One team’s season had to end, and Waianae was not about to go down in front of its home fans Friday night. The sixth-ranked Seariders used their patented option attack to deny No. 9 Kailua 37-22 at Raymond Torii Field.
With the win, Waianae (7-2) moves on to next weekend’s Oahu Interscholastic Association semifinals against the winner of tonight’s Moanalua at Mililani matchup. The Surfriders’ magical turnaround season (no wins in 2014 to 7-3 this year) is over.
It was an evenly played contest before Waianae took over in all aspects, especially the offensive line push. All told, the Seariders gained 308 yards on 58 time-consuming carries on the night. Not only did the line push, but the backs kept on grinding, requiring two, three or more tacklers to get them down.
Defensively, Waianae’s pressure on Kailua quarterback Noah Auld worked wonders, and he had difficulty finding his receivers in critical situations. Auld also threw three costly picks and fumbled the ball away once.
"We ran the ball fairly well," first-year Seariders coach Walter Young said, an obvious understatement. "We tried to shorten the game (with ball possession). And we wanted to put pressure on him (Auld). We didn’t want him to sit there and pick us apart."
Waianae went ahead for good, 21-14, with 1:58 to go in the opening half, when Javen Towne went up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown run. It was the second time the Seariders exploited the middle of the Surfriders’ defense. Earlier, Jorell Borge-Pontes ripped off a 90-yard up-the-gut run.
Kailua defensive end Christian Mejia, who had an interception, a sack and two other tackles for loss, was dismayed with the result, especially in light of the team’s turnaround under first-year coach Joe Wong.
"I can’t believe the season is ending here," Mejia said. "I thought we would have been able to go farther."
Asked what Kailua could have done better, he said, simply, "Stop the run."
Jurick Valdez was a major contributor to the win, following the smash-mouth offensive line for 82 yards on 16 carries. Towne added 63 yards and two TDs, and Borge-Pontes had an even 100 yards on just seven carries and his long TD.
With Waianae ahead early in the second half, punter Makana Roque Gonzales pinned Kailua at its own 1, and on the next play running back Dalton Kalama was gang tackled in the end zone for a safety and a 23-14 deficit.
Alexander Quijano, Mosiah Brame and Toto Mailo had interceptions for the Seariders. Quijano’s pick led to a score and Mailo returned his 27 yards for Waianae’s final TD in the fourth quarter, making it 37-14.
Auld, who threw three TD passes in the game, connected with Gabriel LeLesch for a 13-yard TD late in the game to make it closer. Auld then hit Martin Tigilau for the 2-pointer for the 37-22 final.
"We stayed with our assignments and we didn’t let (Kailua) get in our heads," said Waianae’s Towne. "Getting as many yards as possible — that’s a theme for us. We’ve got to come out stronger and harder (next week)."
