Iron sharpens iron, and in some ways, Leilehua is grateful for an early-season loss to Kailua.
Leilehua learned and evolved since that 3-point loss on Sept. 7. The Mules started strong on Saturday and captured the OIA Division I title with a 38-21 win over Kailua at Skippa Diaz Stadium.
Kailua had rallied from 17 points down to within 17-14 when Leilehua defensive back Chaystin Senas picked off a pass and returned it 35 yards for a pick-6 in the third quarter.
“It’s about resilience. I gave up a few key plays the last drive, so I had to bounce back and make a play for my boys,” Senas said. “I was reading the RPO. I was there at the right time.”
Cameron Keeve and the Leilehua offensive line made a huge impact. Keeve, an incredibly shifty playmaker in traffic, rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown for Leilehua (9-3), which won its fourth OIA football crown.
“Barry Sanders is the best comparison I can make,” Leilehua coach Mark Kurisu said.
His blockers in the trenches came through against a big, physical, athletic defensive front.
“Really, we came down with a mindset we can drive it down their throats. It wasn’t easy,” said offensive lineman Ui Muti, a 6-foot-7, 260-pound senior. “I don’t know if he was tired, but even when he’s tired, he’s going to keep working.
Muti is a commit to Arizona State and will enroll in January.
“Our goal is to run the ball. They’ve got a great front. Those D-ends, those interiors, those middle ’backers, they really plug. They’re so quick,” Kurisu said. “We tried to be patient, see what they do adjustment-wise, and make the adjustment back. It was back and forth.”
Kailua rushed for just 46 yards on 22 attempts.
“Coach Mark is always preaching have faith, believe in one another, execute your assignment and everything will turn out our way,” senior linebacker Kevin Burke said. “I feel excited. I feel great. I’m ready to go on the bus and enjoy this with my teammates.”
Kurisu’s team is the first Leilehua squad to win an OIA title since 2007.
“That quarterback (Isaiah Keaunui-Demello of Kailua) is really great, man. We’ve all gotten better, so he really tested us. It was getting in manageable downs, get him in situations where I felt we had an advantage,” Kurisu said. “But it all comes down to the players, and they executed.”
Kailua (6-6) and Leilehua had already qualified for the upcoming First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships. Leilehua will play at Lahainaluna in the opening round on Saturday. Kailua will play at Kapaa, also on Saturday.
“We have a lot more football,” Kailua coach Joe Wong said. “That (pick-6) was a big momentum swing. You can’t keep giving the football back to a team like Leilehua. Hat’s off to them.”
When the teams met in their league opener, Kailua took a big lead and hung on for a 33-30 win. Wide receivers Aizek Kaanoi and Stoney Pocock combined for 11 receptions and 173 yards that night. Leilehua contained the dangerous duo on Saturday. Kaanoi had three receptions for 60 yards, while Pocock did not make a catch.
Cornerback/quarterback Romeo Ortiz split time at QB with Keaunui-Demello that night, throwing for a TD and running for another, but Keaunui-Demello was the exclusive signal-caller on Saturday. Ortiz may see some action at QB next week at states.
“My (other) corner comes back next week, so we had to be smart about it,” Wong noted.
On their second series, the Mules drove to the Kailua 7-yard line, but penalties kneecapped their momentum. First, a holding call, then back-to-back illegal procedure flags before any linemen were set. A 47-yard field goal try by Rodel Alano had a high snap, and his kick was wide right.
Rain began to fall in the second quarter and played a key role.
After a rugged, defensive battle in the opening quarter, Leilehua drove from its 27-yard line to the Kailua 5 before stalling. This time, Alano’s 22-yard kick split the uprights for a 3-0 Mules lead with 8:13 to go before the break.
Leilehua defensive back Chaystin Senas returned an interception 82 yards for a touchdown, but holding was called on the return. The Mules began the drive at the Kailua 45-yard line.
On fourth-and-2 at the Kailua 20-yard line, Keeve was stonewalled on the left side by Benjamin Honebein and Keoki Cypriano for a 1-yard loss.
On the next play, the snap sailed off target and though Keaunui-Demello and Caysen Samson tried, Leilehua’s Braden Liua came up with the football at the Kailua 7-yard line. Bennett Strobel’s 10-yard TD pass to Talon Tarpley on a post route opened Leilehua’s lead to 10-0 with 3:02 to go before the half.
The Mules then caught Kailua off guard. Zaeven Neuman recovered an on-side kick to give them the ball at the Kailua 46-yard line. Leilehua drove to the 7-yard line, drew an offsides penalty against Kailua on fourth-and-2.
Two plays later, 5-foot-8, 260-pound two-way player Keola Seumanutafa-Bryant rumbled over the goal line for a 3-yard TD with nine seconds left in the first half. The Mules led 17-0 at the half behind 98 rushing yards on 22 carries by Keeve and a defense that allowed just 53 total yards of offense by Kailua (2.5 per play).
Kailua got on the scoreboard on a 6-yard play-action pass from Keaunui-Demello to tight end/defensive end Benjamin Honebein, cutting the lead to 17-7 with 5:05 left in the third quarter.
On the next play from scrimmage, Strobel missed his target and Kailua cornerback Romeo Ortiz made a diving interception at the Leilehua 31-yard line.
On the ensuing snap, Keaunui-Demello fired a strike to Isaiah “Slim” Kaiu for a 31-yard TD, bringing the Surfriders with 17-14 with 4:54 remaining in the third stanza.
Leilehua drove to the Kailua 10-yard line and stalled. Alano’s 28-yard field goal try was wide right.
Throwing the ball more in the second half, Keaunui-Demello’s pass in the flat was picked off by Senas, who returned it 35 yards to pay dirt. The Mules led 24-14 with 48 seconds left in the third quarter.
