Leighland Tagawa | Special to SL

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Fri, Oct 21, 2016 @ Kaiser [ 7:30 pm ]

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Waialua

19

Kaimuki

14

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Waialua (7-3-0)	13	0	0	6	19
Kaimuki (5-4-0)	0	7	7	0	14

• Pass
• Rush
• Rec

Jordan Solomon 179 yd 1 TD

Tevesi Toia 138 yd 1 TD

Ieke Seei-Cleveland 45 yd 1 TD

Howard Nahooikaika 1 yd 2 TD

Bailey Uehara 98 yd 1 TD

Lancen Kuni 86 yd 1 TD

HAWAII KAI — Howard Nahooikaika rushed for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 8:16 left to help Waialua rally to a 19-14 win over Kaimuki on a breezy night at Kaiser Stadium Friday night.

Waialua (6-2) advances to face Waipahu in the title game of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II tournament at 5 p.m. next Friday at Aloha Stadium and also clinched its first appearance in the D2 state tournament.

It was the second straight win for Waialua, the eighth-ranked team in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, and its fifth in its last six games since opening the season with a 22-20 loss to Kaimuki.

Although Kaimuki (5-4) more than doubled Waialua's total yardage (281 to 138), it could not overcome three costly interceptions from sophomore quarterback Jordan Solomon.

Lancen Kuni, Daytin Vidad-Albeso and Julian Fely-Menor recorded the picks for the Waialua defense, which held Kaimuki to just 3 of 16 on third downs and 1 of 5 on fourth downs.

"Coming from the first (Kaimuki) game that we lost, me and the defense has been talking and we said that, ‘Every time we come on this field, it's going to be three plays and we out. Three plays and we out,' and we just kept repeating that," said linebacker Dayton Kaopua-Lee, who racked up a team-high six tackles and deflected two passes.

Kaopua-Lee was one of a few key defensive players that did not play in the first meeting.

"We had players that couldn't play and I was one of them, so I was kind of mad at myself," Kaopua-Lee said. "I came over here and I showed them that when they come on this field, Waialua is back on top."

Kuni gave Waialua its first lead just a few minutes into the game when he raced past the Kaimuki secondary and hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tevesi Toia on third-and-20.

Kaimuki's ensuing drive was halted near midfield when Kuni stepped in front of a Solomon pass.

"It was basically a wheel route," said Kuni, a senior slotback and defensive back. "I just read it and stayed in my zone and just got the ball."

Nahooikaika recycled the turnover into his first 1-yard touchdown run when he bounced off several would-be tacklers to cap the nine-play drive. Dylan Hardin tacked on the extra point to make it 13-0.

Late in the second quarter, Solomon found a wide-open Bailey Uehara along the left seam for a 54-yard touchdown pass to get Kaimuki on the board.

Waialua's 13-7 halftime lead held until the final minute of the third quarter when Kaimuki drove 58 yards in eight plays, capped by Ieke Seei-Cleveland's 13-yard TD run. That PAT, by Mana O Hawaii Manukeu, was good to give Kaimuki it's only lead of the night at 14-13.

Waialua coach Lincoln Barit said he challenged his players at halftime.

"You could notice the momentum was changing and we were kind of lax at certain points, so I told them at halftime that, ‘(Kaimuki was) coming to the fight and we've got to give them the fight and we've got to push,' and I guess it sunk in."

Nahooikaika dove in from a yard out with 8:16 left to play to help Waialua reclaim the lead at 19-14. The PAT was no good.

The teams exchanged punts before Kaimuki took over at its own 45-yard line with 5:31 remaining. It drove to the Waialua 27, but Solomon's third-down pass was picked off by Fely-Menor.

"The d-line did all the work; they forced that throw," said Fely-Menor, a senior defensive back. "Everybody had good coverage. I just rolled over, I saw the ball and I just played the ball."

Kaimuki got the ball back with 1:42 left, but couldn't managed to move the chains and turned it over on downs before Waialua ran out the clock with three kneel-downs.

Toia completed 13 of 23 passes for 138 yards. Kuni finished with five receptions for 86 yards and also broke up three passes on defense.

Uehara finished with six catches for 98 yards to lead seventh-ranked Kaimuki. Solomon threw for 179 yards on 16-of-39 passing. Ricci Moon paced the defense with seven tackles and two sacks.

Waialua was held to zero rushing yards on its 38 attempts.