Nguyen boots game-winning field goal, Menes walk off with win over Seariders

Brian Bautista | SL

This one really was a game of inches.

Andy Nguyen knocked through — just barely — an 18-yard field goal as time expired to help No. 14 Moanalua walk off with a down-to-the-wire 24-21 win over No. 13 Waianae Friday night.

Despite just 83 yards of total offense, Na Menehune (4-1 overall, 2-0 league) moved into sole possession of first place atop the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I standings at the expense of the Seariders (1-3, 1-1).

Moanalua built a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, thanks to a pair of defensive takeaways. It took its largest lead of the night at 21-6 after a second-quarter touchdown pass from Isaac Harney to Laakea Tapaoan, but saw Waianae scored 15 straight points to tie it at 21 a few minutes into the third quarter.

The score held until the final play of the game, when Nguyen converted a short field goal from the left hash that barely cleared the crossbar.

"That might have been Andy's ugliest kick of his career, but you know what, it went through the goal posts," Na Menehune coach Andrew Manley said of the game-winner.

Manley, who called his final timeout with two seconds remaining to set-up Nguyen's walk-off winner, credited his senior placekicker for delivering in the clutch.

"We know he's got a leg. I think he's one of the top kickers in the state so we're going to put the pressure on him a lot," Manley stated.

Moanalua got the ball back with 1:32 left on the clock and in favorable field position after a 35-yard punt return by Jayce Bareng gave his team at the Waianae 15-yard line. Kalino Judalena carried on four straight plays to get the Menes down to the 1 before Manley used his timeout.

"They stayed in it the whole game," Manley said of his players. "They had multiple opportunities where they could have hung their heads and gave up the game, but they didn't. They stayed in it, fought to the end and we won it at the end. I'm proud of these boys, damn proud."

The Menes opened the scoring at the 8:34 mark of the first quarter. Three plays after linebacker Tyson Alualu-Iu intercepted a Waianae pass, Harney found Caleb Dela Pena-Pihana for a 10-yard touchdown pass.

Moanalua doubled up its lead on defense when Shonn Keaunui intercepted a Waianae pass and returned it 52 yards the other way for a touchdown. Nguyen knocked through the extra point to make it a 14-0 cushion.

"Shonn's been antsy to get back. We lost him in training camp, he sat out the first four games, made his way back today and was a big part of this defense, big part of this team and that's why he's one of our team captains," Manley said of the junior safety.

Waianae drove 92 yards in 11 plays early in the second quarter, capped by a 14-yard TD run by Alika Idica Jr. to get on the board. However, the Menes answered on their ensuing possession with an eight-play, 74-yard drive that culminated with the Harney-to-Tapaoan scoring strike.

Slater Kaleiohi returned the ensuing kickoff for a 98-yard Waianae touchdown, but the extra point was no good.

The Seariders inched closer after a high punt snap over the head of Nguyen, who kicked it out of the back of the end zone. The safety cut the Moanalua lead to 21-14 with 2:56 until the fourth quarter.

Waianae cut it to a one-point game after George Mier snuck into the end zone from three yards out for a touchdown. It pulled even at 21 on the PAT by Brysen Ferreira.

The Seariders had 197 total yards by halftime, but finished with just 244 for the game. They ran 59 plays from scrimmage to just 46 for the Menes, but turned it over four times.

Conversely, Moanalua did not turn the ball over.

Na Menehune next plays Kailua Friday in Salt Lake, while the Seariders will meet Aiea next Saturday at Radford's John E. Velasco Stadium.