Two weeks after lamenting a 2-point decision that tilted to the opposite sideline, Waialua could celebrate after another dramatic finish on Saturday.

Sophomore running back Howard Nahooikaika scored both of Waialua’s touchdowns and a tie-breaking safety on an errant punt snap that proved to be the difference in the Bulldogs’ 16-14 OIA Division II win over Kalani at Toshiyuki “Tosh” Nakasone Football Field.

The final minutes weren’t quite as wild as the conclusion to the Bulldogs’ 22-20 loss to Kaimuki in overtime on Aug. 13. But the Bulldogs (1-1) still had to sweat out an onside kick with a just over a minute left before sealing their first win of the season.

“I’m glad the two points were on our side this time,” Waialua coach Lincoln Barit said.

“Like we told the boys ‘you look at that (Kaimuki) game, pau already, it’s in the past,’ and we looked ahead to Kalani.”

While Waialua had a week to reset its focus, Kalani (1-2) pulled out a four-point win over Kaimuki on Aug. 20 and had opportunities to rally against Waialua. But miscues along the way hampered the Falcons’ comeback bid.

“Lot of errors, lot of penalties that hurt us,” first-year Kalani coach Scott Melemai said. “A lot of plays where we were doing good with momentum and then the penalty kills it and puts us in a bad situation.”

Nahooikaika gave Waialua the lead in the second quarter when he carried the ball five times on a six-play, 24-yard drive set up by a fumble recovery and scored on a 1-yard run.

Kalani’s Jaemi Harris provided the tying score when he spun out of a tackle at the line of scrimmage and sprinted away from the Bulldogs for an 81-yard touchdown run at the 2:56 mark in the third quarter.

The pivotal moment came with 10:19 left in the fourth quarter with Kalani lining up to punt from its own 25. The snap sailed over Harris’ head and rolled out the back of the end zone for a safety to give Waialua the lead.

Lancen Kuni returned the ensuing free kick to the Kalani 33 and the Bulldogs extended the advantage on Nahooikaika’s 5-yard reception from Tevesi Toia.

“The defense held it down, the offensive line held the blocks for me so I could move the chains,” said Nahooikaika, who finished with 44 yards rushing and 43 receiving.

Kalani made another push when Seth Tina-Sobarano scrambled before finding Randy Daligon open for a 37-yard completion to the Waialua 11. Tina-Sobarano then ran in the score and the point-after pulled the Falcons within two.

The ensuing onside kick rolled free for a moment before bouncing out of bounds, giving Waialua possession and the chance to run out the clock.