Segawa's five TDs power Kalani over Kaimuki on Senior Night

Rayden Aoki | SL

It was a half to remember for Nicholas Segawa.

The junior WR turned RB accounted for all five scores in the first half for Kalani, four via rush and the other a 76 yard punt return, in Kalani's 49-7 win over Kaimuki on Senior Night.

Besides sending out 10 soon-to-be graduating players out on a positive note, the victory also created a three-way tie for fourth place in the OIA Division II standings, with Kalaheo and Waialua also sporting 3-4 records at the end of the league slate.

"We're just trying to get our guys to play four quarters, we haven't done that this season," said Kalani head coach Kenrick Pai. "We're focusing on the fundementals of football right now. To win on the field and off the field, that's the focus the last couple of weeks."

A coin toss early next week will be held to determine which of the three teams will be the last representative in the Division II playoffs.

Regardless of that outcome, tonight's win was at the very least a nice reversal of a 50-0 loss to Roosevelt.

"We really put that effort in (this week) after a big loss, it would really be good if we made it to the playoffs," Segawa said. "It was a confidence booster, so hopefuly we can continue it on."

Segawa got things going for the Falcons, scoring from one yard to cap a Falcons' drive that was an immediate response to Kaimuki's opening one, capped by a 10 yard run by Iosua Letuli.

Then, it was Segawa making his mark as a returner, where he scooped up a bounding ball near the right sideline, much to the surprise of both Kaimuki players in the area, and raced down the sideline, taking advantage of the element of surprise to reach the end zone.

"I told him good job but also had a few words after," laughed Pai of the play. "We got to be smart, football IQ, and that's what we're trying to teach them."

"I seen one of the boys on the other team touch the ball, seen that, picked it up and ran with it, hoped for the best," said Segawa.

In the second quarter Segawa continued find the end zone, scoring on runs from 11, 3 and 4 yards out to increase the lead to 35-7 by halftime. He finished with 106 rushing yards on nine carries and added five receptions for 60 yards.

A Falcon not named Segawa finally got in on the scoring in the second half, as Brennan Takara scored on an eight yard run in the third and Kotaro Aizawa punched one in from two yards out in the fourth, the final points on the evening for Kalani.

The Kalani defense held Kaimuki to just 149 yards in total, and just 54 after halftime.