Waianae holds off stubborn Kapolei

Waianae weathered some late-game drama to preserve a festive homecoming night atmosphere at Raymond Torii Field.

The sixth-ranked Seariders saw a 22-point halftime lead over No. 8 Kapolei chopped to eight with about six minutes left in the game. The Waianae offense didn’t give the Hurricanes a chance to complete the comeback, holding onto the ball the rest of the way to close out a 35-27 win Friday night.

"We really wanted to finish the Waianae way, just hanging onto the ball and driving it," Seariders coach Daniel Matsumoto said. "Fortunately we were able to do that for the fans."

Waianae quarterback Kekoa Kaluhiokalani helped the Seariders build a 28-6 first-half lead by running in their first touchdown and passing for another in the first quarter.

With the outcome still in doubt in the fourth, the senior kept the ball in the Seariders’ hands in a 10-play drive that ran out the final 5:55.

Kaluhiokalani extended the possession with a 23-yard gain on third and 4 from the Waianae 20. He later completed a 15-yard pass on third and 16 to set up Ronald Matautia’s run that gave the Seariders their final first down, allowing him to take a knee to finish off the win.

"We needed to hold onto the ball," Kaluhiokalani said before being introduced as part of the senior night ceremony. "We had a great push, keep getting first downs and we’ll come out with the win.

"The running back was clutch on (fourth down). They knew it was coming, but he made the second effort and got the first down."

Waianae remained in contention for a bye in the first round of the OIA Red playoffs by ending the regular season at 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the Red West.

Kapolei (5-2, 3-2) faces Campbell on Oct. 4 to close its regular-season schedule.

Kapolei had won three straight and had a bye following a 48-27 comeback win over Leilehua on Sept. 13 in which the Hurricanes scored 35 points in the fourth quarter.

"Give credit to Kapolei. We knew they were explosive. They took advantage of every opportunity we gave them," Matsumoto said. "The game was never in hand."

It appeared the Seariders would roll to a victory after scoring on five of their six possessions of the opening half.

Kaluhiokalani ended the first two drives with a 25-yard touchdown run and a 4-yard pass to Mahvan Tau. Matautia followed Tau’s touchdown by running in the 2-point conversion to give the Seariders a 15-0 lead.

Stanton Spencer’s 28-yard field goal on the final play of the first half stretched the Waianae lead to 28-6 going into halftime.

Kapolei’s Tristan Centeio sparked the Hurricanes by returning the second-half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.

Waianae’s defense accounted for the Seariders’ lone touchdown of the second half. Niko Kala-Mahiai returned a fumble 25 yards to extend the lead to 35-13.

Two fumbles stunted Kapolei’s comeback bid for a while, but Tristan Pebria scored on a 12-yard run in the third quarter and Mana Reis added a 20-yard scoring run midway through the fourth.

But the Waianae offense made sure Kapolei would get no closer.