The state's all-time leading rusher carried the ball 943 times for 5,785 yards & 63 TDs since 2016. CJ Caraang | SL

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When the clock at Hugh Yoshida Stadium read zeroes at the end of Friday night's Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I semifinal game between Waipahu and Leilehua, it marked the end of one of the greatest prep careers in state football history.

Alfred Failauga, the Marauders' standout running back and the state's all-time leading rusher, closed out his four prolific varsity seasons with his 29th career game of 100-or-more rushing yards, but it came in a 13-7 loss to the eighth-ranked Mules.

Waipahu's lone score was a 3-yard touchdown run by Failauga, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior, with just over three minutes left in the game. He finished with 32 carries for 100 yards Friday. His 63rd career rushing touchdown was the final carry of his career.

"He's going to be one of those running backs from Waipahu no one's going to forget, state rushing record and all the accolades that come with it," Leilehua coach Mark Kurisu said of Failauga.

Failauga ran for 1,825 yards and 19 touchdowns on 285 attempts this season. For his career, he has amassed a staggering 943 carries for 5,785 yards — an average of 6.1 yards per rush.

"Best running back of all time, I think," Waipahu coach Bryson Carvalho said.

But it's not just the statistics that standout, it's the way Failauga has gone about his business that Carvalho will remember.

"I mean, I think his numbers speak for itself, but moreso, it's his character. I mean, you're not going to find a kid like that," Carvalho said. "I've been coaching here for a long time, but for a kid like that, from freshman year all the way to now, being a leader, being a faithful guy, words can't describe how good of a person he is, so I'm just blessed to be able to be his coach and have the opportunity to just influence him the right way."

Kurisu echoed much of the same sentiment when reflecting upon Failauga's storied career.

"He's just an incredible runner and I love the way that he plays because he's so humble; I don't hear him say a word. He just makes plays, gives the ball up and then gives love to his linemen," Kurisu said.

Failauga has not yet decided on his plans post-graduation, but wherever he lands, he will have a fan in Kurisu.

"He's going to be the type of guy that on Saturday mornings or nights, we're going to be looking up for him to see where he's playing and it don't matter if he's from Waipahu, he's now ‘808,' so we'll jump on his bandwagon and be in full support wherever he goes, so I'm excited to see what happens," Kurisu said.

While Failauga and the Marauders were understandably down about the season-ending loss, the Mules' celebration — if you can even call it that — was rather subdued.

"Coach has been talking to us about discipline and just being humble, because those guys (Waipahu), they played hard. They had a lot of seniors and we didn't want to bring them down because of this loss," said Leilehua sophomore defensive lineman Gabriel Araki, who collected two of his team's five sacks Friday.

This, despite the memory of being upset by Waipahu just a year ago to halt the Mules' 2018 season in the OIA semifinal round.

"The last two years prepared us for this moment in terms of suffering trials and hardships, but when your heart is right, I truly believe the Man above prepares you for a gift and he knows when you get that gift you're going to appreciate it the right way," said Kurisu, whose team locked up a spot in next month's five-team Division I state tournament with the win.

"When we looked across (the field), we knew how (Waipahu) felt and it's not a good feeling, for players or coaches, and so for us we're going to be grateful. We're going to celebrate, but we're going to celebrate the right way," Kurisu said.

Leilehua (9-1), the No. 2 seed in the OIA tournament and winners of their last six games, will try for its fifth league title and first since 2007 when it meets top-seeded Moanalua (9-1) in next Saturday's championship game at Aloha Stadium.

The Mules' only loss this season came at the hands of Na Menehune back on Aug. 30, by a score of 24-20.