In a battle of MIL undefeated teams, Lahainaluna came from behind and held on for a 19-13 win over Kamehameha Schools Maui at War Memorial Stadium, October 14, 2023. What a game! Gotta go change my bebedeez! Squeeze okole - x2! Whew!
The Lunas’ offense struggled mightily in the first half, unable to get into any kind of rhythm. The defense held the Warriors’ high-powered offense to just 7 points in the first half. The second half was a different story. Kuola Watson sparked the Lunas with an electrifying kick return to get the Lunas good field position. Then Kaulana Tihada sliced and diced and broke free for a 51 yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation to tie up the game. The Warriors marched right back down the field and scored a touchdown, but the extra point was blocked by Ikaika Cabrera to make it 7-13. Running exclusively out of the Wildcat, the Warriors knew the Lunas were gonna run the ball but couldn’t stop Tihada. The Lunas marched back down the field again, this time scoring in 1:35 on another Tihada touchdown of 4 yards. The extra point/conversion failed so the game was tied at 13-13. Tihada again broke free in the 4th quarter for a 30 yard touchdown to put the Lunas up 19-13. On the 2-point conversion, the Warriors were apparently penalized for 12 men on the field, but it was withdrawn when it was determined that the Warriors had called time out. The ensuing 2-pont conversion attempt failed and so the Warriors were a touchdown away from tying the game and an extra point away from winning it. The Warriors drove all the way down to inside the 10 yard line. Then Kuola Watson made an incredible interception, taking the ball away from the Warriors’ 6’4” UH-commit Frank Abreu in the endzone. Watson held on to the ball even though he was thrown down to the ground by Abreu. With the Warriors out of time outs, the Lunas had an opportunity to run out the clock if they could drive the ball downfield. Unfortunately, on one of the runs, the running back went out of bounds, stopping the clock. Then some confusion on play calls resulted in a busted play and the Lunas had to punt from deep in their own territory. Then miscommunication with the officials on the play clock (which was out of commission, so the teams had to rely on an official to let them know how much time was left) resulted in a delay of game penalty pushing the Lunas further back. Then punter Noa Gordon bobbled the snap, allowing the Warrior’s Nohi Casco to tackle Gordon for a loss. The Warriors took over on the Lunas 15 yard line with 2:37 to play and no time outs. Content with running the ball to run out the clock and confident they would score, the Warriors ran the clock down. They even managed a first down at the 4 yard line. But the Lunas stuffed the run and then on the next play, the center snap never made it to the quarterback and Kaulana Tihada dove between the lineman’s legs and recovered the loose ball, securing the win for the Lunas. What a crazy game! Kaulana ended the night with 215 yards rushing on 23 attempts and 3 touchdowns. The Lunas held Warriors QB Makana Kamaka-Brayce to 199 yards on 12-25 passing, with 2 interceptions. [Nikon D4S, Nikon 300mm f/2.8, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, Nikon D500, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII]
The Lunas’ offense struggled mightily in the first half, unable to get into any kind of rhythm. The defense held the Warriors’ high-powered offense to just 7 points in the first half. The second half was a different story. Kuola Watson sparked the Lunas with an electrifying kick return to get the Lunas good field position. Then Kaulana Tihada sliced and diced and broke free for a 51 yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation to tie up the game. The Warriors marched right back down the field and scored a touchdown, but the extra point was blocked by Ikaika Cabrera to make it 7-13. Running exclusively out of the Wildcat, the Warriors knew the Lunas were gonna run the ball but couldn’t stop Tihada. The Lunas marched back down the field again, this time scoring in 1:35 on another Tihada touchdown of 4 yards. The extra point/conversion failed so the game was tied at 13-13. Tihada again broke free in the 4th quarter for a 30 yard touchdown to put the Lunas up 19-13. On the 2-point conversion, the Warriors were apparently penalized for 12 men on the field, but it was withdrawn when it was determined that the Warriors had called time out. The ensuing 2-pont conversion attempt failed and so the Warriors were a touchdown away from tying the game and an extra point away from winning it. The Warriors drove all the way down to inside the 10 yard line. Then Kuola Watson made an incredible interception, taking the ball away from the Warriors’ 6’4” UH-commit Frank Abreu in the endzone. Watson held on to the ball even though he was thrown down to the ground by Abreu. With the Warriors out of time outs, the Lunas had an opportunity to run out the clock if they could drive the ball downfield. Unfortunately, on one of the runs, the running back went out of bounds, stopping the clock. Then some confusion on play calls resulted in a busted play and the Lunas had to punt from deep in their own territory. Then miscommunication with the officials on the play clock (which was out of commission, so the teams had to rely on an official to let them know how much time was left) resulted in a delay of game penalty pushing the Lunas further back. Then punter Noa Gordon bobbled the snap, allowing the Warrior’s Nohi Casco to tackle Gordon for a loss. The Warriors took over on the Lunas 15 yard line with 2:37 to play and no time outs. Content with running the ball to run out the clock and confident they would score, the Warriors ran the clock down. They even managed a first down at the 4 yard line. But the Lunas stuffed the run and then on the next play, the center snap never made it to the quarterback and Kaulana Tihada dove between the lineman’s legs and recovered the loose ball, securing the win for the Lunas. What a crazy game! Kaulana ended the night with 215 yards rushing on 23 attempts and 3 touchdowns. The Lunas held Warriors QB Makana Kamaka-Brayce to 199 yards on 12-25 passing, with 2 interceptions. [Nikon D4S, Nikon 300mm f/2.8, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, Nikon D500, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII]
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