Article Photos

Fact Box

Lahainaluna 6-16-7-0---29

Kamehameha Maui 0-0-0-6---6

_______________

First Quarter

Lahainaluna---Sheldon Akina 6 run (kick blocked), 8:38.

Second Quarter

Lahainaluna---Jostin Carbajal 5 run (T.J. Rickard run), 11:54.

Lahainaluna---George Chihara 17 run (Mitchell Loewen pass from Rickard), 5:03.

Third Quarter

Lahainaluna---Carbajal 40 run (Rickard kick), 7:28.

Fourth Quarter

Kamehameha Maui---Solomon Ezera 31 fumble return (run failed), 5:41.

_______________

First downs: Lahainaluna 22, Kamehameha Maui 13

Rushes-yards: Lahainaluna 50-359, Kamehameha Maui 24-2

Passing yards: Lahainaluna 36, Kamehameha Maui 179

Total offense: Lahainaluna 395, Kamehameha Maui 181

Return yards: Lahainaluna 4, Kamehameha Maui 121

Comp-Att-Int: Lahainaluna 4-9-2, Kamehameha Maui 20-35-3

Fumbles-lost: Lahainaluna 3-1, Kamehameha Maui 2-0

Penalties-yards: Lahainaluna 6-35, Kamehameha Maui 4-20

Punts-avg: Lahainaluna 2-35.0, Kamehameha Maui 6-22.3

_______________

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING---Lahainaluna, Carbajal 18-154, Chihara 10-88, Jojo Hidalgo 7-49, Akina 5-41, T.J. Rickard 4-21, Imihana Ampong 1-14, Daven Kaina 2-6, team 1-(minus 1), Benjamin Pietsch 2-(minus 13); Kamehameha Maui, Michael Lacno 9-21, Bryson Souza 5-11, Chase Bell 6-8, Ken Kanemitsu 1-1, Eli Ferreira 1-(minus 5), team 2-(minus 34).

PASSING---Lahainaluna, Rickard 4-8-1---36, Pietsch 0-1-1---0; Kamehameha Maui, Souza 12-16-0---105, Ferreira 8-19-3---74.

RECEIVING---Lahainaluna, Chihara 3-20, Paula Toa 1-16; Kamehameha Maui, Terani Richmond 6-45, Kekoa Turbeville 4-40, Cameron Yip 4-24, Bell 3-36, Jonah Aruda 2-24, Cody Pundyke 1-10.

_______________

Junior varsity---Lahainaluna 22, Kamehameha Maui 0

_______________

_______________

MIL STANDINGS

DIVISION I

King Kekaulike 2-1, .667 Pct., 64 PF, 62 PA

Baldwin 2-1, .667 Pct., 75 PF, 39 PA

Maui High 1-2, .333 Pct., 31 PF, 57 PA

_______________

DIVISION II

Lahainaluna 2-2, .500 Pct., 80 PF, 66 PA

Kamehameha Maui 1-2, .333 Pct., 45 PF, 71 PA

_______________

_______________

PRESEASON

Friday, Aug. 14

Kalaheo 34, King Kekaulike 7

Saturday, Aug. 15

Anuenue 26, Kamehameha Maui 20

Kailua 20, Baldwin 9

_______________

Saturday, Aug. 22

King Kekaulike 18 Kealakehe 8

_______________

Saturday, Aug. 29

Kauai 35, Lahainaluna 18

Maui High 21, Waimea 0

_______________

_______________

REGULAR SEASON

Friday, Sept. 4

Maui High 19, Lahainaluna 6

Saturday, Sept. 5

King Kekaulike 14, Baldwin 7

_______________

Friday, Sept. 11

Kamehameha Maui 10, Maui High 6

Saturday, Sept. 12

Lahainaluna 26, King Kekaulike 14

_______________

Friday, Sept. 18

Baldwin 27, Lahainaluna 19

Saturday, Sept. 19

King Kekaulike 36, Kamehameha Maui 29

_______________

Friday's Result

Baldwin 41, Maui High 6

Saturday's Result

Lahainaluna 29, Kamehameha Maui 6

_______________

Friday, Oct. 2

Baldwin at Kamehameha Maui, 7 p.m.

Saturday Oct. 3

Maui High at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

_______________

Friday, Oct. 9

Lahainaluna vs. Maui High at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10

King Kekaulike at Kamehameha Maui, 7 p.m.

_______________

Friday, Oct. 16

Maui High vs. Baldwin at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 17

Lahainaluna at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.

_______________

Friday, Oct. 23

Baldwin vs. King Kekaulike at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 24

Kamehameha Maui at Lahainaluna, 1:30 p.m.

_______________

Friday, Oct. 30

Baldwin vs. Kamehameha Maui at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 31

Maui High vs. King Kekaulike at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

_______________

Friday, Nov. 6

Lahainaluna vs. Baldwin at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 7

Maui High at Kamehameha Maui, 7 p.m.

