Noah Auld passed for 190 yards and two touchdowns as Kailua outlasted Kapolei 20-6 on a muddy night at Alex Kane Stadium.
The win gave Kailua a 3-0 record (2-0 in league play) for the first time since 2003, when the Surfriders last reached the state tournament.
Kapolei slipped to 0-2 in league play (1-2 overall).
"They have a very balanced offense and we made some crucial mistakes," Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez said. "Credit to them."
Kailua eked out 106 hard-earned yards on the ground in 39 rushing attempts against a stingy Kapolei defense. It was enough to control the game in the trenches as quarterbacks sometimes struggled to keep grip on the football.
"This is tradition, going back to what we were about back in the day," Kailua coach Joseph Wong said.
Auld was steady despite the circumstances, with 18 completions in 37 attempts. His TD passes both came in the first half. The first went to Martin Tigilau, an 8-yard strike on fourth down.
The second scoring strike went to Koolau Gaspar, an 18-yard alley-oop toss that Gaspar hauled in despite two defenders. Kailua led 14-0 with 3:39 left in the first half.
The home team went ahead 20-0 in the third quarter as Kailua drove 60 yards in 14 plays. A fourth-and-4 pass from Auld to Hano Kohatsu was key, giving the Surfriders first down at the Kapolei 10-yard line. Gabe LeLesch later scored on a 1-yard blast.
Ezra Savea moved from QB to wide receiver in the second half, and Kapolei’s offense — with Taulia Tagovailoa at QB — became more explosive. Ty-Noah Williams scored on a 31-yard screen pass, breaking three tackles, to bring the ‘Canes within 20-6 with nine minutes to play.
But they got no closer despite moving the ball between the 20s.
At Alex Kane Stadium
| Kapolei (1-1, 0-1) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
— |
6 |
| Kailua (2-0, 1-0) |
7 |
7 |
6 |
0 |
— |
20 |
KAIL—Martin Tigilau 8 pass from Noah Auld (Jonovan Lee kick)
KAIL—Koolau Gaspar 18 pass from Auld (Lee kick)
KAIL—Gabe Lelesch 1 run (run failed)
KAP—Ty-Noah Williams 31 pass from Taulia Tagovailoa (kick blocked)
RUSHING—Kapolei: L.J. Esperas 11-39, Ezra Savea 7-21, team 2-(minus 16). Kailua: Gabe LeLesch 14-55, Noah Auld 12-39, Kana Richardson 8-13, Mark Lagazo 5(-1).
PASSING—Kapolei: Savea 1-7-0-21, Tagovailoa 14-33-0-198. Kailua: Auld 18-37-1-190.
RECEIVING—Kapolei: Williams 6-77, Esperas 5-75, Savea 3-58, Jenesus Tago-Su’e 1-9. Kailua: Noah Ah Yat 6-76, Isaiah Damo-Agcaoili 5-44, LeLesch 1-1, Tigilau 5-51, Gaspar 1-18
Junior varsity — Kapolei 25, Kailua 20
