KAILUA-KONA – It was a tale of two halves Friday night at Waverider Stadium.
After a hard-fought first half saw Kealakehe hold a narrow 21-14 lead over visiting Waiakea, the Waveriders could seemingly do no wrong in the second half.
Kealakehe QB Sheynen Nahale led the way, throwing three of his four touchdowns after halftime. TJ Arakawa was the receiving end of Nahale’s final touchdown pass, putting the exclamation point on Kealakehe’s 42-14 victory by diving into the end zone: his third score of the night.
“That one felt pretty amazing,” said Arakawa. “Catching that, juking out the one guy, then diving in. That felt really good.”
Kealakehe’s lead back found the end zone twice in the first half on long runs, allowing the Waveriders to stay ahead on the scoreboard despite their offense struggling at times to maintain drives.
“I can’t take credit for those first two runs,” said Arakawa. “My O-line. They were solid, getting their blocks, making the gaps for me. All I did was follow my blocks. Even my receivers, they got all their blocks. It made it easy for me.”
Waiakea closed the gap to 21-14 on a clever pitch pass, finding John Torres behind the defenders to convert a fourth-and-long for a touchdown. Torres caught both touchdowns for the Warriors in the first half.
After halftime, however, Kealakehe’s defense stiffened, keeping the Warriors off the scoreboard as Nahale &Co. extended the Kealakehe lead.
“We settled down and found ourselves and our rhythm,” said Kealakehe head coach Wyatt Nahale of his team’s second-half improvements. “We didn’t play our best game yet; we have a lot of work to do.”
Kealakehe (2-0, 1-0 BIIF) will travel to 1-1 Keaau next Friday for a contest against the Cougars while 0-2 Waiakea will square off against 0-1 Hilo Saturday.
Kealakehe 14 7 7 14 – 42
Waiakea 0 14 0 0 – 14
First quarter
Kealakehe – Arakawa 48-yard run (J. Cummings kick)
Kealakehe – Nahale 21-yard pass to Mahelona (J. Cummings kick)
Second quarter
Waiakea – Segovia-Tanonaka 11-yard pass to Torres (Tuson kick)
Kealakehe – 48-yard run by Arakawa (J. Cummings kick)
Waiakea – Tavares 33-yard pass to Torres (Tuson kick)
Third quarter
Kealakehe – Nahale 13-yard pass to Ichishita (J. Cummings kick)
Fourth quarter
Kealakehe – Nahale 17-yard pass to Acia (J. Cummings kick)
Kealakehe – Nahale 9-yard pass to Arakawa (J. Cummings kick)
KONAWAENA 59, KEAAU 6
Keoki Alani and the Wildcats avoided a letdown following last week’s overtime thriller against Hilo, quickly putting the game out of reach against the visiting Cougars.
Alani threw five touchdowns – all in the first half – as Konawaena built a 34-6 lead by halftime.
“He was just being patient; what we always ask him to do is to take what the defense gives him,” said Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto. “He’s a young kid as a sophomore, but I think mentally, he’s very mature in football IQ. He’s done exactly what we’re asking him to do, and he’s finding success. I’m proud of the way he played.”
“It feels great,” added Alani. “It’s always good to be on fire and not hitting any roadbumps. It was a good team win.”
Isaac Clement and Kamaehu Makanui each caught a pair of touchdown passes, while Landon Daquel-Shimabukuro caught one.
Keaau’s lone score of the afternoon came on a one-yard plunge up the middle late in the second quarter from Damon Sharp. The Cougars were kept in check most of the day largely due to a ferocious pass rush that ensured Keaau quarterback Kaohu Kaluna rarely had time to throw.
“Our front, obviously we’re very aggressive; that’s our style. That’s always how we play defense,” said Uemoto. “I know Keaau has been missing some guys, but I think we did a good job. I keep reiterating to these guys to keep playing assignment football and good things will come.”
After halftime, the Wildcats turned to the ground game to put the game away and got four rushing touchdowns. Kawelu Kaiawe accounted for two – including a 57-yarder: the longest touchdown of the game – while Keawe Lavas Noa and Maui Ellis-Noa each had one rushing touchdown.
While the final scoreboard showed a 60-6 score, four failed extra points – including the final two of the day – kept the Wildcats to just 59 points.
Konawaena (2-0) has next week off; their next contest will come Nov. 13 at 0-2 Waiakea. Keaau (1-1) hosts 2-0 Kealakehe next week Friday.
Konawaena 13 21 13 12 – 59
Keaau 0 6 0 0 – 6
First quarter
Kona: Alani 3-yard pass to Clement (kick missed)
Kona: Alani 22-yard pass to Daquel-Shimabukuro (Satta-Ellis kick)
Second quarter
Kona: Alani 40-yard pass to Makanui (Satta-Ellis kick)
Kona: Alani 27-yard pass to Makanui (Satta-Ellis kick)
Keaau: Sharp 1-yard run (kick missed)
Kona: Alanij 20-yard pass to Clement (Satta-Ellis kick)
Third quarter
Kona: Kaiawe 10-yard run (kick missed)
Kona: Navas Loa 27-yard run (Satta-Ellis kick)
Fourth quarter
Kona: Ellis-Noa 22-yard run (kick failed)
Kona: Kaiawe 57-yard run (kick missed)