KEALAKEKUA —The Konawaena Wildcats are back on top of the BIIF.
Sophomore quarterback Austin Ewing passed for 291 yards and three touchdowns and senior running back Algene Kelekolio tacked on two touchdown runs to lead Konawaena to a 44-21 victory over Kamehameha-Hawaii and a fourth BIIF Division II title in five years on Friday night at Julian R. Yates Field.
The Wildcats’ (8-1 BIIF D-II, 10-1) only blemish this season was a 24-0 loss on the road to the Warriors. Ewing did not play in the contest.
In relief duty of regular starter DallasJ Duarte, Kamehameha freshman quarterback Kaimialoha Like entered in the second half and passed for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
All signs point to Konawaena hosting a first-round HHSAA tournament game on Nov. 7. The opponent in that game is still to be determined.
The Konawaena defense provided the first highlight of the night when linebacker Trey Basque jumped on a bad snap fumble. The turnover put the Wildcats inside the Warriors 10-yard line.
After a short Kelekolio run, Ewing went to work. The sophomore rolled out of the pocket, stepped up to avoid the pressure and found a wide open Kamakana Ching in the back of the end zone.
Kamehameha gathered itself after the turnover, moving the ball into Konawaena territory. The drive stalled again after a 17-yard sack by Torin Tuppein off another bad snap.
Meanwhile, the ‘Cats kept rolling.
Ewing found Kupono Kane on a 55-yard pass down the middle of the field, and the Wildcats went up two scores on a four-yard Kelekolio dive out of a jumbo set.
After being shutout in the first quarter, Duarte helped engineer Kamehameha’s first scoring drive. The sophomore floated a perfect pass over the Konawaena corner and gracefully into the hands of Kainalu Whitney.
For most of the first half, it wasn’t a lack of pressure from Kamehameha that allowed Konawaena to have success. It was simply Ewing’s awareness of the rush and ability to move outside the pocket.
On the Wildcats third scoring drive, Ewing was flushed out of the pocket, and like he has so many times, capitalized on an opportunity. He saw Howes trailing behind him during the scramble and pitched it to the senior playmaker. The improv act added an extra five yards and picked up a first down.
The Ewing-Howes connection continued thrive on the drive — first on a 17-yard pass-and-catch to put the Wildcats inside the 5, and then on a 3-yard scoring toss.
The Wildcats entered the break with a 21-7 lead, thanks to a very clever two-point conversion run by offensive lineman Dalon Freitas that made up for a missed extra point.
The energy carried on through the break.
Less than two minutes into the third quarter, Howes caught a short slant and outran a wave of converging Kamehameha defenders 68 yards into the corner of the end zone. The score put Konawaena up 28-7 and in firm control of the game.
Michael Banagan-Brock added a safety for Konawaena, and the strategy seemed simple from there for the Wildcats — take time off the clock. Ewing waited for the signal from the back judge, letting him know the play clock was running out, and a host of backs chipped away.
It seemed simple, but football is usually never that simple — especially with a title on the line.
Konawaena moved back into the spread and Ewing threw a rare, ill-advised pass downfield that was intercepted and returned to the 1-yard line.
A bad snap looked like it would derail the scoring chance yet again for the Warriors, but Like found Makana Manoa along the sideline for a 15-yard touchdown. The duo connected again on the two-point conversion to make it a two-score game at 30-15.
Konawaena responded with Kelekolio’s second touchdown run of the night, but the Warriors were not ready to give the crown back the Wildcats without a fight.
Like connected on an 18-yard pass with Bayley Manliguis to make it a 37-21 game, and the defense forced a fumble to have another chance at the end zone.
After allowing a few completions on underneath routes, Konawaena stood firm on fourth down and Mahina Ellis-Noa put the final dagger in the Warriors with a 27-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes remaining, locking up the BIIF championship.
Kamehameha 0 7 0 14 — 21
Konawaena 13 8 9 14 — 44
First quarter
Konawaena — Ewing 3-yard pass to Kamakana Ching (kick good) 6:40
Konawaena — Algene Kelekolio 4-yard run (kick blocked) :20
Second quarter
Kamehameha — DallasJ Duarte 30-yard pass to Kainalu Whitney (kick good) 7:55
Konawaena — Ewing 3-yard pass to Howes (Dalon Freitas 2-point run good) 2:02
Third quarter
Konawaena — Ewing 68-yard pass to Howes (kick good) 10:36
Konawaena — Safety, Michael Banagan-Brock 4:22
Fourth quarter
Kamehameha — Kaimialoha Like 15-yard pass to Makana Manoa (2-point catch by Manoa) 9:48
Konawaena — Kelekolio 5-yard run (kick good) 5:26
Kamehameha — Like 18-yard pass Bayley Manliguis (kick failed) 3:42
Konawaena — Mahina Ellis-Noa 27-yard run (kick good) 1:14
