PUKALANI, Maui — With one glance at the early slate in the Maui Interscholastic League football race, it was easy to tell that last night's game between Kamehameha-Maui and Lahainaluna was going to be important.

The game, a key showdown in the MIL Division II race on the opening weekend of play, lived up to its billing as the Lunas pulled out a come-from-behind 28-21 victory before about 2,000 fans at Kamehameha's Kanaiaupuni Stadium.

''Kamehameha came out to play — they prepared well,'' Lahainaluna co-head coach Garret Tihada said to The Maui News. ''We have to see the film to really find out exactly what happened out there. Sometimes it is not as we see during the game.''

The second half was Bryson Williams time for the Lunas, who trailed 21-14 at halftime. Williams, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior who has been slowed by a wrist injury, didn't enter the game on offense until midway through the third quarter.

The Lunas, a D-II state finalist last year, tied the game at 21-21 when Williams scored on a 16-yard run with 5 minutes, 20 seconds to go in the third quarter on his first touch of the game. Williams ended up with 10 carries for 54 yards and when the Lunas got the ball back with 7:40 to play, he carried on three of four plays on a 55-yard drive. He was also a key part of quarterback Jake Manning's 33-yard run to the Kamehameha 20-yard line. Manning faked a handoff to Williams, who dove into the line while Manning rolled around the left end with the ball hidden on his hip.

Williams then ran for 14 and, finally, six on a scoring run with 6:23 to play that accounted for the final score.

Tihada said he expected Kamehameha to come out firing like it did.

"Totally, yeah, they are well-coached and they play with heart every single time we play them," he said. 'That is totally what we expected. I am very proud of my guys for battling back for the win.''

Kamehameha coach Leo Delatori said he was excited about a passing offense rarely seen Upcountry that piled up 231 yards in the air.

''Our kids came to battle, we had a good week of practice and we were able to execute our game plan,'' Delatori said. ''We didn't make the play when we needed to in the second half.''

Three different Warriors receivers caught at least five passes - Terani Richmond (5 for 58 yards), Louis Turbeville (5-76) and Cameron Yip (6-80) - from quarterback Evan Garces.

The Warriors took a 21-14 lead to intermission on the strength of that passing game that hasn't been part of the arsenal in Kanaiaupuni Stadium before.

''Our receivers came up big and Evan was able to hit them,'' Delatori said. ''Lahainaluna adjusted its defense in the second half and we had trouble reading that. They dropped a lot more people back in coverage.''

The Warriors had one last chance to tie the game when Williams fumbled and Kaumana Rindlisbacher recovered at the Kamehameha 38.

A couple complete passes to Yip and a pass interference penalty put the ball on the Lunas' 25 before Manning — in as an extra defensive back — intercepted Garces' final pass at the 5.

Garces passed for 160 yards in the first half, including a pair of touchdowns.

The Warriors trailed 14-7 after Manning broke free on a 39-yard touchdown run up the middle after a near-perfect play fake. Ivan Delaney's PAT made it a seven-point lead for the Lunas with 24 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Warriors drew near when Jordan Camara's 1-yard scoring run culminated a six-play, 58-yard drive with 9:32 left in the half. Garces was 4-for-4 for 54 yards on the drive and also ran for three. Kamehameha missed the extra point to trail 14-13, but they made up for that with 67 seconds left in the half.

After Camara returned a 54-yard punt by Paula Toa 21 yards to the Lunas' 42-yard line, Garces hit Turbeville for a 42-yard scoring strike. Garces then found fullback Kupono Hong in the end zone for a 2-point conversion to make it 21-14.

Kamehameha took a 7-0 lead when Garces scored on a 6-yard run midway through the first quarter. The 31-yard, four-play drive was set up by a 20-yard punt return by Camara.

Lahainaluna's Jacob Boteilho tied the game on a 1-yard run on the next possession as the Lunas took it 77 yards in seven plays, highlighted by a 43-yard run by Manning to the Warriors' 14.