Football
Mililani clamps down to outlast Kamehameha


Spencer Honda | ScoringLive
August 19, 2018, 1:58pm

  

Sat, Aug 18, 2018 @ Mililani [ 6:30 pm ]

Mililani

31

Kamehameha

24

Final 1 2 3 4 T
Mililani (10-3-0) 10 7 7 731
Kamehameha (4-6-0) 0 3 7 1424
Christmas Togiai 225 yd 2 TD
Dillon Gabriel 303 yd 4 TD
Skyler Ramos 151 yd 1 TD
Ryan Chang 98 yd 1 TD



MILILANI — When it comes to crunch time, the best teams make big-time plays, and there were plenty of them to go around Saturday night in central Oahu.

In the end, it was the third-ranked Trojans making the ultimate big play with defensive lineman Seth Ebesugawa notching a strip sack recovered by McKenna Alcover at their own 27 yard line with 22 seconds left in the game to preserve the victory for Mililani in outlasting No. 6 Kamehameha, 31-24, in an Oahu Interscholastic Association-Interscholastic League of Honolulu interleague Division I-Open battle at John Kauinana Stadium.

The Warriors fought back from a 24-3 second half deficit and were marching on a 13-play, 57-yard drive toward a potential game-tying score before Ebesugawa's sack ended all of that on play No. 14.

"We just made one more play than they did and we were fortunate to come out with the win," Mililani coach Rod York said. "But credit Kamehameha. They fought and we knew it was going to be a battle."

After receiving the opening kickoff, it took the Trojans just four plays to drive 59 yards for a touchdown, capped off by senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel hitting Raysen Motoyama for a 5-yard pass. Their next possession resulted in the addition of three points from Liam McGehee's 29-yard field goal to take a 10-0 lead into the start of the second quarter.

Less than a minute later, Gabriel threaded the needle on an 8-yard pass to Mystic Sampaga to make it a 17-0 game that seemingly was headed toward a lopsided score.

Kamehameha got on the scoreboard midway through the period on a 41-yard field goal from Preston Rezentes. The ensuing kickoff was taken by Mililani's Reichel Vegas but Chanston Kaleikoa ripped the ball away and Kailaau Piena got the recovery at the Trojans 8 yard line. However, a false start penalty and back-to-back sacks sent the Warriors backwards and Rezentes' 32-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful.

On the Trojans' first offensive play of the second half, Gabriel rolled left and slung a 42-yard dart to Ryan Chang to extend the lead to 24-3.

Army commit Dillon Gabriel has now thrown for 825 yards, 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions through the Trojans' first three games. Mycah Yokotake | Special to SL Army commit Dillon Gabriel has now thrown for 825 yards, 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions through the Trojans' first three games. Mycah Yokotake | Special to SL Mycah Yokotake | Special to SL


Reach Spencer Honda at [email protected].




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