HHSAA Football
Lahainaluna surges past Wildcats, 28-14, to reach D2 final


   



Sat, Nov 12, 2016 @ Konawaena [ 7:00 pm ]


Final 1 2 3 4 T
Lahainaluna (9-4-0) 0 7 14 728
Konawaena (8-2-0) 7 0 7 014
Austin Ewing 276 yd 1 TD
Micah Laban 63 yd
Joshua Tihada 103 yd 1 TD
Austin Aukai 126 yd

KEALAKEKUA, Hawaii — Lahainaluna controlled all phases of the game to top host Konawaena in the Division II state semifinals, 28-14, Saturday night before a crowd of about 2,000 at Julian R. Yates Field.

The Lunas (8-4), the Maui Interscholastic League Division II champion, will meet top-seeded Kapaa in the First Hawaiian Bank/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II Football Championship at Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union Field at Aloha Stadium next Friday.

It will be Lahainaluna's fourth state title game appearance in the last 10 years.

"We've worked so hard to come through here, getting this win means more than everything to us," said senior Justice Tihada. "It means all the blood, sweat and tears was worth it. We just have to finish off the season (strong)."

Thanks to a pair of special teams miscues by the Wildcats, Lahainaluna was able to score 14 quick points in the third quarter to break a 7-all game at the break.

A 22-yard punt by Konawaena punter Kalai Santiago, who had a minus 5-yard punt in the first half, after the Wildcats' first series of the third quarter gave Lahainaluna possession at the Konawaena 37. Lahainaluna needed just four plays to reach the end zone, taking its first lead of the game on Donovan Defang's 19-yard TD run.

The Wildcats muffed the ensuing kickoff and the Lunas' Hoaka Phillips was able to recover the loose ball at the Konawaena 1-yard line. Defang ran in his second TD of the game two plays later to give Lahainaluna a 21-7 advantage with 9:20 to go in the third quarter.

"That was the difference right there," said Lahainaluna co-head coach Garret Tihada. "Football is a game all about momentum. "Momentum shifted in our favor, glad we could capitalize on that."

Defensively the Lunas forced six total turnovers against Konawaena's high-flying, no-huddle offense. Lahainaluna picked off Konawaena QB Austin Ewing three times, forced two turnover on downs and stripped Konawaena's Micah Laban at the Lunas' 3-yard line to prevent a potential score in the second quarter.

Defang, Derek Perez and Bailey Honda each recorded interceptions to lead the Lunas' secondary. Spearheading the effort in the trenches was Phillips with two sacks and Unaloto Pahulu, who had a team-high 6 and 1/2 tackle with a sack and a forced fumble.

"Our game plan worked early, but we made some mistakes and then it just started unraveling for us a little bit," said Konawaena coach Brad Uemoto. "It's more of a credit to what they do. They really corner you in defensively."

The Lunas also threw three interceptions of their own, but it was all in the first half. Other than a pass by Defang on a fake punt attempt, Lahainaluna ran the ball on every single play after the break.

"Passing the ball is not our forte," said coach Tihada. "We needed to get back to earth and wake up and run the ball again."

But the Lunas never really needed to pass the ball against Konawaena, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II champion. Lahainaluna methodically moved the ball down the field with its multiple option-oriented packages and churn out 295 yards on the ground.

Freshman running back Joshua Tihada led all ball carriers with 103 yards rushing — including a 43-yard TD run to put the game out of reach for Konawaena — on just nine carries. Other key contributors include Defang (13 carries, 56 yards, 2 TDs), Etuati Storer (nine carries, 49 yards) and Justice Tihada (eight carries, 43 yards). Radon Sinenci also had a 1-yard TD run for the Lunas' first score of the game.

"As soon as they start rolling downhill and they start smelling blood, it gets harder and harder to stop," Uemoto said of the Lahainaluna offense.

Konawaena, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II champion, saw its season come to a close with an 8-2 record. It was the second straight year that the Wildcats came up short in the semifinals.

"We're just learning how to get over this hump sometimes," said Uemoto. "I think the foundation is there for our kids."

Michael Banagan-Brock had a game-high 11 and 1/2 tackles to lead the Wildcats in the loss.

The Wildcats struck first in the first quarter on Ewing's 4-yard TD pass to Kamakana Ching on a fade route. The scoring drive was set up by a 48-yard completion to Jeremiah Casuga-Llanes on the first play of the drive. 

Storer threw a drive-ending interception to Jeriah Cacal on the Lunas' next series, but the Wildcats gave the ball right back after Pahulu stripped Laban before he reached the end zone.

Honda was able to recover the ball in the end zone for a touchback to set up the Lunas' first scoring drive of the game. Lahainaluna drove 80 yards on eight plays and tied it up on Sinenci's scoring run with 9:15 to play in the second quarter. 

Ching hauled in a 1-yard TD pass from Laban late in the third stanza to cut into Lahainaluna's lead, but Konawaena could not stop the Lunas' running attack from milking time off the clock.



Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].




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