Keaunui-Demello found Stoney Pocock wide open and deep for a touchdown, but the normally sure-handed senior dropped the pass early in the fourth quarter.
Leilehua then drove 96 yards in 11 plays, mixing it up on the ground and in the air, aided by a 15-yard facemask penalty. Strobel found Tarpley for a 4-yard TD, boosting the Mules’ lead to 31-14 with 7:32 remaining.
Keaunui-Demello connected with Kaiu for another touchdown, a 23-yard pass on the right sideline, to bring Kailua with 31-21 with 5:04 left.
Braden Liua, a sophomore, made a diving interception deep in the secondary with 1:52 to seal the win. Keeve wasn’t done yet, however. On the next play, he bolted up the middle for a 62-yard TD. Leilehua led 38-21 with 1:40 to go.
Leilehua won OIA championships in 1940 under Ralph McMurty, in 1974 and ’84 under Hugh Yoshida, and in 2007 under Nolan Tokuda.
Kailua won three consecutive OIA titles from 1963 to ’65. The first two were under Joe Kahahawai, then under Alex Kane. Darren Johnson led the Surfriders to a co-championship (with Kahuku) in 2001.
McMillan leads Mililani into states
Kini McMillan threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Trojans to a blowout win over the Hurricanes.
The Trojans (9-2) opened the game quickly, scoring the first 21 points of the game with two touchdown passes by McMillan. McMillan tossed a 39-yard pass to Nakoa Kahana-Travis to open the scoring, then added a 48-yard strike to Derek Tsuchiyama. Tim Wallace then added a 23-yard interception return to push the score to 21-0.
Mililani added 10 more points in the second quarter before Kapolei (5-5) finally got on the board when Chase Camarillo punched in a 1-yard run as time expired in the first half. The Trojans added a field goal in the third before McMillan capped the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Tuan Pettaway.
With the win, the Trojans claimed third place in the OIA Open Division, and clinch a berth into the HHSAA Open Division bracket.
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MILILANI 41, KAPOLEI 7
At Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium
Kapolei (5-5) 0 7 0 0 — 7
Mililani (9-2-0) 21 10 3 7 — 41
MIL—Nakoa Kahana-Travis 39 pass from
Kini McMillan (Pookela Tom Makue kick)
MIL—Derek Tsuchiyama 48 pass from McMillan (Tom Makue kick)
MIL—Tim Wallace 23 interception return (Tom Makue kick)
MIL—FG Tom Makue 25
MIL—Brandon Gaea 43 pass from McMillan (Tom Makue kick)
KAPO—Chase Camarillo 1 run (Cortez Lino-Isles kick)
MIL—FG Tom Makue 32
MIL—Tuan Pettaway 18 pass from McMillan (Tom Makue kick)
RUSHING—Kapolei: Kaina Kamohalii 2-17, Ikaika Viernes 2-11, Chazz-Michael Kapahu 7-8, Kanai Manners 1-5, Shayden Roman 1-3, Camarillo 1-1. Mililani: N. Kahana-Travis 12-118, Jarius Borges 2-9, Pettaway 1-7, Noah Talon 1-5, Kekoa Koong 1-3, McMillan 3-(minus 20).
PASSING—Kapolei: Rodrigues 23-34-3-103. Mililani: McMillan 20-33-1-313, Koong 2-2-0-13.
RECEIVING—Kapolei: Maui Remigio 2-26, Nikko Smith 5-25, Zayne Pasion 5-20, Kamohalii 4-17, Kapahu 3-7, Roman 1-1, Liatama Amisone 2-2, Viernes 2-(minus 2). Mililani: Tsuchiyama 6-97, Onosai Salanoa-Emosi 6-70, Gaea 4-66, N. Kahana-Travis 3-62, Pettaway 1-18, Ethan Jelf 1-9, Isaiah Doi 1-4.
LEILEHUA 38, KAILUA 21
At Skippa Diaz Stadium
Kailua (6-6) 0 0 14 7— 2 1
Leilehua (9-3) 0 17 7 14 — 38
LEIL—FG Rodel Alano 22
LEIL—Talon Tarpley 10 pass from Bennett Strobel (Alano kick)
LEIL—Keola Seumanutafa-Bryant 3 run (Alano kick)
KAIS—Benjamin Honebein 6 pass from Isaiah Keaunui-Demello (Desmond McMaster kick)
KAIS—Isaiah Kaiu 31 pass from Keaunui-Demello (McMaster kick)
LEIL—Chaystin Senas 35 interception return (Alano kick)
LEIL—Tarpley 10 pass from Strobel (Alano kick)
KAIS—Kaiu 23 pass from Keaunui-Demello (McMaster kick)
LEIL—Cameron Keeve 62 run (Alano kick)
RUSHING—Kaiser: Caysen Samson 16- 56, JJ Rzentes 2-22, Isaiah Keaunui-Demello 2-(minus 5). Leilehua: Keeve 29-180, Kylin Rivera-Galbraith 8-35, Seumanutafa-Bryant 1-5, Strobel 3-5, Zaeven Newman 1-3.
PASSING—Kaiser: Keaunui-Demello 22-36-3-246. Leilehua: Strobel 14-30-1-150.
RECEIVING—Kaiser: Aizek Kaanoi 4-60, Kaiu 2-54, Micah Sua 3-36, Rylan Akana 3-27, Xavier Kauhi-Babas 2-26, Max Kamai 2-17, Samson 2-9, Honebein 1-6, Rzentes 2-7, Ryzen Sabey-Choy Foo 1-4. Leilehua: Romeo Tubon 7-77, Tarpley 5-44, Brennan Kepaa 1-15, Seumanutafa-Bryant 1-14.
