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HILO >> When gut-check time arrived, Hilo’s defense stepped up.
As usual.
Clinging to a three-point lead after Leilehua scored on a safety, Hilo linebacker Kainalu Lewis’ sack and fumble recovery turned the tide in the fourth quarter. His play gave Hilo the ball at the Leilehua 22-yard line, and Kilohana Haasenritter scored on a 19-yard pass from Kyan Miyasato as the Vikings outlasted the Mules 19-9 on a soggy, muddy field at Francis Wong Stadium.
No. 6 Hilo (13-0) will face ‘Iolani in the final of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division I State Championships at 4 p.m. Friday at Aloha Stadium. OIA runner-up Leilehua finished 10-3.
The constant rain and drizzle through the week left the field at the baseball facility swampy and sloshy, a troublesome issue for both teams.
The safety came on a dropped snap by Miyasato in the end zone. He promptly threw the ball out of bounds, and was called for intentional grounding, an automatic safety from the end zone. That cut Hilo’s lead to 12-9 with 8:13 left.
Leilehua returned the ensuing free kick to its 48-yard line. A holding call pushed the Mules backward, and then Lewis rushed from the left edge untouched.
“I just got in clean and I saw the quarterback by himself, and I took the shot,” Lewis said.
Lewis was a sophomore on the Hilo squad that won the D-I state title two years ago.
“The bond we have with each other. It’s like a brotherhood. We just connect. We work hard together,” Lewis said.
The wet conditions were a clear advantage for the BIIF champion Vikings.
“No matter what, we just got to play,” said Haasenritter, a commit to Hawaii.
Leilehua coach Mark Kurisu wouldn’t say the soggy conditions were a disadvantage.
“We’ve got to win wherever we go,” Kurisu said. “The conditions were the same for both (teams). We just didn’t do what we normally do.
“I feel mixed. I’m happy for the type of season our guys had. To be so close, competing for a state championship is hard. That’s part of the growing process.”
Leilehua got the ball back one more time, but went three-and-out, and punted. The Mules never got the ball back again, as Hilo handed the ball to converted linebacker Lyle Silva again and again as the clock ran out.
Silva finished with 86 hard-earned yards on 19 carries and Miyasato finished with 206 yards, two TDs and one interception on 16-for-29 passing. Doing it at home meant a lot to the Vikings.
“We appreciate our community and we always hope they appreciate us,” Hilo coach Kaeo Drummondo said. “We always tell our guys, you represent the entire island, the league. Anytime we can play here in big games, that means a lot to us.”
The home team took a 3-0 lead on Keanu Keolanui’s booming 44-yard field goal in the rain on the opening series.
The back-and-forth with big hits, sloppy shotgun snaps and dropped snaps ensued for the next two quarters.
Hilo opened the lead to 9-0 early in the second quarter when speedy wideout Kyler Aguiar caught a quick toss from Miyasato and sprinted down the left sideline for an 83-yard touchdown.
Leilehua drove to the Hilo 13-yard line late in the second quarter, but came up empty and trailed by nine at intermission.
Keolanui missed a PAT kick earlier, but was true on his second field-goal try. His 37-yard boot increased Hilo’s lead to 12-0 with 4:13 to go in the third stanza.
With the field drying just a bit, Leilehua found its footing and scored on the next possession. Kekoa Turangan’s 33-yard pass to Jayzon Ramos set up a fourth-and-goal TD connection by the same duo, a 4-yard score. Leilehua trailed 12-7 with 1:46 remaining in the third.
A Mules punt downed at the Hilo 2-yard line changed field position. That set up the safety, cutting the lead to 12-9.
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HILO 19, LEILEHUA 9
At Wong Stadium
>> Leilehua (10-3) 0 0 7 2 — 9
>> Hilo (13-0) 3 6 3 7 — 19
Hilo — FG Keanu Keolanui 44
Hilo — Kyler Aguiar 73 pass from Kyan Miyasato (kick failed)
Hilo — FG Keolanui 33
Leilehua — Jayzon Ramos 4 pass from Kekoa Turangan (Jonathan Breceda kick)
Leilehua — Safety, intentional grounding from end zone
Hilo — Kilohana Haasenritter 19 pass from Miyasato (Keolanui kick)
RUSHING — Leilehua: James Vereen 18- 124, Demarion Smith 5-6, team 1-(minus 1). Hilo: Lyle Silva 19-86, Aguiar 3-6, Miyasato 6-(minus 1).
PASSING — Leilehua: Turangan 7-20-1-84, Kalei Akagi 1-3-0-29. Hilo: Miyasato 16-29-1-206.
RECEIVING — Leilehua: Ramos 5-84, Akagi 1-26, Ariez Sylve-Matautia 1-2, Vereen 1-1. Hilo: Aguiar 3-88, Haasenritter 5-55, Kaimi Tiogangco 6-53, Guyson Ogata 2-10.
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