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The drought that ended Saturday in what the townspeople affectionately call “The Valley” was not nearly as long as the one before.
It took eight years this time for Nanakuli to win another OIA football championship, something they polished by dropping Kaiser 35-21 at the Mililani High field.
And for the Golden Hawks players, this Division II title — a badge of honor for the long, hard hours they put in on the practice field year after year — was indeed super sweet.
What’s more is that it could be a sign of things to come for their fans, who crave a consistent winner and who previously waited 35 years between championships when Nanakuli broke through in 2014.
The next step is huge, though. League honors are one thing, but state supremacy is what the Golden Hawks (and, in fact, all teams) aim for. They will get their chance on the biggest stage in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships in a D-II first round game at home against PAC-5 (3-4) on Nov. 12.
“We’ve been working for this for a long time,” running back Allen Mahoe III said. “It means a lot, to tell you the truth. We’re a very hard working and disciplined team and it’s just great.”
In the victory Saturday, quarterback Hansen Salausa-Kaawa had his hand in four of Nanakuli’s touchdowns, two by air and two on the ground.
“Hansen really stepped up this year,” Mahoe said. “He was playing wide receiver and tight end until our quarterback got hurt last year. It’s amazing to see how he grew and adapted to taking on the role.”\
Mahoe was another offensive cog, contributing big-time to the chain-moving with 39 yards rushing and another 50 yards on five catches. Receiver David Kalili added 52 yards on five catches and a TD.
Moments after the game, Kalili took a call from principal Darin Pilaloha, who is in Japan but wanted to give his congratulations to the team.
Defensively, Lester Meyers III was a menace for coach Kili Watson’s Golden Hawks with 2.5 sacks.
Even though they came up short, Kaiser’s season is not done. The Cougars (6-4) join the Golden Hawks (9-1) in the D-II state tourney. They play a first round D-II game on Kauai at Hanapepe Stadium against Waimea on Nov. 12.
Kaiser, known for its slow starts and second-half comebacks, could not do the latter. Easton Yoshino, one of the top QBs in touchdowns and yardage in state history, went down with a knee injury late in the first half. Yoshino was walking after the game and initial reports are that he could be back for states.
Backup QB Donovan Reis, normally a receiver, turned in a solid performance in his absence, throwing a 30-yard fourth quarter TD pass to Makana Naleieha, but that was not enough to overcome the 28-14 halftime hole that became 35-14 late in the third. Yoshino threw two first half TD passes, and now has 83 in his career, good enough to pass Mililani’s McKenzie Milton into fourth place in Hawaii high school history.
“It’s far from over,” Naleieha said. “I’m not really worried about this game. We have states. We’ll see ‘em again. It’s all good. Unfortunately, our quarterback got hurt, but at the end of the day, we just played football. We just had fun and Donovan stepped up.”
The Cougars were trying to repeat as OIA champions.
Nanakuli, whose 2014 league D-II crown came under coach Watson’s brother Keala, now have three OIA banners. The first one came in 1983 under coach Sam Delos Reyes before the advent of multiple competitive divisions.
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ALSO AT BedrockSportsHawaii.com:
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The Season As It Unfolds
