KEALAKEKUA — By the time the game was over, Konawaena’s jerseys were far from spotless, but the Wildcats BIIF record remained sparkly clean with a convincing 40-7 victory over Honokaa in a torrential downpour at Julian R. Yates Field on Friday night.
Konawaena (3-2 overall, 3-0 BIIF) still found a way to get it done through the air despite most of the game being played in heavy rain and ankle-high water. Senior quarterback Austin Ewing completed 16 of 25 passes for 136 yards and three scores, adding another on the ground. Chauncey Mariani-Louis was on the receiving end of two of those touchdown passes — both in the first half — and ran in another.
Honokaa’s wet weather play chart featured a ton of Klayton Gascon. The steady junior back carried the ball 29 times for 71 yards.
As per usual, the Wildcats got off to a quick start. In the first eight plays, Konawaena found the end zone twice, mostly due to some creative running from Mariani-Louis. On his first touchdown of the night — a 29-yard catch and run out of the backfield — the senior back accelerated down the sideline and shook a final defender in the open field before finding paydirt.
His second score was equally impressive. After taking a big hit, Mariani-Louis was nearly swung into a puddle before finding his balance and strolling into the right corner of the end zone.
After the early scores, the Wildcats gave the Dragons some fire, turning the ball over two times in three plays. Kolten Carvalho picked off Ewing on a miscommunication with a receiver and Taddy Tibnol picked up a fumble deep in Konawaena territory.
The Dragons nearly flipped the first turnover into points, riding Gascon to the goal line. However, a false start and fourth down stand by the Wildcats prevented a score.
Honokaa capitalized on the next gift from Konawaena, with Ocean Guerpo-Beamer floating a ball into the hands of Paki Akau in the back of the end zone. It was one of just three first half pass completions by the Dragons, but it pulled the team to within a score.
It didn’t last long.
A long kick return from Kalai Santiago — who also had an interception in the first half — helped right the ship for the Wildcats in the close game, and Ewing went back to Mariani-Louis to push the lead to 20-7. Konawaena added another score just before the half with Ewing evading defenders in the swimming pool conditions for a 2-yard plunge.
The Wildcats kept their foot on the gas to open the third quarter, forcing a fumble on the Dragons’ first drive out of the break and scoring on a Ewing lob to Jeriah Cacal a play later.
As the rain let up in the third quarter, the flood of pressure from the Konawaena front seven only strengthened. Honokaa had a hard time getting past the line of scrimmage and the Dragons were held to negative yardage in the quarter.
The wet weather effected both teams in the fourth, trading fumbles on the first three drives of the stanza. But other than a few big splashes at midfield, the rest of the evening proved uneventful, with the clock moving quickly and Konawaena cruising to its third consecutive victory.
Next up for the Wildcats is a homecoming contest against D-I juggernaut Hilo on Sept. 15. Honokaa will seek brighter days on the road at Keaau the same day.