Leilehua quarterback Kenan Sadanaga is named the Offensive Player of the Year

When he wasn’t at home grinding away on homework or practicing on the football field or baseball diamond, Kenan Sadanaga often dove headfirst into the online ocean of football maniacs.

Yes, you guessed right. Sadanaga is obsessed with NCAA 12, playing online and usually foiling friends and foes alike, using Stanford’s offense to pick them apart.

He did much the same on the actual field. Nowhere did a passing attack thrive through air like it did at Leilehua. Coaches and media voted overwhelmingly in favor of Sadanaga, the state’s most prolific passer, as the Star-Advertiser Offensive Player of the Year.

While Sadanaga racked up huge stats all season long, stellar running backs Aofaga Wily (Kahuku), Steven Lakalaka (Punahou) and Tyler Taumua (Farrington) split the remaining votes.

Sadanaga opened the season with a 355-yard, four-touchdown performance against Alaska powerhouse Service and piled up astronomical numbers the rest of the fall. The senior southpaw finished with 3,090 yards and 41 touchdown passes. He completed 284 of 436 passes (65 percent) and had a yards-per-attempt average of 7.1 and a passer rating of 146.99 — strong numbers for a system so dependent on the pass.

Defenses geared up for Sadanaga and his speedy receivers — including All-State first-team receiver Jeremiah Andrade, second-team pick Mikhal Peyton and third teamer Allen Racette — and stopped him with some frequency. Sadanaga was picked 19 times, but always bounced back to lead a unit that averaged 31 points per game.

"He’s really calm under pressure. He’s accurate, he moves well in the pocket. He’s just a great kid," Kahuku coach Reggie Torres said. "We tried to keep him in the pocket and disrupt his timing, which isn’t easy. You can’t stop him. You just have to try to minimize his chances, keep the score as low as possible."

All these fat stats despite new starters in the offensive lineup and the typical learning curve in an intensive, complex hybrid offense.

Sadanaga’s days as a slinger in football are likely done. He’ll be a baseball player at UH-Hilo next year, but during his free time, he’ll still be sitting down at his PS3 — the toy of choice for several Mules when they travelled to Kealakehe for a state-tournament game in November.

Wily missed three games early in the season with nagging injuries, but played through as his ankle healed somewhat. Despite a torn ligament (he will have surgery after Christmas), the junior rushed for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns (5.9 per attempt). He had 225 yards in a playoff win over Leilehua, and in the state championship game against Punahou, rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

Lakalaka was a bulldozing ballcarrier between the tackles with outstanding hands on pass routes. He missed just one game due to injury and rushed for 1,147 yards (5.3 per carry) and 12 touchdowns. The UCLA-bound senior also pulled in 37 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, including two amazing scoring plays in the state final against Kahuku.

"He can catch the ball. The biggest threat was that guy running downhill. He’s got those big legs and he’s strong," Torres said.

Taumua’s rare vision and one-cut explosiveness were perfect in Farrington’s West Coast offense. The junior was on a record pace midway through the season before injuries slowed his acceleration. Still, Taumua rushed for 1,781 yards and 20 touchdowns on 228 attempts (7.8 yards per carry).

The strength of ground and pound this season had that effect on the All-State picks, which feature three running backs on the first team for the first time in years.

"All worthy. Each is special in his own way," Torres said.

Part 2: Kahuku linebacker Benetton Fonua is named the Defensive Player of the Year »