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Locked in a back-and-forth game, the Kapolei Hurricanes found a way to sway the momentum to their side in the second half and hold on for a 28-20 victory over Waianae at the Seariders’ Raymond Torii Field on Friday night.
The Hurricanes were fortunate to hold a 21-20 lead at halftime, stopping a Seariders drive at the 5 when Kapolei’s Zechariah Kanahele-Mone intercepted a pass by Waianae’s Sheldon McLeod. That stemmed the Waianae tide a bit before the Hurricanes got some separation late in the third quarter of the OIA opener for both teams.
“It was a physical game and I am proud of my guys,” Hurricanes coach Darren Hernandez said. “It wasn’t no easy win. It was a hard-fought battle and we had to battle for every inch. A typical Kapolei-Waianae game. It’s a big win, no doubt. We had to fight for it.”
Kapolei (2-0, 1-0 OIA Open) relied on its passing game. Noah Bailey had a field day, connecting with De’Zhaun Stribling 13 times for 132 yards and two TDs. Another receiver, Bula White, latched onto four passes for 99 yards and two TDs.
“It’s a good victory,” said Hurricanes running back Jayven Reyes, who opened up the field with 14 carries for 91 yards. “The line was a huge part of this game, opening up holes for us. And the passing game was awesome.”
Waianae had some big offensive moments, but it stung not being able to get it in the end zone just before halftime.
“I’m real proud of my team,” first-year Seariders coach Mike Fanoga said. “They did a great job showing up and playing one of the top teams in the league. It was a tough loss, but they fought all the way to the end. One thing I shared with the team this week is that when you’re surrounded by a (top) team, you have to attack. And they did attack. We didn’t finish … didn’t finish strong enough.”
After taking that 21-20 halftime lead, Kapolei went ahead 28-20 on Bailey’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Stribling with 16 seconds left in the third. The Seariders (1-1, 0-1) got as far as the Hurricanes’ 28 on their next possession, but after that, an interception by Kapolei’s Matt Gututala put the finishing touches on the victory.
The action was fast and furious in the first half. White caught TD passes of 11 and 55 yards go go along with Bailey’s 22-yard TD toss to Stribling. Waianae countered with McLeod’s 29-yard scoring pass to Saege Ayala and McLeod’s 20-yard TD scramble.
Kolu Quisquirin-Sabagala’s 1-yard up-the-middle TD run with 2:31 left in the half made it 21-20, but the Seariders tried a 2-point conversion in an effort to go ahead and failed. Quisquirin-Sabagala rushed for 103 yards on 15 carries.
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Kapolei 28, No. 7 Waianae 20
At Raymond Torii Field
>> Kapolei (2-0, 1-0) 14 7 7 0 — 28
>> Waianae (1-1, 0-1) 7 13 0 0 — 20
Kapolei – Bula White 11 pass from Noa Bailey (Micah Fonoti kick)
Waianae – Saege Ayala 29 pass from Sheldon McLeod (Joshua Centeno-Cid kick)
Kapolei – White 55 pass from Bailey (Fonoti kick)
Waianae – McLeod 20 run (Centeno-Cid kick)
Kapolei – De’Zhaun Stribling 22 pass from Bailey (Fonoti kick)
Waianae – Kula Quisquirin-Sabagala 1 run (run failed)
Kapolei – Stribling 9 pass from Bailey (Fonoti kick)
RUSHING — Kapolei: Jayven Reyes 14-91, Dycen Coyaso 1-17, Josh Nahulu 4-(minus-2), TEAM 2-(minus-2), Noa Bailey 4-(minus-42). Waianae: Kolu Quisquirin-Sabagala 15-103, Kaai Tambaoan-Kaeo 1-3, Sheldon McLeod 7-(minus-6), Shaydon Lopes 2-(minus-16).
PASSING — Kapolei: Bailey 20-29-0-230. Waianae: McLeod 19-28-3-193, Lopes 2-5-0-17, Ayala 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING — Kapolei: De’Zhaun Stribling 13-132, White 4-99, Reyes 2-(minus-9), Coyaso 1-8. Waianae: Quisquirin-Sabagala 4-29, Tambaoan-Kaeo 4-19, Nainoa Machado 3-78, Ayala 3-44, Delson Cordeiro 3-24, Laakea Lapastora 2-8, Chad Pule 1-7, Malik Brown 1-1.
*Junior varsity — Waianae 40, Kapolei 12
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