He has a name like no other, but Elijah Nahoopii-Makakona is a pure playmaker.
The junior defensive back came up with two interceptions and a fumble recovery as No. 10 Aiea stifled Kailua 41-0 in the semifinal round of the OIA Division I playoffs.
“That is the most fun I’ve had in a game. We’re doing all of our jobs,” said Nahoopii-Makakona, who believes film study was a key component. “The stacks, traps, treys, we’ve seen it all. I feel great. Going into the OIA championships, we don’t want to just win that. We want to win states.”
Defending league champion Aiea (7-2, 5-1 OIA D-I) will meet Waipahu on Saturday for the crown. Both teams sealed state-tournament berths with their semifinal victories this weekend.
The first time Aiea and Kailua met, Na Alii escaped with a 13-7 win on Sept. 10. This time, without quarterback Ma‘a Fonoti, Kailua struggled to move the ball consistently. It was a bit of a surprise given Kailua’s 30-29 win over Roosevelt last week to close the regular season. Prior to that, Kailua gave first-place Waipahu a battle before losing 26-16.
“There’s no excuses. You can’t have five turnovers. Before you know it, we were behind the 8-ball,” Kailua coach Joe Wong said. “We made the most mistakes. We had our opportunities and we didn’t capitalize. We looked good for two weeks, and what a game to have your worst outing of the season. Hat’s off to Aiea.”
Kailua closed the season 4-4-1 overall, including 4-2 in the regular season. Backup QB Romeo Ortiz, normally a wide receiver, had some good moments running the option out of the Surfriders’ two-back set, but Aiea clamped down and limited Kailua to 69 yards of total offense.
Aiea drove to pay dirt on its first series, covering 68 yards in just six plays and ending with Kaimana Lale-Saole’s 5-yard burst up the middle.
On the ensuing kickoff, Aiea’s Hiki Kim Choy-Keb-Ah Lo hustled to recover kicker Bryson Boyea Quiton’s pooch kick at the Kailua 35-yard line. Two plays later, Olie found Rico Figueroa open on a quick slant for a 10-yard TD pass. Aiea led 14-0 with 7:13 to go in the opening quarter.
An 8-yard punt by Kailua set Aiea up at the Surfriders 30-yard line early in the second quarter. Five plays later, Olie maneuvered from the pocket, juked a defender and scored on a 10-yard TD run. Aiea led 21-0 with 8:33 left in the first half.
Kailua embarked on its best drive of the first half, marching from its 25-yard line to the Aiea 33. However, Aiea brought the house on a dive up the gut by Caysen Samson, who fumbled on a hit by Sila Unutoa. Nahoopii-Makakona recovered for Aiea.
Nahoopii-Makakona also came up with an interception near the goal line to end Kailua’s threat at the end of the first half.
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AIEA 41, KAILUA 0
At Radford
Kailua (4-4-1) 0 0 0 0 — 0
Aiea (8-2) 14 7 14 6 — 41
Aiea—Kaimana Lale-Saole 5 run (Bryson Boyea Quiton kick)
Aiea—Rico Figueroa 10 pass from Ezekiel Olie (Boyea Quiton kick)
Aiea—Olie 10 run (Boyea Quiton kick)
Aiea—Ezra Nahoopii-Makakona 6 run (Boyea Quiton kick)
Aiea—Olie 7 run (Boyea Quiton kick)
Aiea—Jayden Chanel 8 pass from Olie (kick failed)
RUSHING—Kailua: Ikaika Quidachay 7-29, Caysen Samson 7-19, Alai Sileli 1-5, Romeo Ortiz 6-(minus 3). Aiea: Kobe Higa 7-28, Nahoopii-Makakona 2-12, Lale-Saole 7-10, Noah Spencer 1-4, Chanel 1-3, Aizik Mahuka 1-0, Olie 5-(minus 4).
PASSING—Kailua: Ortiz 7-19-3-29. Aiea: Olie 19-26-0-222.
RECEIVING—Kailua: Na‘inoa SmithAkana 2-12, Aizek Ka‘anoi 2-10, Jathan Bejarano 1-3, Quidachay 1-3, John Griffiths 1-1. Aiea: Geronimo Ulgaran 7-96, Figueroa 6-57, Hiki Kim Choy-Keb-Ah Lo 2-35, Chanel 2-19, Jheremie Cacpal 2-18, Lale-Saole 1-6.
Junior Varsity—Kailua 34, Waipahu 12
