Leilehua outguns, outruns Moanalua

Leilehua’s up-tempo offense was breathtaking at times on Friday.

The Mules’ speed on defense was simply suffocating.

The combination added up to a 40-7 rout of Moanalua in the quarterfinals of the OIA Red playoffs at Hugh Yoshida Stadium.

Leilehua quarterback Kenan Sadanaga distributed the ball to an array of speedy receivers to pass for 386 yards and five touchdowns and the third-ranked Mules advanced to next week’s semifinals.

Sadanaga completed 36 of 46 passes, 15 going to Jeremiah Andrade for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

The Leilehua defense flew to the ball throughout the game and forced six turnovers in the second half, with safety Russell Siavii coming down with four interceptions.

The Mules (8-0-1) limited Na Menehune to 160 yards in total offense, 80 coming on their lone touchdown of the game.

Special teams chipped in as well. Allen Racette’s 89-yard kickoff return to open the third quarter set up a score and a blocked punt resulted in a fourth-quarter safety.

“We condition like crazy because we know we’re not going to bulldoze people, but we’ll have some guys who can run,” Leilehua interim head coach Mark Kurisu said. “If we can keep ourselves in shape we can use what we have, which is smaller guys that can move.

“The pace of the game is like how we condition — quick sprints, short rest, quick sprints again. It’s about creating situations for our kids to understand how fast we want to play.”

Two interceptions, including one in the end zone, helped Moanalua keep the game scoreless through the first quarter. But Leilehua broke through on its first possession of the second when Sadanaga capped a 10-play drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Nick Rodriguez.

The Mules stretched the lead to 10-0 on Tim Momiyama’s 42-yard field goal just before halftime.

The Mules struck quickly in the third quarter. Racette fielded the kickoff at the Mules 9, hit a seam up the middle and raced to the Moanalua 2 before being forced out of bounds. After a penalty, Sadanaga tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mikal Peyton.

The Mules defense forced three turnovers in Moanalua’s first four possessions of the second half and converted a fumble recovery by Ryan Gomes into a 12-yard touchdown reception by Andrade to put Leilehua up 25-0.

“It’s not just speed; it’s technique and assignment football,” Siaviii said of the Mules’ defensive mind-set.