Posted on: Saturday, November 13, 2004
Kahuku dumps Mililani
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Gifted Kahuku was showered with presents last night, coming from a 13-6 first-quarter deficit to turn back Mililani, 36-13, to capture the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference football championship.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser The No. 2 Trojans (10-1), who had their 10-game win streak snapped, will travel to Maui to play Maui Interscholastic League champion Lahainaluna Friday at War Memorial Stadium.
"This feels real good," Kahuku quarterback Bronson Ponciano-Ahue said.
Two turnovers and a shanked punt aided in three Kahuku touchdowns.
After the Trojans took a 13-6 lead on touchdown passes of 6 and 41 yards from Maka Kahoano to Aaron Po'oloa and Kekoa Perbera, respectively, the Red Raiders scored three times in the second quarter and once again in the third for 30 unanswered points.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser A fumble in the third quarter — right after the Trojans recovered a Kahuku fumble — set up another TD.
"Field position was real bad from the second quarter on," Mililani coach James Millwood said. "We just kept our defense on the field way too long.
"The score could've been worse, but we just have to learn from this and get back."
It was a nice comeback for Ponciano-Ahue. He had missed a number of games because of a hyper-extended left elbow (non-throwing side). He didn't have eye-popping numbers (6 of 17 for 102 yards and one interception), but was effective enough. Hafoka, who was covered well most of the night by Mililani's Chris Dickerson, managed to break free on his 52-yard TD reception.
Hafoka also made a one-handed, leaping catch later in the game.
"That was nice," Ponciano-Ahue said.
Also returning to action was running back Micah Strickland, who sat out the last game for disciplinary reasons. He had 67 yards on 12 carries, including TD runs of 9 and 4 yards.
When Mililani took the early lead, it was the first time Kahuku trailed all season since the first quarter of the Saint Louis nonleague game early in the year. But the 36 points was the most the Trojans had surrendered all season; their previous high was 21 against Kailua in the OIA quarterfinals.
KAHUKU (10-1) 6 22 8 0—36 MILILANI (10-1) 13 0 0 0—13 Mil—Aaron Po'oloa 6 pass from Maka Kahoano (Jordan Torres kick)
Kah—Hyrum Moors 4 run (run failed)
Mil—Kekoa Perbera 41 pass from Kahoano (kick failed)
Kah—Micah Strickland 9 run (run failed)
Kah—Strickland 4 run (Kamuela Alisa pass from Bronson Ponciano-Ahue)
Kah—Spencer Hafoka 52 pass from Ponciano-Ahue (Ponciano-Ahue run)
Kah—Viliami Tilini 1 run (Ponciano-Ahue run)
RUSHING—Kahuku: Strickland 12-67, Tilini 4-36, Moors 11-31, Ponciano-Ahue 4-0, Malosi Te'o 6-11, Simi Alo 2-54, Lehi Aumua 1-2, team 1-(minus 1). Mililani: Perbera 11-30, Torres 8-28, Jordan Apduhan 2-5, Jay Greene 2-0, Kahoano 5-(minus 13), team 1-(minus 18).
PASSING—Kahuku: Ponciano-Ahue 6-17-1—102. Mililani: Kahoano 9-20-1—187, Jon Santos 0-1-0—0.
RECEIVING—Kahuku: Hafoka 3-78, Devin Unga 1-9, Stanley Kava 1-9, Moors 1-6. Mililani: Nick Rogers 5-130, Santos 1-7, Perbera 1-41, Jason Alexander 1-3, Po'oloa 1-6.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.
An Aloha Stadium crowd of 9,139 watched the Red Raiders (10-1), ranked first in The Advertiser Top 10, win their second consecutive OIA title and 11th since the advent of the championship game in 1970. They will draw a first-round bye in next week's state Division I tournament.
Kahuku's Hyrum Moors tries to get past Mililani's Michael Suan in the OIA Red Conference title game at Aloha Stadium.
An interception by cornerback Tomasi Fuller set up the first of three second-quarter Kahuku TDs; a shanked, 14-yard punt to the Millani 15 led to a second score to give Kahuku a 20-13 lead. A 52-yard TD pass from Ponciano-Ahue to Spencer Hafoka followed by a Ponciano-Ahue 2-point conversion run made it 28-13 at the half.
Kahuku's Micah Strickland is stood up by Mililani's Mark Wetter in the OIA Red Conference title game at Aloha Stadium. Kahuku won, 36-13.
