Everything came together on Waiakea’s homecoming night, when the offense and defense did their parts, sophomore quarterback Gehrig Octavio came of age, and senior Tyler Kerr kicked the game-winning field goal. ADVERTISING Everything came together on Waiakea’s homecoming night, when
Everything came together on Waiakea’s homecoming night, when the offense and defense did their parts, sophomore quarterback Gehrig Octavio came of age, and senior Tyler Kerr kicked the game-winning field goal.
Kerr blasted a 25-yard field goal with eight seconds left, and Waiakea defeated Kealakehe for the first time in nearly a decade, 24-21 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation football game Friday night at Wong Stadium.
The Warriors (2-3 BIIF D-I, 2-5) held a 21-0 cushion late in the third quarter, but the Waveriders (2-3 D-I, 2-4) stormed back with three straight touchdowns.
After Kealakehe running back Kobe Antolin scored on a 28-yard run to tie it 21-21 with under six minutes left, Waiakea played smash-mouth football to drive 65 yards on the winning drive.
The Warriors ran 11 plays — all on the ground — finishing with Octavio rushing on a straight dive for four yards. Then Kerr came in, and smoked his game-winner right down the middle from 25 yards out with enough carry for another 20 yards.
Last week, Kealakehe held Hilo to 33 rushing yards in a 7-0 home loss. It was a much different story a week later on the road. Waiakea bulldozed for 231 yards on 56 attempts, a 4.1-yard average.
Waiakea junior running back Pono Auwae stamped himself as a leading contender for the BIIF Division I Offensive Player of the Year award with a solid performance: 18 carries for 88 yards, including a 50-yard thriller.
He was a good enough decoy where his teammates flourished: Octavio, 16 carries for 70 yards; Joe Ongais, 17 attempts, 55 yards; and Joe Alvarez, three carries, 17 yards.
Octavio, who played with a veteran’s poise, was 6 of 11 for 63 yards with a touchdown and interception. Cody Cuba caught two balls for 39 yards, giving the offense only a hint of balance.
For the most part, Waiakea ran it down Kealakehe’s throat. The Warriors operated out of the spread or the offset I-formation. They didn’t run any counters or jet sweeps — no trickeration. It was a heavy dose of smash-mouth football.
Kealakehe quarterback Markus DeGrate was an offensive spark plug. He rushed for 57 yards on eight carries and was 12 of 23 for 154 yard with a TD and pick. The only problem was he didn’t get much help, other than Kobe Antolin’s contributions.
Antolin added 46 yards on six carries with two touchdowns for the Waveriders, who finished with 111 yards on 17 attempts, a 6.5-yard average. There’s a bit of disclaimer to that high average because Waiakea’s defense had a pair of missed tackles that resulted in long gains.
And for the most part, the Warriors did a defensive number on the Waveriders, who used big plays and missed tackles to score three straight touchdowns.
Waiakea’s homecoming provided an extra boost of energy, and the home team took a 14-0 halftime lead. What also helped was a pair of Kealakehe turnovers. The Warriors converted both into touchdowns.
At the start of the second quarter, Kainalu Fejeran picked off DeGrate near midfield. Then the Warriors went on an 11-play, 61-yard drive, capped by Ryder Oshiro’s 1-yard plunge.
Octavio’s elusiveness provided the key play on second-and-10 from the Waverider 13-yard line. Kealakehe had a strong pass rush, but didn’t play disciplined, lost outside contain, and Octavio turned a potential sack into a 10-yard run.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Waveriders had a nice runback and started at the Warrior 42-yard line. DeGrate ran through a wide-open hole, and went untouched for 17 yards.
The same play worked fine for a second straight time. DeGrate got five yards, but he was stripped, and Manuia Sevao recovered the fumble at Waiakea’s 20-yard line.
It took only six plays for the Warriors increase the lead to 14-0 after Octavio ran an option and pitched to Auwae, who scored from 5 yards out.
For his first five carries, Auwae was shackled for nine yards. There were little holes with so many Waveriders in the tackle box. But all the Warrior junior needs is a little seam, and he’s off to the races.
On that 80-yard scoring drive, Auwae shot up the middle, took a right turn and was finally tackled at the Kealakehe 20-yard line. An illegal hit to the helmet by Kealakehe tacked on 15 yards.
In the first half, Auwae zipped for 64 yards on seven carries while Octavio, who avoided about four potential sacks, added 31 yards on six attempts.
The sophomore QB also was pretty efficient as a passer. Octavio was 5 of 9 for 55 yards with a pick. His favorite target, Cuba, caught two balls for 39 yards.
Also in the first half, DeGrate had 35 yards on four carries, and Ini Paio had eight yards on three attempts. DeGrate was 5 of 9 for 55 yards with an interception and fumble — both turnovers turned into TDs.
At the Waverider 23-yard line, Waiakea also missed on a red-zone (20 yards and in) opportunity in the first quarter when Octavio was picked off by Keoki Meyers.
