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Kalei Akagi did a little bit of everything to help No. 10 Leilehua open up a 14-point lead against seventh-ranked Damien on Friday night.
But as the final seconds ticked away, all the Mules’ multi-dimensional playmaker could do was join his teammates in exhorting the defense to protect 1 more yard.
In a wild scramble on fourth-and-goal, Leilehua (5-1) forced an incomplete pass at its 1 with four seconds left to preserve a 34-26 OIA-ILH Division I victory on senior night at Hugh Yoshida Stadium.
“I have a lot of confidence in our defense,” Akagi said. “They did their job, they did great, couldn’t ask for a better defense.”
Akagi, a junior receiver/quarterback, caught a 41-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and contributed to two scoring drives in a span of 22 seconds in the third quarter that broke a 20-20 tie and provided just enough cushion to hand Damien its first loss of the season.
“We wanted it so much for these seniors. They’ve been through so much,” Leilehua coach Mark Kurisu said. “They bust their tails, so I’m just grateful.”
After Damien (5-1, 3-1 ILH D-I) tied the game at 20 on River Iaea’s 5-yard run with 3:19 left in the third quarter, Leilehua’s Ethan Kuth blocked the extra-point attempt to keep the score knotted. On the next play from scrimmage, Akagi took a quick pitch, found a crease along the sideline and bolted 80 yards for the tie-breaking touchdown.
Leilehua defensive lineman Kiaka Pio, who also handles kickoffs, then recovered his own onside kick at the Damien 49. Akagi, the Mules’ starting quarterback to begin the season, took another pitch and this time lofted a throw to Jayzon Ramos for a 47-yard completion and quarterback Kekoa Turnagan scored on a 2-yard run.
“It’s fun to play all-around because it keeps the defense guessing a little bit,” said Akagi, who caught seven passes for 105 yards.
Turnagan, who took over as the starter last week, completed 19 of 24 attempts for 238 yards and three touchdowns.
Damien quarterback Jake Holtz threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ezra Kaina with 4:20 left in the game and the Monarchs got the ball back with two minutes left. On fourth-and-20 Holtz tossed a lateral to Jarvis Natividad, who then threw the ball back across the field to running back Apereamo Sulu, who surged to midfield to keep the drive going.
Three more completions accompanied by two personal foul penalties on Leilehua pushed the Monarchs to the Mules’ 10. After Iaea was stopped at the 1 on third-and-goal, Damien’s offense scrambled back to the line of scrimmage. Holtz faked a handoff and his throw under pressure fell incomplete to seal the win for Leilehua.
“I should have called timeout and given our boys another chance to regroup and make a play at the end,” said Damien coach Eddie Klaneski, who had hoped to catch the Mules off guard. “They fought hard all the way to the end. I’ll take the loss on this one for sure.”
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No. 10 Leilehua 34, No. 7 Damien 26
At Leilehua
>> Leilehua (5-1, 3-1) 7 7 20 0 — 34
>> Damien (5-1, 3-1) 7 7 6 6 — 26
Leilehua — Kalei Akagi 41 pass from Kekoa Turnagan (Konapiliahi Raymond kick)
Damien — Jarvis Natividad 14 pass from Jake Holtz (Christian Souza kick)
Damien — Apereamo Sulu 36 run (Souza kick)
Leilehua — Jayzon Ramos 9 pass from Turnagan (Raymond kick)
Leilehua — Ramos 28 pass from Turnagan (kick failed)
Damien — River Iaea 5 run (kick blocked)
Leilehua — Akagi 80 run (Raymond kick)
Leilehua — Turnagan 2 run (Raymond kick)
Damien — Ezra Kaina 18 pass from Holtz (kick blocked)
RUSHING — Leilehua: K. Akagi 2-82, Damarion Smith 7-17, Jamil Vereen 6-13, Jonathan Vasquez 1-2, Turnagan 5-(minus-3). Damien: Sulu 14-118, Iaea 6-20, Holtz 10-9.
PASSING — Leilehua: Turnagan 19-24-1-238, K. Akagi 1-1-0-47. Damien: Holtz 24-45-0-173, Natividad 1-1-0-20.
RECEIVING — Leilehua: K. Akagi 7-105, Ramos 6-136, Landyn Jumawan 3-20, Cody Akagi 2-13, Raymond 1-8, Vasquez 1-3. Damien: Natividad 9-81, Makanale’a Meyer 6-38, Ezra Kaina 5-33, Sulu 2-30, Aukusitino Atonio 2-8, Logan Lacio 1-3.
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