KEALAKEKUA — In the end, it was too close for comfort, but loaded with speed at just about every position, Konawaena rode a big first half and a season-high 588 yards of offense to knock off ILH champion Damien 42-33 in a HHSAA Division II tournament first-round game at Julian Yates field on Saturday night.
KEALAKEKUA — In the end, it was too close for comfort, but loaded with speed at just about every position, Konawaena rode a big first half and a season-high 588 yards of offense to knock off ILH champion Damien 42-33 in a HHSAA Division II tournament first-round game at Julian Yates field on Saturday night.
The Wildcats held a 39-12 lead late in the third quarter, but the Monarchs outscored the ‘Cats 21-3 in the fourth to make it a very close call for the BIIF champions. After a running-into-the-kicker penalty nullified a missed field goal, Austin Ewing nailed a 29-yard kick with 39 seconds left to seal the victory for the Wildcats.
“It was a tale of two halves for us,” Konawaena head coach Brad Uemoto said. “We had our tempo and rhythm going in the the first half and had the game under control. We gave them momentum with some turnovers in the second half, but give them credit for having the tenacity to come back and really make it close at the end.”
The win is the first for Konawaena in the HHSAA tournament, and just the fourth overall for the BIIF (Hawaii Prep 2004 and ’09 , Kamehameha ‘14).
“It’s huge,” Uemoto said. “These kids know that. We wanted to get this one off our back and I think we will be more comfortable and relaxed. Now, it’s just about playing football and winning games.”
The next stop for the Wildcats is a semifinal game against undefeated OIA champion Radford (11-0) at Roosevelt High on Oahu on Nov. 14. However, the big goal lurking for Konawaena is to eventually take its high-octane offense to the turf of Aloha Stadium for the HHSAA Division II championship game on Nov. 20.
Leading the way offensively for Konawaena was running back Algene Kelekolio, who rushed for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Ewing added 220 yards and three scores through the air on 15-of-28 passing. He also threw an interception.
Kelekolio was simply great, often dragging defenders and willing his way to extra yards. But the senior back can thank his offensive line, which bullied Damien defenders for most of the night. Dalon Freitas, Vicente Cancino, Justin Banagan-Brock, Viliami Kaea and Jake Unger were among the Wildcats up front making holes.
Damien usually utilizes a run-heavy, split-back option offense, but after getting behind early, quarterback Marcus Faufata-Pedrina was forced to pass — a lot. He was 15-of-30 with a season-high 296 yards and three touchdowns. Faufata-Pedrina also led the team in rushing, with 50 yards and two scores.
“The game plan coming in was to make them turn to that passing game,” Uemoto said. “They did and found success. Those receivers made great plays. Most of the time we were in very good coverage, but they just made great catches.”
The point total (75) tied for the second-most in DII tournament history, and the teams combined for almost 1,000 yards of total offense.
Despite the gaudy offensive numbers, the defense didn’t slack for Konawaena. The athletic front four of the Wildcats tracked down Faufata-Pedrina, sacking the speedy sophomore seven times. Austin Santos-Johnson led Konawaena with 10.5 tackles, three sacks and six total tackles for loss.
The song “Back Home,” by Konawaena alumni Pepper blasted over the speakers at halftime, a friendly reminded to the Kealakekua crowd that it would be the final time they get to see the Wildcats at home this season. But no matter what happens the rest of the year, the historic victory assured a home winning streak that dates back to August of 2014 remains intact.
The Wildcat’s first two drives set the tempo and both ended with Kelekolio diving in from 2 yards out — albeit set up in very different ways.
Konawaena’s first score took just three plays and went 35 yards — all Kelekolio pickups — which punished Damien for a fumble on its opening drive.
The next drive was a little more complicated. Pinned at their own 2-yard line, Ewing and Kelekolio engineered an 11-play, 98-yard drive that took just 2 minutes and 38 seconds to put the Wildcats up 12-0.
Speed would be the theme for Konawaena. The Wildcats’ five first half scoring drives averaged 68 yards and took just 1 minute and 8 seconds.
The Monarchs showed life with a Faufata-Pedrina 13-yard touchdown run to pull within six points, but Kelekolio wasn’t done yet. He wrapped up his first half touchdown hat-trick with a 69-yard run less than a minute into the second quarter.
Ewing’s first touchdown pass of the night came on a 15-yard toss into the reliable hands of Kamakana Ching.
Konawaena got the ball back with two minutes left in the half, which for most teams would mean the two-minute drill. For the Wildcats, it meant business as usual. Ewing threw the ball into a tight window to hit Kayson Mahiai for a 36-yard score. The Wildcats marched half the field, using just 1:14 of clock and entered the break with a 33-6 lead.
Damien is not necessarily a team built to put up points in bunches or sling the ball around, but the Monarchs refused to have their season end without a fight, mounting a major comeback effort.
Faufata-Pedrina tossed two touchdown passes to Bransen Apao and ran in another to put the Monarchs well within striking distance with just over seven minutes left.
“Damien really generated opportunities to come back,” Uemoto said. “It was more about that than us not doing enough.”
With time ticking away, Konawaena was set to punt for the first time. But in a shocking move, Cameron Howes tucked the ball and ran. He went airborne around his own 40, but came up just short of the first down.
Damien capitalized, with Faufata-Pedrina connecting with running back Kepono Kawaakoa for a 22-yard score, making it a 39-33 game.
A short drive put the Wildcats — who missed the first two extra points of the game — into field goal range. Ewing missed his first try, but got a second attempt thanks to the penalty. He didn’t miss a second time, sealing a trip to Oahu for the Wildcats.
“We are getting back at it on Monday,” Uemoto said. “It’s a great feeling to know no one has to turn in their pads this week.”
Damien 6 0 6 21 —33
Konawaena 12 21 6 3 — 42
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Konawaena — Algene Kelekolio 2-yard run (kick blocked) 10:05
Konawaena —Kelekolio 2-yard run (kick blocked) 6:34
Damien — Marcus Faufata-Pedrina 13-yard run (kick no good) 5:01
Second quarter
Konawaena — Kelekolio 69-yard run (kick good) 11:05
Konawaena — Kamakana Ching 15-yard pass from Austin Ewing (kick good) 8:52
Konawaena — Kayson Mahiai 36-yard pass from Ewing (kick good) :40
Third quarter
Damien – Bransen Apao 6-yard pass from Faufata-Pedrina (run failed) 3:03
Konawaena — Kupono Kane 9-yard pass from Ewing (run failed) 1:22
Fourth quarter
Damien — Apao 6-yard pass from Faufata-Pedrina (kick good) 10:57
Damien — Faufata-Pedrina 2-yard run (2-pt pass good) 4:51
Damien — Kepono Kawaakoa 22 yard pass from Faufata-Pedrina. (Kick failed)
Konawaena — Ewing 29-yard FG :39