WAIMEA —It wasn’t pretty, but the Kealakehe will take it.
The Waveriders capitalized on a handful of big plays and overcame costly turnovers to beat Hawaii Preparatory Academy 14-7 in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation inter-divisional matchup at Stanford W. Shute Field Saturday.
Riggs Kurashige rushed for 71 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown, and Ini Paio added 51 more and his 1-yard touchdown wrapped up the offense’s longest drive of the day to put Kealakehe (2-0 BIIF, 2-1 overall) ahead in the fourth quarter.
“I feel like we are picking it up now,” Kurashige said. “Sometimes we have a hard time getting going, but we really build on our big plays. We kept our composure and had good communication. We dealt with the turnovers and never lost our heads.”
HPA quarterback Koa Ellis went 19 of 30 for 273 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Nicky Palleschi caught 11 passes for 130 yards. Both Ellis and Palleschi recorded interceptions on the defensive side of the ball for Ka Makani (0-2 BIIF, 1-3 overall) .
“I’m proud of the way we battled and kept playing through the entire game,” HPA coach Jordan Hayslip said. “It’s a game we would have liked to win, but I like the effort the boys played with.”
Markus Degrate got the start at quarterback for a second straight week for Kealakehe, but exited the game late in the second quarter without a completion. Kaimi Wilson took over, but finished just 2 of 4 for 31 yards and an interception. Paio also threw an interception on a halfback pass and the Waveriders fumbled twice.
“Those little mistakes at the wrong time kill momentum,” Kealakehe coach Sam Kekuaokalani said. “Hard work sets you up for moments like this though. The boys worked hard this week, but we could have prepared better. The boys maintained their composure and held on to win. It was nerve-racking till the very end.”
While Kealakehe’s offense failed to find rhythm, the defense and special teams units came through with big plays. Keoki Meyers set up the Waveriders first score with a 54-yard punt return inside Ka Makani’s 20-yard line, and fourth-quarter interceptions by Kobe Antolin and freshman safety Bryton Lewi sealed the win for Kealakehe.
“Defensively, I think everyone did their part and we played well as a team,” Kealakehe linebacker Kainoa Piltz said. “I think we have been getting a lot stronger as a team, but we know we still have a lot of work to do.”
Kealakehe started physical on its opening drive, coming out in the jumbo formation and letting Kurashige and Paio go to work behind extra blockers. The Waveriders ran seven times in a row, but failed to capitalize on the success of the run with a play-action pass. Degrate faced immediate pressure and was sacked by Alex Brost for a 10-yard loss. Facing third and long Kealakehe opted on the pass again, but Kanai Gaughen got through the line untouched, sacking Degrate and setting up a 4th and 27.
The HPA offense went three-and-out on its first possession and punted to Meyers, who put the Waveriders inside the red zone with his return. Three plays later, Kurashige sprinted 5 yards into the end zone to put Kealakehe up 7-0.
Ka Makani got its offense rolling in the second quarter, getting Ellis on the move with designed roll-outs and hitting Palleschi across the middle for solid gains.
“They were blitzing a lot,” Hayslip said. “Koa is a great athlete who has that ability to roll out and throw on the run.”
While the secondary was keeping track of Palleschi, Justin Perry beat single coverage on a streak and ran untouched 48 yards into the end zone with 5:40 to go in the second quarter.
HPA fumbled deep in its own territory as time ticked away in the first half, but Palleschi dropped into coverage from his defensive end spot and picked off Wilson at the 1-yard line.
“I’ll have to watch that one on the film,” laughed Hayslip, “I didn’t call for it, but I’ll take it.”
It looked like Antolin put the final nail in the coffin with a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown with 2:20 left in the game, but the score was called back for a block in the back.
Having burned two time outs early in the second half, Ka Makani could only watch as precious time ticked off the clock, getting the ball back with 31 seconds left.
Ellis hit Perry for a 30-yard gain to midfield, giving HPA a chance for a heave down field. Bryton Lewi — filling in for injured older brother Shaden Lewi— squashed Ka Makani’s hope for a miracle, picking off Ellis’ hail mary attempt.
Kealakehe 7 0 0 7—14
HPA 0 7 0 0 —7
First quarter
KEALAKEHE — Riggs Kurashige 5 run (Ari Mench kick), 3:11
Second quarter
HPA — Koa Ellis 48 pass to Justin Perry (Alex Brost kick) 5:40
Fourth quarter
KEALAKEHE: Ini Paio 1 run. (Mench kick), 10:30
