KAILUA-KONA — The clash of champions lived up to the hype.
There were big hits, explosive plays, raucous moments and momentum-swinging plays.
But like any game between top squads, the difference was in the details.
Konawaena (4-2 overall, 4-0 BIIF DII) capitalized on Hilo (4-1, 3-1 BIIF DI) miscues and used a balanced offensive night to hand the Vikings their first loss of the season, 24-14.
It was the first league loss for Hilo since 2015.
Quarterback Austin Ewing passed for 211 yards and two scores with a pair of picks and running back Chauncey Mariani-Louis grinded out 104 yards on 23 carries for the Wildcats in the homecoming night victory.
Konawaena bottled up explosive Hilo running back Kahale Huddleston to just 64 yards on 22 carries.
The Wildcats’ defense held Hilo’s offense in check for most of the night, but the Vikings found life on their first drive after a Konawaena unsportsmanlike conduct flag.
Hilo converted big third downs, concluding a 10-play trek with a 24-yard pass from Kyan Miyasato to Makana Kanehailua, who caught a perfectly placed ball and hung on after hitting the ground hard.
It would be the most success the Vikings found in the first half. After edging the Wildcats 112-58 in first quarter yards, Hilo had just five yards in the second, with four plays going backwards and no complete passes.
Konawaena showed its first real life on offense after a pair of bruising runs from Mariani-Louis in the second quarter, gaining 29 yards. A facemask penalty added 15 more and quickly the Wildcats were in the red zone.
On 4th and long, things looked grim for Konawaena, but Ewing found some room and lobbed up a ball to a wide-open Kaanoi Rivera-Kelekolio in the end zone.
Behind a loud home crowd, the Wildcats gained even more momentum when Boaz Ayers recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff.
Another costly miscue came when Hilo jumped offside on 4th and 1, eventually allowing Konawaena to battle down to the 1-yard line. A slip on the muddy turf backed the Wildcats up a few paces, but Ewing steadied the ship and calmly found Mariani-Louis for his second touchdown toss of the night with 19 seconds left before the half.
The third quarter played out as a game of punts, until the foot of Harry Hill took the spotlight. The junior specialist booted a 39-yard field goal to give the Wildcats a solid two possession lead.
Hilo found its spark after an ill-advised downfield interception from Ewing, which was returned inside the Konawaena 5-yard line. Huddleston took two direct snaps and on the second lobbed a Tim Tebow-style jump pass that was deflected multiple times, eventually finding a home in the hands of Isaac Liu for a score. The two-point run from Kaleo Apao followed to make it 17-14.
After a 3-and-out by the ‘Cats, Hilo was back in control of the momentum. However, an interception by Ayers brought the Kealakekua crowd back to life.
“Run the ball,” could be heard throughout the anxious crowd and Konawaena did until it was 4th and 2. The Wildcats opted to go for it, picking up the first down and a lot more. Ewing found Jesse Canda over the middle and the sophomore pass-catcher sprinted to the end zone. It wasn’t that easy though. Canda had the ball punched out at the 1-yard line, and in a scramble, Hunter Wehrsig pounced on the fumble and pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 24-14.
Konawaena tried for a little extra cushion on a long field goal attempt late, but it came up short. However, with no way to stop the clock, time ran out on the Viks.