Alfred Failauga rushed for 134 yards and scored a touchdown as Waipahu outlasted Kailua 14-12 on Saturday night at Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex.
Waipahu finished Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I play 4-2 (4-5 overall). Kailua dropped to 3-3 (4-6 overall). Both teams had already clinched playoff spots. Waipahu will meet Leilehua and Kailua will play Moanalua in the first round.
Defense was at its best for much of the way for Waipahu, which led 14-0 after a 1-yard punch-in by Failauga with 6:54 remaining.
Kailua then got its first TD on a 6-yard strike from Cameron Friel to Koali‘i Kohatsu. Waipahu’s Faapaia Fualema blew up the PAT attempt by Kailua, however, and it was 14-6 with 5:27 remaining.
>> Click here to see photos of the game between Waipahu and Kailua.
After Waipahu went three-and-out, Kailua got the ball back on the Marauders’ 45-yard line with 3:53 left. Two plays later, Friel launched a 45-yard TD bomb to Landon Clevenger with 3:37 to play, shocking the Marauders’ senior-night crowd.
On the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, the pass rush stripped the ball from Friel, and offensive lineman Royal Crowell picked the ball up. He was close to scoring, but was stopped short of the goal line.
Kailua opted for a regular deep kickoff and Waipahu ran out the final minutes as quarterback Cody Marques slid inbounds on a first-down run to keep the clock moving. After Failauga churned out a first-down gain, Kailua was out of timeouts.
“It was a good defensive effort, but we still came up short,” Kailua coach Joseph Wong said. “Hopefully, we can build off that. We’ve got to find a way offensively to put points on the board earlier rather than wait to the last minute. It was there all game. It’s just a matter of them actually seeing it. We’ve got to execute a little better in routes and pass pro.”
Kailua had begun three possessions in Waipahu territory in the first half, but came up empty each time as the Marauder defense bent, but didn’t break. After Marques scored on a 10-yard option keeper, Waipahu led 7-0 with 5:52 left in the first half.
The Marauders came up with interceptions by Samu Niuatoa and Logan Lauti in the third quarter to stymie the visitors again. Defensive coordinator Ron Johnson was relieved.
“One thing we’ve got to work on, we’ve got about nine freshmen playing, so we’re trying to make it as simple as we possibly can,” Johnson said. “I’ll take the first three quarters.”
He credited seniors Manuele Pulusila, Tyrone Niuatoa and Fiva Tulafale for their leadership.
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Waipahu 14, Kailua 12
At Masa Yonamine Athletic Complex
>> Kailua (4-6, 3-3) 0 0 0 12 — 12
>> Waipahu (4-5, 4-2) 0 7 7 0 — 14
Waipahu — Cody Marques 10 run (Brycen Amorozo kick)
Waipahu — Alfred Failauga 1 run (Amorozo kick)
Kailua — Koali‘i Kohatsu 6 pass from Cameron Friel (kick failed)
Kailua — Koali‘i Landon Clevenger 45 pass from Friel (run failed)
RUSHING — Kailua: Brian-Allen Kamanu 10-35, Lahaina Kane 6-4, Samson Rasay 1-0, Raynen Ho-Mook 2-(-7), Cameron Friel 6-(-14). Waipahu: Failauga 35-134, Cody Marques 12-32, Branden Tsuchiyama 1-0, team 1-(-2).
PASSING — Kailua: Friel 21-37-2-244. Waipahu: Marques 12-24-0-130.
RECEIVING — Kailua: Clevenger 9-132, Koali‘i Kohatsu 7-82, Kamanu 2-11, Ho-Mook 1-4, Kamryn Kahoonei 1-4. Waipahu: Aston Contado 4-73, Jovan Gooman 2-12, Triton Nieves 2-11, Solofa Setu 1-15, Alema Slade 1-11, Jeff Badua 1-7, Titus Suan 1-1.
* Junior Varsity — Waipahu 43, Kailua 22
