Leilehua appeared ready to come apart under pressure from host Kailua late on Friday night. Instead, the Mules came together when it counted in a 20-14 overtime victory.
Kailua, trailing most of the way in a defensive battle, looked poised to steal a win, tying it up with a touchdown and 2-point conversion with clutch throws by Raynen Ho-Mook with 1:51 left.
But his Mules counterpart Max Nichols threw a dart to junior receiver Jayzon Ramos in the end zone from the 9 for the go-ahead points in overtime. Then, on the Surfriders’ ensuing possession, the Mules’ defense held Kailua to a run for no gain and three straight incompletions to ensure a pleasant bus ride back to Wahiawa on the first week of Division I play.
“One, we’re inexperienced, we’re young. But two, we have great hearts,” Leilehua coach Mark Kurisu said. “What happens is, when we’re in tight games, these kids are going to pull together. And tonight we were able to pull together at the right time (and) execute.
“Both teams, I think, left a lot on the board, point-wise. But that just happens when you’re this early in the season.”
Kailua looked like it had, at worst, limited Leilehua to a field goal on the Mules’ OT possession. But the Surfriders committed a very costly offsides penalty. Instead of a 33-yard attempt, Leilehua had fourth-and-1 from the 11, and converted it on a sneak by Nichols.
Leilehua scored on the very next play.
“We just talked about how we’d been training since February and how we’d come such a long way,” said Nichols, who was 12-for-35 with two touchdowns and two interceptions. “We’re not going to let our (league) season opener end this way, so we decided we’d give it all we got.
“We had one of our best receivers (Ramos) on a 1-on-1 island out there. We just threw it up to him and he made the great play.”
For a while, in a game in which punts almost outnumbered points, it looked like Cody Akagi’s 74-yard scoring sprint up the middle for Leilehua in the third quarter — the next play from scrimmage after Kailua’s Lahaina Kane scored from 1 yard — would be the deciding blow.
But Ho-Mook came up clutch with a perfect 36-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown ball to Kamryn Kahoonei with 1:51 left, followed by the tying 2-point conversion rollout toss to tight end John Sniffen.
Neither team moved the ball successfully in the remaining regulation time and they headed to OT.
Leilehua got the game’s first points, with wide receiver Jeremy Evans’ impressive haul from Nichols at about the 10. From there, the 6-foot-4 senior dragged two defenders with him into the end zone for a 22-yard score.
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GAME SUMMARY
Leilehua 20, Kailua 14, OT
At Kailua
>> Leilehua (1-1, 1-0) 0 7 7 0 6 — 20
>> Kailua (0-2, 0-1) 0 0 6 8 0 — 14
Leilehua — Jeremy Evans 22 pass from Max Nichols (Akoni Tom-Makue kick)
Kailua — Lahaina Kane 1 run (kick blocked)
Leilehua — Cody Akagi 74 run (Tom-Make kick)
Kailua — Kamryn Kahoonei 36 pass from Raynen Ho-Mook (John Sniffen pass from Ho-Mook)
Leilehua — Jayzon Ramos 9 pass from Nichols (kick failed)
RUSHING — Leilehua: Cody Akagi 6-88, Damarion Smith 3-6, Vitale Afoa 5-6, Dorian Furtado 1-5, Nichols 5-3, Chad Dilay 1-1, Team 1-(minus 7). Kailua: Samson Rasay 21-73, Ho-Mook 7-51, Kane 4-10, Brian Allen Kamanu 4-9, Team 1-(minus 2).
PASSING — Leilehua: Nichols 12-35-2—118, Kalei Akagi 0-1-1—0. Kailua: Ho-Mook 10-23-2—61.
RECEIVING — Leilehua: Evans 4-50, Kalei Akagi 2-26, Ramos 2-22, Rayden Rulloda-Kim 2-14, Dilay 1-6, Furtado 1-0. Kailua: Kahoonei 3-46, Kase Oshiro 2-4, Isaiah Hopson 1-4, Allen Kamanu 1-4, Kaniala Williams 1-4, Kale Makaneole 1-3, Rasay 1-(minus 4).
* JV — Leilehua 28, Kailua 6
