Joy and love were on full display in an OIA football playoff game in Waipahu on Oct. 23.

Leilehua’s Josh Juan came off the bench late in a 42-7 playoff elimination loss to Campbell and ran for a 96-yard touchdown. A seldom used player, the junior running back didn’t expect to get in, and so when he ran all the way to the end zone, his teammates and fans exploded with cheers.

By the next day, at least three media outlets had video of that play online.

“We have six running backs,” said Juan during a phone interview Sunday. Other than practice, he hadn’t seen duty on the field since a scrimmage against Waianae before the season began.

He had a tiny inkling he might be getting into the lineup because during the game, he heard rumblings from teammates: “This is Josh’s night to shine.”

Still, he really didn’t know what that meant because a coach had told him earlier in the season that it was unlikely he would play unless the Mules were up by 28 points.

When Juan got the call to go in, one of Leilehua assistant coaches told him to be careful, not fall down and run as far as he could.

“I ran to an open gap and all of a sudden I saw no one was going to catch me and I was thinking, ‘Am I really going to score this?’ ” Juan said. “It was unexpected. I was surprised. The entire season, they didn’t put me in.”

Afterward, on his way down the bench area, most of his teammates and coaches gave the overjoyed Juan words of encouragement and affirmation and congratulatory slaps on his shoulder pads and helmet. The love was flowing.

“My parents were very proud of me,” Juan added. “So proud when I showed them the video. And my teammates were all happy and saying, ‘Yo Josh!’ Even the Campbell guys were pretty cool. No 9 (Nehemiah Alualu-Tuiolemotu) said, ‘Good job, my guy.’ ”

A friend, Jeramyah Ibarra-Meniosa, who lives in Kapolei, wrote on social media to Josh: “I’m freakin’ proud of you.”

And the videos made the rounds.

Juan’s touchdown was a much, much better result than his only carry in the scrimmage against the Seariders.

“I ran the wrong way and the guy (tackled) me,” he said about that play.

Juan, who has thought about joining the military or studying to go into the medical profession after he graduates in 2028, hasn’t decided if he will play football next year.

“It’s a lot of training and it’s not easy (committing so much time to the sport) and keeping my grades up,” he said. “There’s a January meeting that I will go to and make a decision before training starts in February. I know (head) coach Mark (Kurisu) likes it when I’m on the team.”

In a postgame video interview, a smiling Kurisu said told Hawaii Sports Radio Network, “He’s going to remember that for the rest of his life.

“From his freshman year, he always talked about coming out and this year he did,” the coach continued. “Class act from (Campbell) coach DJ (Darren Johnson) and his staff. … They said, ‘Hey let’s bless him.’ And … that’s what Hawaii football is all about. It’s not about just winning games. It’s about giving your best, and when you have a chance to show love … it’s not small. And something as incredible as this, I think it just really uplifted the whole stadium.”