The absence of a few senior starters did little to slow Leilehua.
The third-ranked Mules, minus some of their playmakers, got inspired performances from those who took the field and rolled to a 21-6 homecoming night victory over Aiea on Friday at Hugh Yoshida Stadium.
Leilehua quarterback Kenan Sadanaga completed 22 of 32 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns and the Mules (3-0, 4-0-1) remained atop the OIA Red West.
Senior receiver Jeremiah Andrade, who had recently returned from injury, caught nine of those throws for 98 yards and all three scoring passes.
Their performances helped the Mules overcome the absences of starters Russell Siavii and Mikal Peyton, who were ejected from last week’s win over Campbell, forcing them out Friday’s game. Allen Racette, usually another key contributor on offense, sat out due to an injury.
“We just wanted to dedicate this game to them,” Sadanaga said.
The Mules’ philosophy of rolling players into game situations early in the year helped them maintain their stride through the adversity.
“It’s about love for each other and just appreciating what we have here,” Leilehua interim coach Mark Kurisu said.
“We truly believe we have to rotate players. We’re not the biggest team, but if we can rotate players and not miss a beat, in the long run as we go through the season it’s going to be benefitting. That’s what happened.”
Said Sadanaga: “We believe that if you’re in the game, you’re a 1 (a starter). The guys did a great job of stepping up and the coaches did a great job of preparing us.”
Aiea running backs Cheston Ioapo and Trevaun Sparrow-Dennis combined for 168 rushing yards against the Mules defense. But Leilehua forced three turnovers and held Na Alii (0-2, 1-3) to two field goals on three red-zone opportunities.
“We’re getting better offensively. We just have to settle down and cut out the mistakes,” Aiea head coach Wendell Say said.
After completing one of his first four passes, Sadanaga connected on five consecutive throws on Leilehua’s second possession. A 43-yard strike down the right side to Andrade was followed by a 4yard scoring connection between the duo.
Aiea twice moved inside the Leilehua 10 in the first half, but came away with just three points. Na Alii’s first red-zone trip ended in an interception by Leilehua’s Ryan Gomes and Aiea settled for a field goal on its next drive after moving to the Leilehua 3.
The Mules added to the lead late in the second quarter after Penitito Melei knocked the ball loose on a sack of Aiea quarterback Isaiah Fonoti, and Chavez Moala recovered for the Mules with 1:13 left.
Sadanaga closed the half by hitting Andrade on a post pattern for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 3 seconds left. The Mules successfully executed a fake on the pointafter to take a 15-3 lead into halftime.
“Ever since we were freshmen, me and Jeremiah have been close friends. We hang out a lot, we have our timing down,” Sadanaga said. “When he was out it slowed us down a little bit. Now that we’ve got him back, we’re back on track and we’ll just keep going.”
The Mules pulled away on their first possession of the second half and took a 21-3 lead on Sadanaga’s 2-yard toss to Andrade.
“It doesn’t matter if the receivers are out, he’s a good quarterback,” Say said. “He knows where to place the ball and throws a catchable ball for the receivers.”
Moanalua 46, Kaiser 7
Dillon Turk completed 20 of 24 passes and threw for three touchdowns as Na Menehune thumped the Cougars.
Moanalua’s Christian Akana caught two of Turk’s scoring passes.
In the fourth quarter, Curt Clivio rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, Kaiser’s first score of the season.
No. 2 Farrington 25, Kailua 0
Travis Tamapua threw two touchdown passes as the Governors beat the Surfriders to remain unbeaten.
Tyler Taumua rushed 15 times for 153 yards for Farrington.
Waianae 30, Kapolei 14
Kekoa Kaluhiokalani threw three touchdown passes as the Seariders scored the game’s first 30 points en route to their first victory of the season.
Austin Reese, Sheldan Kalaau and Jason Towne each caught scoring passes from Kaluhiokalani, who finished 5-for-6.
Waipahu 42, Waialua 0
Senior running back Gregorio Alip rushed for two touchdowns and senior quarterback Drake Yoshioka passed for one touchdown and ran for another as the Marauders routed the visiting Bulldogs.
Alip finished with 75 yards rushing on 10 carries, while Yoshioka completed six of 10 passes for 192 yards, including a 24-yard scoring strike to junior wide receiver Dylan Taii.
Waipahu’s defense scored on a fumble return, an interception and a safety.
