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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Kapolei wide receiver Wyatt Perez (3) celebrated his touchdown with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa during the first half against Moanalua at Kapolei High School on Friday.
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Taulia Tagovailoa threw for four touchdowns to help Kapolei advance to the OIA Red semifinals.
Host Kapolei defeated Moanalua 49-9 in Friday’s quarterfinals. Kapolei (8-1) won its seventh straight game and will face Farrington in the semifinals. It’ll be just the Hurricanes’ second appearance in the semifinals.
“This is just the second time Kapolei has been to (Aloha) Stadium,” said Tagovailoa, who completed 28 of 40 attempts for 324 yards. “It’s a good feeling. We play for a one-man audience and that’s the man above. We know only He can take us far.
“It’s a great feeling, but we can’t be satisfied. We got Farrington next week and we just got to come out with a new mind-set. We’re 1-0 this week and we’re 0-0 next week. “
The Hurricanes scored four touchdowns in the second quarter to pull away from Na Menehune (5-5). Josh Kansana scored on plays of 40 and 44 yards, bouncing off Moanalua defenders before breaking loose for the end zone.
Tagovailoa connected on a 20-yard pass to Kaeo Alvarez-Ranan and Beau Meyer made the PAT for a 28-3 lead with 6:17 left in the second. Later in the second, Kapolei’s defense led to another touchdown.
Leonard Lee intercepted a pass by Moanalua’s Alakai Yuen and returned it to the 7-yard line. On the next play, Tagovailoa found Wyatt Perez in the end zone. Meyer converted the PAT for a 35-9 lead.
“We took a lot of time out on the weekends with each other to get that chemistry down,” Tagovailoa said of his receivers.
Moanalua reached the Kapolei 2-yard line in the final seconds of the second quarter but failed to score on all four attempts. Yuen’s pass on fourth-and-goal went through the hands of Ryan Ramones as time expired.
Yuen surpassed 2,000 passing yards for the season. He entered the game with 1,953 yards and completed 23 of 50 attempts for 226. He connected on a touchdown pass to Rylan Miguel late in the second quarter.
