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It looked like the script was going to completely flip Saturday night when one star returned from an injury and an opposing star got ejected.
But the story line that had been written through most of the first half actually stayed on target, and Konawaena held on to beat Waipahu 38-28 for the school’s historic first Division I title in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships at the Mililani field.
More on the script nearly flipping later.
Let’s first get a debriefing of sorts from Wildcats coach Brad Uemoto.
“I don’t even know what happened,” he said. “I’m in shock right now. This is crazy. Speechless. I’m so happy for this group that they got it. This is amazing for the Big Island and our small town up in Kealakekua. This little green engine, we made it, man.”
Although they were ahead most of the way, Konawaena (11-1) continued to fight off the resilient Marauders (11-2).
It wasn’t long after the Wildcats went up 28-7 — thanks mostly to receiver Zedekiah Anahu-Amrbosio’s 1-yard end-around touchdown and TD receptions of 21 and 23 yards from Keoki Alani — that things began to unravel a bit for the BIIF D-I champions.
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And that’s exactly when that aforementioned script looked like it was going to flip.
At about the same time Anahu-Ambrosio was getting ejected for his second unsportsmanlike conduct (excessive celebration) penalty, Waipahu’s offensive wizard, quarterback Liatama Uiliata, was returning to the game after hurting both his ankle and his knee and missing multiple series.
As he’s done all year, Uiliata, who wound up limping in between plays and having trouble planting his foot on throws, brought Waipahu back, making it 28-21 on an 11-yard TD run and a 28-yard TD pass to Saige Marienthal.
After a trade of TDs late in the third quarter, Konawaena was still up by 7, 35-28, and that’s when the Wildcats’ defense worked diligently to keep the OIA D-I champion Marauders off the board in the final period.
With 4:33 left to play, Nakoa Ige’s 36-yard field goal gave Konawaena a little bit of breathing room at 38-28.
“Coming out (of the game), I feel really sad, but I just trusted my teammates,” Anahu-Ambrosio said. “I told ’em let’s go and they picked it up and got the victory. This is history. Shout out to the O-linemen, all the receivers, everybody. They did really great today.”
Uiliata, who threw for 222 yards and two TDs, was sacked seven times, something that never came close to happening to the shifty and speedy player earlier in the season. Keawe Navas-Loa (game-high 13 tackles) and Chray Flanary got in to sack Uiliata twice each.
“For our community, for the people who came, it’s a big thing,” said Konawaena’s Roonui Satta-Ellis, who had five tackles and an interception. “It’s the first time. I really can’t believe it. It feels so surreal. We’ve been working for so, so long. We feel like we deserve and earned this moment.”
Alani had a superb game at the controls for the Wildcats, going 26-for-37 for 256 yards and two TDs.
For Waipahu, Anieli Teleaai rushed for 102 yards and a TD, and teammate Chazen Rodillas-Vesido caught seven passes for 101 yards and a TD.
“Playing in this game, I learned a lot — just how hard other teams off-island can put in work,” Teleaai said. “I’m gonna be honest, we really underestimated them at first. I gotta give it to them. They wanted it more. We had an amazing season, amazing players and amazing bonds. The coaches kept our heads up high no matter what. In the end, we just came up short. Tama was injured. We could all tell, but he has a big heart and he wanted to win just as badly as the rest of us.”
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ALSO AT BedrockSportsHawaii.com:
Waimea Leaves No Doubt By Roaring Past King Kekaulike 45-6 For D-II State Championship
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The Season As It Unfolds:
