Not too often does a team roll into Waianae and stick it to the Seariders badly. Only a ferocious Waianae comeback kept it from happening Friday night.
Moanalua, with new coach Jason Cauley at the helm, took a big lead and held on to beat the No. 8 Seariders 30-23 in a wild OIA Division Ifootball season opener.
"We are happy to get out of here with a win," Cauley said. "This is the first time Moanalua has beaten Waianae. It was 0-12 before this. Waianae was big, strong and resilient and we knew they wouldn’t give up. It was scary at the end."
It all came down to the final minute, when Na Menehune ran out the clock with three straight kneel-downs. Waianae couldn’t stop the time from ticking.
Trailing 30-7, the Seariders brawled back with a 76-yard fourth-quarter TD drive capped by Jurick Valdez’s 2-yard run.
With 1:14 left, Waianae struck again when Joey Nuuanu-Kuhiiki hit Moanalua quarterback Kawika Keama-Jacobe, causing him to fumble. Teammate Nayton Kuresa picked it up and rambled 50 yards for a TD, and then a 2-point conversion made it 30-23.
Fortunately for Moanalua, Kekaulike Kalua hopped on Waianae’s onside kick, and that helped save the game.
"Moanalua played a great game," Waianae coach Danny Matsumoto said. "We did not play consistent enough to stop their drives. I’m proud our kids kept their spirits up."
Keama-Jacobe, despite constant pressure from a harping Seariders front seven, led the fluid offense. He ended up completing 14 of 26 passes for 191 yards.
Both teams made early mistakes and Waianae’s second turnover led to a 7-0 Na Menehune lead. Moanalua’s Steve Feliciano intercepted a pass by Waianae sophomore Jorell Pontes and it led to Rodson Kealohai’s 14-yard touchdown run. Pontes, who is just 5 feet 8 and 135 pounds, was playing for senior starter Ioane Kaluhiokalani, who did not suit up.
The Seariders came right back to tie it 7-7 on Valdez’s 19-yard up-the-middle TD run that came after Moanalua punter Karson Cruz inadvertently put his knee down trying to take the snap, giving Waianae the ball at the 20.
Later, after Thomas Sheridan’s 32-yard field goal, Na Menehune took control with a late 71-yard first-half drive, capped by Keama-Jacobe’s 14-yard TD strike to Jason Sharsh with five seconds to go before the half.
Sharsh caught his second TD pass early in the third quarter, hauling in a 28-yard bullet from Keama-Jacobe for a 23-7 bulge, and it looked like the game was in hand. But Waianae had different plans.
Despite Moanalua’s passing success, it didn’t come without lumps.
Keama-Jacobe was sacked five times, including two by Kuresa.
| At Waianae |
| Moanalua (1-0, 1-0) |
7 |
3 |
20 |
0 |
— |
30 |
| Waianae (0-1, 0-1) |
0 |
7 |
0 |
16 |
— |
23 |
Moan–Rodson Kealohai 14 run (Thomas Sheridan kick)
Wain–Jurick Valdez 19 run (Jorell Pontes kick)
Moan–Sheridan FG 32
Moan–Jason Sharsh 14 pass from Kawika Keama-Jacobe (Sheridan kick)
Moan–Sharsh 28 pass from Keama-Jacobe (kick failed)
Moan–Michael Feliciano 32 run (Sheridan kick)
Wain–Valdez 2 run (Valdez run)
Wain–Nayton Kuresa 50 fumble recovery return (Valdez run)
RUSHING–Moan: M. Feliciano 17-70, Kealohai 6-12, Steve Feliciano 1-4, Sharsh 1-(-5), Keama-Jacobe 15-(-12), Karson Cruz 1-(-15). Wain: Valdez 18-73, Royce Carrick 4-17, Javen Towne 5-13, John Barbieto 2-10, Niko Kala-Mahiai 3-6, Pontes 3-(-4), TEAM 1-(-17).
PASSING–Moan: Keama-Jacobe 14-26-1-191. Wain: Pontes 4-8-2-27, Carrick 3-9-1-76.
RECEIVING–Moan: Sharsh 5-89, Kealohai 4-35, Steve Feliciano 3-24, Karson Cruz 2-43. Wain: Valdez 3-36, Kala-Mahiai 2-43, Jordan Marquez Pacapac 1-20, Towne 1-4.
Junior Varsity–Waianae 35, Moanalua 0
