KEALAKEKUA — Kamehameha finally found a way to break through. But it was anything but easy.
After years of frustration, close games and bounces going the wrong way, the Warriors are back on top of the BIIF for the first time since 2014.
Kamehameha forced nine Konawaena turnovers and rode the arm of quarterback Kaimi Like to a 27-22 victory in the BIIF Division II championship at Julian Yates Field on Saturday night, ending the Wildcats’ three-year reign.
The Warriors advance to the HHSAA Division II state tournament, which will kick off with the first round on Saturday, Nov. 10.
Like passed a whopping 55 times in the contest, completing 23 passes and amassing a season-high 291 yards with four touchdowns. He also tossed a pair of interceptions.
While the senior QB split his completions up fairly evenly, his favorite target was Noah Carvalho, who caught eight balls for 105 yards and a score. Kilohana Haasenritter and Kalama weren’t too bad either, teaming up for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
As a team, the Warriors had less than 15 yards rushing.
The final few minutes of the game were nothing but bizarre.
The Wildcats clawed back in the game with a late touchdown, and with no run game to speak of, the Warriors had a tough time running out the clock, settling mostly for QB sneaks with four plus minutes on the clock. That gave Konawaena a chance down 27-22 with what looked like around three minutes left.
But in a Chris Weber-type situation, the referees told the Wildcats they did not have any timeouts left, and instead, Konawaena got the ball back with a little over a minute to go.
In desperation mode, quarterback Sheynen Nahale launched a pass that was picked off by Izayah Chartrand-Penera, who nabbed four interceptions during the title tilt.
As it was the first time around — when the Warriors won 28-20 — turnovers were the story. The Warriors failed to turn their first six — four interceptions and two fumble recoveries — into any points. But within a 30 second span in the third quarter, Kamehameha did it twice to take control of the game.
Nahale, a freshman Wildcat, finished 12 of 32 for 104 yards, a touchdown and six interceptions. Orion Smith led the way on the ground with 82 rushing yards for Konawaena.
The Warriors took control of the game early, running almost 20 offensive plays before the Wildcats had even picked up a first down.
While the yards were coming in short chunks, Like finally broke through with a big play, funding Bryce Furuli out of the backfield near the sideline. The senior back broke a tackle and sprinted 31 yards to find the end zone to give the Warriors an early edge.
On three possessions following the score, Konawaena tossed interceptions, which ended up being harmless. That was a big difference from the first time the teams met, when the Warriors returned three INTs for TDs.
Konawaena also had a pair of first half fumbles that Kamehameha recovered — one inside the 5-yard line. However, the five turnovers resulted in no scores for the Warriors and there could be an argument that it actually ended up giving a momentum boost to the Wildcats.
With the lack off offense, Kamehameha punted quite a bit in the first 24 minutes and the Wildcats were getting close on each one. Konawaena finally got there in the second quarter, with Samson Iona and Cyrus Jumalon hauled down the punter who attempted to tuck and run, giving Konawaena its first chance in the red zone.
Smith ripped off two big runs to move Konawaena to the 1-yard line, and Jumalon punched it in to tie the game with just over six minutes left in the half.
A punt yet again ended up as the centerpiece of a big play, but one marred by a bit of controversy. The snap was low on the snap, forcing the punter to jump on the ball. Right when the whistle blew, a Konawaena player hit the prone punter. It was eventually ruled as a leading with the head penalty — a 15-yard flag — but possession stayed with the Wildcats when it was ruled it happened after the play.
Any debate would be for naught though. As he was trying to find the end zone to give Konawaena the lead, Jumalon fumbled, giving it back to Kamehameha inside their own 5.
But the turnover would actually benefit the Wildcats, with AJ Alani hauling down a Kamehameha ball carrier in the end zone for a safety, giving Konawaena a 9-7 lead for it’s first advantage of the game.
That score would hold until the halftime break, which both team’s desperately needed to make adjustments and settle down after a wild first two quarters.
In a rare occurrence, the Wildcats ran (13 plays) more than they passed (7 plays) in the first half, notching 66 yards on the ground and 20 through the air.
Kamehameha was firmly looking to the sky during the first two quarters, with Like launching 31 first half passes with 10 completions for 104 yards. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 10 yards.
The Warriors were the first to get bit by the turnover bug to start the second half. Like tried to make a play, giving up a running lane to instead look downfield. Kalai Santiago never gave up in coverage, coming down with the Wildcats’ first interception of the game.
But Konawaena gave it right back with an interception of its own, as Chartrand-Penera hauling in his third of the night.
Kamehameha moved the ball with some success, but eventually turned it over on downs at Konawaena’s 30-yard line when Like’s 45th pass attempt of the night fell short.
But yet again, the Wildcats drive was cut short, with Haasenritter recording the team’s fifth interception of the night. This time, Kamehameha wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity.
Like connected on two long completions to Carvalho, the second a 30-yard touchdown strike down the home sideline to give the Warriors a 14-9 lead.
Less than 30 second later, the Warriors flipped a fumble recovery and good field position into a score, with Like finding Haasenritter for his third TD pass of the night and a 21-9 lead.
Konawaena looked for a rebuttal but found little in its execution, getting close but turning it over on downs. The momentum was essentially null for the Wildcats until defensive back Kahai Navas-Loa came up with a big play, returning a Like pass for a score and giving Konawaena life at 21-16.
Kamehameha had a dagger 80-yard touchdown pass called back by a flag, but still salvaged a touchdown out of the drive, with Like connecting with Anahu from 19 yards out to give the Warriors a two-possession lead at 27-16.
Jumalon and Nahale made it interesting with a late TD connection, but the Wildcats’ massive comeback effort would come up short.