Braden Amorozo passed for three TDs as Waipahu rallied past Kaimuki 35-14 on Saturday night at Skippa Diaz Stadium.

Sophomore Alfred Failauga rushed for 102 yards and a TD for Waipahu (7-0, 6-0 OIA Division II), which clinched first place in the standings. The Marauders finish the regular season next week against McKinley.

“First place going in, that’s always good. It makes all the work from February worth it,” Waipahu coach Bryson Carvalho said. “I’m very proud of the kids. They stuck to the game plan. We made a little bit of adjustments at halftime. Kaimuki is an awesome team. They’re well-coached and they’re physical. Those were concerns for us all week, definitely.”

Using an extreme ball-control approach, David Tautofi’s Kaimuki squad had the ball for 18 minutes and 16 seconds in the first half. Jordan Solomon connected on several clutch first-down passes, and Ieke Seei-Cleveland (94 yards on 26 carries) gave the Bulldogs (4-3, 4-2) a 7-0 lead on a 12-yard scoring run late in the first quarter.

Kaimuki’s blend of power running between the tackles and Solomon’s pinpoint passing had the Marauders against the ropes until linebacker Fiva Tulafale dropped back into coverage and intercepted a deep post pass by Solomon. The 6-foot-2, 211-pound sophomore raced to the pylon, juking past Solomon along the way, for a 60-yard touchdown return on the final play of the first quarter.

“I just trusted my line and what my coaches said,” Tulafale said of the first pick-6 of his varsity career. “It was all reaction. Kaimuki is strong, but we had them in the second half.”

Waipahu’s offense didn’t score until the final minute of the first half. With Solomon facing a fierce pass rush, Kaimuki’s drive stalled at the Waipahu 22 when Seei-Cleveland was stonewalled on fourth and 1.

Amorozo led the Marauders downfield, rifling a bullet on the post to Matthew Fiesta, who was a blur en route to a 41-yard TD with 36 seconds to go until halftime.

After possessing the ball for less than six minutes in the first half, Waipahu went to a ground-and-pound approach. Failauga had just six carries for 25 yards in the first half.

Still, even with several two-way players, Kaimuki tied the game at 14 with 6:30 left in the third when Solomon scored easily on a 1-yard bootleg.

Amorozo gave the ball four times to Failauga before launching a 36-yard bomb down the right sideline to Isaac Yamashita.

Then safety Zeondre Benjamin came up with the first of his two interceptions — Waipahu finished with four in all — leaping high to snag a deep ball by Solomon near midfield. Benjamin’s return set Waipahu up at the Kaimuki 15-yard line, and two plays later, Failauga blasted up the middle, dragging tacklers across the goal line on a 9-yard TD. His PAT run gave Waipahu a 28-14 lead with 1:42 left in the third.

Solomon completed 13 of his first 17 pass attempts, but Waipahu’s defense rushed him into eight consecutive incompletions and sacked him four times in all, including two by Centennial Kulikefu.