Football
No. 1 Konawaena escapes with 23-22 win over No. 7 Saint Francis


 



WAHIAWA — It wasn't pretty, but Konawaena finally got that elusive win on Oahu. 

The Wildcats overcame two Saint Francis defensive scores and four interceptions by quarterback Austin Ewing to defeat the Saints, 23-22 in a non-league contest at Hugh Yoshida Stadium Friday night. 

Konawaena (1-0), ranked No. 1 in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Division II Power Rankings, was playing in its first game since falling to eventual 2015 Division II champion Radford in last year's state semifinals, 48-46. 

It was also the Wildcats' first win on Oahu since 2001 when they defeated Waialua, 31-7. Konawaena, who hails from the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, had dropped its previous three contests on Oahu prior to its win over Saint Francis. 

"This definitely felt like we were back (playing against) Radford and we've advanced into the next round. It felt like another semifinal game (and) it had a playoff atmosphere," said Konawaena coach Brad Uemoto. "Saint Francis is a really good team. For us to be able to travel, get out there, miss a practice because of traveling and sleeping in a gym, being able to do that schedule I think is big for us. It's something that we have to mimic if we're going to make a state title run."

Seventh-ranked Saint Francis dropped to 1-1 and will have two weeks off before beginning league play in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.

Although the Wildcats came out with the win, the Saints were a couple of plays away from completing the upset. Makana Poole was wide right on a PAT and two field goal attempts, and had another attempt blocked at the line. Saint Francis also had several drives derailed by a false start or an illegal shift penalty, having been flagged 14 times for 108 yards.

Still, the Saints gave Konawaena all it could handle with their size and physicality. Along with pressuring into Ewing into four interceptions, the Saint Francis defense was able to score twice with Micah Kalei's fumble recovery in the end zone and Wembley Mailei's 25-yard pick-six

"Defense played well enough for us to win," said Saint Francis coach Kip Akana. "We had a lot of offensive opportunities. If we convert one may one or two of them, it's a different game. There were a lot of good things, but a lot of things that we need to still work on."

Kalei's defensive score came on the Wildcats' opening possession when a high snap on third down soared over Ewing's head. Mailei ran in the 2-point conversion to give the Saints an early 8-0 lead 32 seconds into the ball game.

Konawaena turned it over on downs at the Saint Francis' 13-yard line on the ensuing possession, but found some rhythm on its next series and was able to get its first score of the night. Ewing's 27-yard TD pass to Kaanoi Kelekolio-Rivera capped a eight-play, 72-yard drive with 5:14 to go in the first quarter. Harry Hill was good on the extra point to make the score 8-7.

A blocked field goal help set up the Wildcats' next drive as they were able to get into field goal range for a 26-yard boot by Harry Hill just before the end of the opening first quarter.

When momentum seemed to have swung Konawaena's way, Saint Francis struck back. Ewing's first pass of the second quarter was returned to the house by Mailei, who also ran in another 2-point conversion to give the Saints a 16-10 lead. 

Konawaena responded midway through the second stanza on Ewing's 18-yard TD pass to Kamakana Ching, but the PAT was blocked to make it a 16-all game at the break.

Saint Francis finally got an offensive touchdown on the board when it went to its heavy package in the third quarter. After a late hit penalty on Konawaena helped Saint Francis convert on third down, Mailei ran in a 3-yard TD thanks to the blocking up front of seven down linemen and three fullbacks. However, Mailei went down with cramps after the play and was able to use the same formation on the PAT. Poole ended up trying the kick, but was wide right to leave the score at 22-16 with 6:08 to play in the third.

Both teams traded turnovers over the next couple of drives before the Wildcats set up shop for the final score of the night. An interception by Dustin Cho gave Konawaena possession at the Saint Francis 40-yard line. Micah Laban's nine-yard stretch play tied the game up and Hill's PAT gave the Wildcats a 23-22 lead with 10:45 left in regulation.

Saint Francis had three possessions after Laban's scoring run, but could not drive the ball downfield far enough to even think about attempting a field goal for the win.

"They made plays in the end and we didn't, but we like where we are," said Akana. "Against it's a preseason game. Our biggest goal so far is to win the ILH and represent the ILH in the state tournament. If (the Wildcats) are the No. 1 team, I think the fans and spectators that was here tonight would say that Saint Francis is a formidable opponent." 

For Konawaena, coach Uemoto couldn't be more proud of his team for hanging in there and staying resilient down the stretch. 

"We started getting injuries, backups started getting into the game and they did a great job of filling in. We just kept asking more and more of our defense and they just kept standing up to (the challenge)."

SL reporter Brandon Ching contributed to this post.



Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].




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