first quarter; they finished with one turnover.
Lewi also thrilled the Waverider faithful with a 50-yard kickoff return that was negated because of a penalty.
In the first quarter, the Waveriders fumbled on a punt return, and Shon Sares recovered near midfield.
Then three plays later, Andres threw a bullet to Octavio, who beat single coverage for a 44-yard touchdown.
In the second quarter, Michael Scott blasted a line drive for a 40-yard field goal and a 9-0 lead in a first half that featured stagnant offenses from both teams.
But that wouldn’t be the case for long, not with The Imu cooking and Waiakea’s ground game all warmed up.