The rest of the state found out Saturday night what the Big Island has known all season.

BIIF champion Konawaena, which ran roughshod over opponents in conference play, is bringing home the school’s first state title after beating OIA champion Waipahu 38-28 in the Division I final of the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Championships at John Kauinana Stadium.

Quarterback Keoki Alani threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns and Konawaena’s defense shut down Waipahu and injured quarterback Liatama Uiliata in the fourth quarter to complete a run of 11 straight wins against Hawaii opponents.

“It feels great. We made history,” said Alani, a junior. “I can’t even explain my emotions right now.”

Wildcats coach Brad Uemoto, who took home a piece of grass from Julian Yates Field following a win over Aiea in the semifinals, may need to take some Mililani turf back to the Big Island with him.

Konawaena (11-1), which lost to Lahainaluna in seven overtimes in the 2017 Division II final, had never won a game in states at Division I.

The Wildcats beat the OIA’s two best teams, Aiea and Waipahu, en route to the title and shut both of then out in the fourth quarter.

Those wins came after outscoring nine BIIF opponents by a combined score of 557-20.

Nakoa Ige booted a 36-yard field goal with 1:52 remaining for the only score over the game’s final 13 minutes.

Ige also booted the game-winning field goal with no time on the clock to beat Na Alii in the semifinals.

“I get really nervous when Coach Brad says we’re going to have to kick a field goal,” Ige said. “I just have to remember it’s just a normal kick.”

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Konawaena held on to win despite losing sophomore standout Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio, who scored three times in the first half, when he was ejected for his second unsportsmanlike penalty following his second touchdown catch in the second quarter that gave the Wildcats a 28-7 lead.

Anahu-Ambrosio scored on a 1-yard TD run and caught touchdown passes of 21 and 23 yards, but was whistled for unsportsmanlike penalties after both receptions, earning the ejection late in the first half.

“It obviously put a wrench (in our system). He is a two-way starter for us and a playmaker,” Uemoto said. “It hurt. The word we use in our program is ‘persevere.’ We talked about that at halftime and that’s what we did.”

Senior Landon Daquel- Shimabukuro stepped up in his place and had eight receptions for 79 yards.

Linebacker Keawe Navas Loa and defensive lineman Chray Flanary had two of Konawaena’s seven sacks of Waipahu’s Uiliata, who was hurt twice in the first half.

Playing on an injured left ankle, Uiliata managed to engineer only one scoring drive in the second half and finished 13-for-29 for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

“We worked on (containing him) all week. He’s a hell of a player,” Uemoto said. “We showed up at the right times.”

Alani finished 27-for-36 passing and running back Kawelu Kaiawe finished with only 49 rushing yards on 26 carries, but gave Konawaena some much-needed balance to keep Waipahu’s defense on its toes.

Kaiawe scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to push the Kona lead to 35-21 in the third quarter. The normally pass-happy Wildcats ran the ball 35 times in the game trying to protect a lead.

“We had the big boys doing the work,” Alani said.

Navas Loa led the Wildcats with 13 tackles. In addition to the seven sacks, Konawaena was able to hurry Uiliata nine times.

Early on, Uiliata looked up to the task as he took the Marauders 75 yards in 13 plays on their opening drive. He completed two passes, ran the ball five times and caught a pass before handing it off to Anieli Talaeai for a 6-yard TD and a quick 7-0 lead.

The Wildcats went three-and-out on their first drive, but Uiliata was hurt on the punt and forced to sit out Waipahu’s second drive as trainers looked at his shoulder.

He returned to the game and was injured again as he was taken down from behind on a run and had to be carried off the field.

As Uiliata tried to put any weight on his left foot on the Waipahu sideline, Konawaena’s Flanary blocked a 27-yard field-goal attempt and scooped it up and returned it 81 yards for a touchdown as the momentum swung huge into Kona’s favor over three plays.

Anahu-Ambrosio’s ejection, combined with Uiliata returning to the field after missing the previous two drives, injected life back into Waipahu, which desperately needed it.

The Marauders scored twice in 40 seconds in the final two minutes of the first half. The first TD came when Uiliata scrambled for an 11-yard run.

Junior Nicholas Lotu intercepted an Alapi pass to start Kona’s next drive and Uiliata hit Saige Marienthal for a 23-yard TD to make it 28-21 going into halftime.