_______________

_______________

POSTSEASON

Friday, Nov. 13

MIL Division II playoff, if necessary, at War Memorial Stadium, time TBA

Saturday, Nov. 14

MIL Division I playoff, if necessary, at War Memorial Stadium, time TBA

_______________

Friday, Nov. 20

State tournament quarterfinals: Teams, sites and times TBA

Saturday, Nov. 21

State tournament quarterfinals: Teams, sites and times TBA

_______________

Friday, Nov. 27

State tournament semifinals: Teams, sites and times TBA

Saturday, Nov. 28

State tournament semifinals: Teams, sites and times TBA

_______________

Friday, Dec. 4

State championship games at Aloha Stadium

Advertisement

PUKALANI --- If there was any doubt left in the outcome, the Lahainaluna High School football team put it away early in the second half against Kamehameha Maui with a 99-yard touchdown drive.

With first place on the line, the Lunas showed who owns that throne --- at least at this young point of the Maui Interscholastic League Division II season --- with a convincing 29-6 win over the Warriors on homecoming night at Kanaiaupuni Stadium.

The Lunas are now 2-2 in the MIL, while their D-II brethren Warriors are 1-2.

Lahainaluna rode a devastating ground game --- they had 369 yards rushing, led by the workmanlike effort of junior Jostin Carbajal, who had 154 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries --- and a defensive shutout to put away the Warriors.

''The defense worked real hard in practice all week,'' Lahainaluna co-head coach Garret Tihada said. ''Coach (Bobby) Watson came up with a good scheme and we finally tackled really well and it was nice.''

The offense took advantage of three first-half interceptions to build a commanding early lead it would not relinquish. That became perfectly clear on the Lunas' first possession of the second half. They took over on their own 1-yard line after a 42-yard punt with 10 minutes to go in the third quarter and a three-touchdown lead.

Carbajal broke free for a 25-yard run to give his team a first down on its own 38 and three plays later he was gone on a 40-yard jaunt that made the score 29-0 with 7:28 to go in the third quarter.

Tihada said his offense took advantage of its opportunities.

''We got lucky in that respect,'' he said. ''Kamehameha had an off night.''

The win puts the Lunas on top in D-II as they head into the first of two byes in the eight-game league season.

''It sure helps, but we still have a long way to go,'' Tihada said. ''It is a long season. The timing of our bye is very good. We have some kids with some injuries, we have some kids that need to heal up, so it comes at a perfect time for us.''

The Warriors scored their only touchdown when Solomon Ezera scooped a fumble by backup quarterback Benjamin Pietsch, who had been sacked, and took it 31 yards to the end zone with 5:41 to play.

Kamehameha coach Leo Delatori tipped his hat to the Lunas, especially on defense.

''They obviously prepared very well for us,'' Delatori said. ''They knew what we wanted to do and they took a lot of that away. Their run game, you could see it from Week 1 to now, you could just see it growing and building. We knew we were going to have our hands full with that.''

Kamehameha must face Baldwin next week, fresh off a 41-6 rout of Maui High.

''We have to go back to basics, discipline and get ourselves going again,'' Delatori said. ''We have to get some confidence back. We don't have an easy game next week, so we have a lot of work to do in a week.''

Delatori said the 99-yard drive took the wind out of his team's sails.

''That was tough to take,'' he said. ''We got them pinned back and we had some big mistakes and it cost us.''

The Lunas dominated the first half, and had a 22-0 lead at the break.

Lahainaluna took a lead it would not relinquish when Sheldon Akina capped the opening possession of the game with a 6-yard touchdown run with 8:38 left in the first quarter. The Lunas went 65 yards in nine plays, all on the ground. Carbajal had 35 yards on five carries on the drive.

The Lunas took advantage of a short field for their next touchdown, a 5-yard run by Carbajal on the first play of the second quarter. Lahainaluna started on the Kamehameha 14-yard line when a bad snap sailed over the head of punter Keenan Kaluau and he got a hurried kick off for a netted negative 16 yards.

George Chihara scored the third touchdown of the first half when he rumbled 17 yards with 5:03 left. The Lunas capitalized on an interception by Lopua Hafoka that gave them the ball on their own 44-yard line.

It looked like the Lunas' night when after Carbajal gained 10 yards on the first play of the drive, he fumbled, but a Lahainaluna lineman recovered the ball. On the next play, quarterback T.J. Rickard broke free on a 29-yard scramble after he was under heavy pressure looking for a downfield pass. Chihara scored on the third play of the drive.

Kaluau was one bright spot for the Warriors, picking off two passes to thwart Lahainaluna drives. He now has five interceptions in three MIL games.

Lahainaluna piled up 199 yards of offense and 13 first downs in the first half, 169 on the ground. Carbajal had 63 yards on 11 carries and Chihara had 53 on five carries in the first half.

The Lunas' defense held the Warriors to 50 yards and had three interceptions, one each by Paula Toa, Blaze Kalilikane and Hafoka, all of which stopped Kamehameha drives in Lahainaluna territory.

Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com