The last time they met, Kamehameha imposed its bulk and strength at the point of contact, and Leilehua took a pummeling.

This time, the third-ranked Warriors went airborne with junior Christian Akana and used a balanced attack in a 21-7 nonconference win over No. 7 Leilehua last night at Hugh Yoshida Stadium.

That spoiled the season opener for the Mules, who unveiled their beautiful new synthetic turf field.

When the teams met in the state semifinals, Kamehameha dominated in a 40-0 win, piling up 249 rushing yards while its defense sacked Andrew Manley six times.

Last night, Leilehua limited Kamehameha to 90 yards on 31 carries, but the Warriors’ balanced offense was effective enough to keep the Mules off balance often.

Defensively, a Warrior lineup loaded with plenty of new starters limited the Mules to 5 rushing yards in the first half. Leilehua finished with 126 total yards, including 51 rushing on 31 attempts.

Kamehameha got sacks from Maka Pickard and Kory Rasmussen, while cornerback Shayden Terukina came up with two interceptions.

"Football’s more fun," the two-time state wrestling champion said of the two sports. "Especially playing for your team, with all your friends."

"Shayden’s a tough kid," said cornerback-turned-safety Walter Santiago Sr. "He’s always had heart."

Akana’s passing — nine-for-17 for 98 yards — wasn’t the whole story. He eluded a ferocious Mules pass rush most of the night. Leilehua’s unorthodox, stand-up style left Kamehameha linemen guessing which of the Mules would pass-rush. Leilehua finished with four sacks.

Field position, though, was in Kamehameha’s favor most of the night before about 1,500 fans.

The Warriors took advantage of a high snap on a Leilehua punt play and sacked Fred Padrones at the 6-yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct call against Padrones, who flung the football in frustration after the play, gave Kamehameha the ball at the 3. Two plays later, Akana snuck over for a 1-yard touchdown, and the visitors led 7-0 with 3:43 left in the first quarter.

Leilehua’s defense had its share of highlights, including two sacks by Penitito Melei, but the Mule offense was stagnant for most of the half. After a sack by safety Micah Choy, Kamehameha drove 65 yards in seven plays for its next score.

Running back Jason Muraoka scored on a 1-yard dive and the Warriors had a 14-0 lead with 7:29 remaining in the first half.

After an interception return of 32 yards by Terukina, the Warriors covered 13 yards in four plays, scoring on a 9-yard strike from Akana to Bollig on an out route. The Warriors led 21-0 with 3:30 to go in the half.

"The line gave us enough time for Christian to get the ball off," Bollig said.

Kenan Sadanaga entered at quarterback and led the Mules on a nine-play, 51-yard touchdown drive. Sadanaga hit Darrien Shealy for a 6-yard score on an out pattern with 20 seconds to go in the half, but that ended the scoring for both teams for the night.