Moanalua finishes Kapolei

Moanalua emphasized finishing drives before returning to the field after halftime on Friday.

Consequently, Na Menehune aren’t done just yet.

After taking a 20-point lead, Na Menehune held off a Kapolei comeback in the second half to advance in the OIA Red playoffs with a 30-13 win at Moanalua.

Moanalua quarterback Dillon Turk passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as Moanalua (5-4) advanced to face Leilehua, the top seed from the OIA Red West, on Friday in the quarterfinals.

“All season we haven’t really been able to come out in the second half and finish drives,” Turk said. “Coach really stressed to us to finish drives and I think we did that.”

Turk said the memory of last year’s early exit against Radford motivated Na Menehune entering their first-round matchup with the Hurricanes.

“Last year we lost our first game and got kicked out; we took it personal and wanted to finish and keep going,” Turk said.

After Na Menehune opened up a three-touchdown lead in the third quarter, Kapolei responded with two touchdown runs by Mana Reis to cut the lead to seven with 8:39 left in the game.

Turk then led Moanalua on a six-play drive, which he extended with a 21-yard run on third and 7. His third touchdown pass of the night, a 20-yarder to Donald Lambert gave Moanalua control again as Na Menehune bounced back from a close loss to Farrington a week earlier.

“I just told them, I love how resilient they are,” Moanalua head coach Arnold Martinez said. “I think it just shows the character of our kids.”

Kapolei head coach Darren Hernandez said the Hurricanes were without six defensive starters due to injury, and they couldn’t dig out of the early hole, finishing the season at 3-6.

“We just didn’t get it done,” Hernandez said, “Moanalua played tough, we battled back, but in the end they made the plays when they had to.”

On its first possession of the second quarter, Moanalua drove to the Kapolei 12, where Na Menehune faced fourth and 9. Turk then connected with Nainoa Eselu, a starting defensive end, over the middle for the game’s first score.

Moanalua’s next possession started at the Kapolei 22 thanks to a 27-yard punt return by Chad Aragon coupled with a Kapolei penalty. Na Menehune took five plays to take a 13-0 lead with Turk hitting Marciano Tauvela on a 4-yard scoring pass.

Na Menehune stretched the lead to 20-0 with a six-play drive on their first possession of the third quarter, capped by a 1-yard sneak by Turk.

Kapolei responded with Reis’ first touchdown run, a 1-yard run after a 37-yard completion from Brandon Cambra to Preston Wallace-Williams down the right side.

A successful fake punt and a 30-yard pass from Cambra to Kaeo Kanoa early in the fourth quarter set up another Reis score and Kapolei closed to 20-13.

But Turk’s keeper up the middle on Moanalua’s next drive proved pivotal as Na Menehune answered the score.

“They played good coverage, they locked everybody up, and the middle just opened up,” Turk said.

“He willed us a couple of times on some plays and did a great job,” Martinez said.

At Moanalua H.S.