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Waianae-Kealakehe recap
Posted at 8:05 PM
As expected, Waianae used a phyiscal, punishing ground attack to get past Kealakehe. But there's no question in my mind that Kealakehe would fare much better if the teams played again in a week. Any team that passes as often and with enough efficiency will give most good teams a serious run. For Kealakehe and quarterback Kawai Kanuha, it was a matter of getting used to the pass rush, stepping into throws and connecting. By the time Kanuha threw his third pick, the Waveriders were on their way to a 21-9 deficit. But the rhythm of Kealakehe's offense picked up, both against the blitz and the thick zone coverage. Kanuha found his confidence from that point of the third quarter, and if not for Waianae's game-ending drive -- the Seariders ate up the final 5:43 -- the Waveriders still have another scoring drive in them. It's crazy, of course, to surmise that Kealakehe would have a better shot with a second chance. Waianae ran for 455 yards, which is basically three games worth of ground yardage for a good team. But the lack of quality competition throughout the season continues to derail Kealakehe, which was a different team in the fourth quarter than it was in the first. Star-Bulletin: Waianae clears all hurdles Here's the latter part of my story that didn't get into Sunday's Star-Bulletin. Still, it was Kealakehe that had the best scoring opportunity in the final minutes of the first half. Yniques, with one of the strongest kicking legs in the state, attempted a 46-yarder with less than a minute left. Waianae's Matt Ibanez blocked the kick, and teammate Josh Iriarte picked up the bouncing ball and returned it to the Waianae 48-yard line. Still unveiling new trick plays, the Seariders used a reverse option pass from Toagamalu Brown to Glenn Wain for a one-handed catch on a 34-yard pass play to end the half. Kealakehe was lucky, though, because Wain was wide open and had his defender beat by five years until Toagamalu threw the ball late. By halftime, Kealakehe had 170 total yards, including 163 through the air by Kanuha on 14-for-28 passing. Waianae amassed a whopping 283 rushing yards on 34 attempts in the first half, but completed only one pass. A series of turnovers opened the second half. Twice, Kealakehe got the ball inside Waianae territory — both times at the Seariders' 37-yard line. However, Waianae's defense came up big with interceptions by Boston Salmon and Bronson Panui to end the threats. Waianae opened the lead with a nine-play, 69-yard drive. A 41-yard pass from McQuown to Ryan Manuel sparked the drive, and sophomore Eleu Wilson scored off right tackle for a 2-yard touchdown run to give the visitors a 14-3 lead with 3:57 left in the third quarter. Kealakehe didn't surrender, however. A hit by Sione Tafua on Waianae ballcarrier R.J. Tacgere-Bailey led to a fumble recovery by Malakaua at the Kealakehe 10-yard line. Kealakehe then scored on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Kanuha to Kenneth Whiting in traffic, and the Waveriders were within 14-9 with 11:37 to play in the game. That hot-wired a frantic fourth quarter for both teams. Waianae responded with a 10-play, 80-yard march that culminated with Kekoanui's 6-yard touchdown run on the left side. Waianae led 21-9 with 8:26 remaining. A nine-play, 78-yard drive was flawlessly orchestrated by Kanuha, who completed six of his eight pass attempts, including a 14-yard strike to Jeffrey Marks. Kanuha followed that with a 2-point conversion pass to Whiting to bring Kealakehe within 21-17 with 5:43 left. Previous Article: Back to blogging: Kona © Copyright 2003 HondaReport.com/Leahi.Net
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