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Red reigns

Lahainaluna claims first state title with 21-14 win over Kapaa

By Rob Collias 5 min read

HONOLULU -- Lahainaluna High School, an institution that has been around for 175 years, has its first state football champion.

The Lunas did it by following the game plan that has worked seemingly forever, relying on special teams, stellar defense and a relentless running attack.

Lahainaluna opened a 21-point lead, scoring on special teams, offense and defense, and then hung on with everything it had for a 21-14 win over Kapaa on Friday at Aloha Stadium in the First Hawaiian Bank Division II State Championship final.

"Every little thing was huge," said Lunas co-head coach Garret Tihada.

Lahainaluna (9-4) scored on Siale Hafoka's return of a blocked punt and a run by Kiliona Keohuloa in the first half and appeared to take complete command when Bailey Honda intercepted a Teili Fonua pass and raced 55 yards untouched to the end zone just 66 seconds into the second half.

"That was very big, very big, not for me, but for the team,"  said Honda, who grabbed a ball that tipped off the hands of the Warriors' Gabe Keener. "If we hadn't got that we wouldn't have won, but we got that and I have to give it out for my team. I didn't know I was gone, I just kept running."

Kapena Texeira scored for Kapaa (8-2) from 1 yard out later in the third quarter, and the Warriors climbed within a touchdown early in the fourth when Teili Fonua hit Keener for a 32-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-18 with 7:04 to go.

Lahainaluna then faked a punt on fourth-and-21 from its own 9-yard line -- Unaloto Pahulu was stopped 2 yards short with 5:04 to play.

Kapaa, however, lost a yard on a first-down run and then threw three straight incompletions. The Lunas got two first downs, the second on a personal foul against the Warriors, and ran the clock down to 13 seconds before Pahulu punted to the Kapaa 27. The Warriors ran just one more play, a 10-yard pass to Keener.

Lahainaluna is the second Maui Interscholastic League school to win a state title -- King Kekaulike earned a D-II championship in 2006.

"These kids worked so hard, we're actually a year away from where we want to be," Tihada said. "I told these guys at halftime that it's your work ethic and dedication that got us here, we just need to do one more half. We almost gave it away. We just needed one more half of what they've been doing and we're just so fortunate that there is a clock and it was running. They ran out of time, but they are a hell of a team."

No stand was bigger than the final one.

"Tonight was just years and years of hard work," Tihada said. "They shined bright tonight, the defense."

Hafoka, who was named the Lahainaluna player of the game by OC16 television, went around two defenders on a 23-yard return after Kupono Kahae-Ampong broke through the line and blocked Kurt Napoleon's punt 61 seconds into the second quarter.

Hafoka also had a key 39-yard catch of an Etuati Storer pass on the drive that ended with Keohuloa's 7 yard touchdown, as well as five tackles, and broke up a pass in the end zone on fourth down on Kapaa's next-to-last possession.

"This is a special group of boys, the senior class is amazing," said Hafoka, a junior. "I'm grateful I have one more year with my class. Hopefully we can do the same thing next year."

Keohuloa, who came into the game with two carries for 2 yards on the season, scored on a double handoff from Joshua Tihada to make the score 14-0 with 8:01 left in the first half.

Texeira -- who is listed as 5-foot-11 and 250 pounds, and started the game at defensive tackle -- capped a 90-yard, 15-play drive with his score.

Kapaa finished with 252 yards of total offense. Lahainaluna had 177 -- all but 41 on the ground.

The Lunas were making their fourth appearance in the title game. The Warriors made their debut in the final last season, losing to Radford.

Kapaa defeated Lahainaluna in last year's semifinal, and won in Lahaina earlier this year.

"Oh man, we knew we was going to be in a battle tonight, you know, but give all credit to Lahaina, they battled, they won it," said Kapaa coach Philip Rapozo. "Like I told coach Tihada, it's hard for us to take this loss, but I'm happy for him. They scored just about every way you can and that's why they won tonight. They did everything they had to do."

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com

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Lahainaluna    0    14    7    0    --    21

Kapaa               0      0    7    7    --    14

Second Quarter

LL--Siale Hafoka 23 blocked punt return (Pablo Rico kick), 10:59.

LL--Kiliona Keohuloa 7 run (Rico kick), 8:01.

Third Quarter

LL--Bailey Honda 55 interception return (Rico kick), 10:54.

K--Kapena Texeira 1 run (Clifton Oliver kick), 6:27.

Fourth Quarter

K--Gabe Keener 32 pass from Teili Fonua (Oliver kick), 7:04.

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FIRST HAWAIIAN BANK STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Aloha Stadium

Friday's Results

Division II

Lahainaluna 21, Kapaa 14

Division I

Mililani 31, Iolani 20

Today's Game

Open Division

Kahuku vs. Saint Louis, 7 p.m.

Starting at /week.