First quarter
The rain has stopped — for now. The synthetic turf has great drainage beneath. The lake that had formed at the 40-yard line a few hours ago is long gone. Traction is not bad, too. A lot of rubber granules down on that turf.
We might get that wild passing frenzy after all. Mililani QB McKenzie Milton averages 27.5 attempts per game. Moanalua QB Kawika Keama-Jacobe averages 33.8.
The Trojans draw first blood. An interception and 27-yard return by Alexi Christikoff sets up a 6-yard TD run by Vavae Malepeai. The RB found no creases at the point of attack, bounced outside, was halted at the 2-yard line, then leaped and touched the pylon for the score. PAT blocked. MIL 6, MOA 0, :51.
Second quarter
Veteran move by WR Jason Sharsh on a 5-yard TD catch — on fourth down and goal. QB Kawika Keama-Jacobe stepped out of the pocket and Sharsh changed direction, fading back to the goal line, catching an easy lob for the score. MOA 7, MIL 6, 9:00.
Mililani DT Rex Manu recovers a fumble by Keama-Jacobe (sack by Kaimana Padello), and three plays later, Roman Tovi hauls in a 32-yard bomb from Milton. MIL 13, MOA 7, 3:34.
The next few minutes were wild. Keama-Jacobe threw two of his three interceptions, spoiling a 72-yard kick return by Michael Feliciano. The Trojans capitalized with a 65-yard TD pass from Milton to Bronson Ramos for a 21-7 lead with 24 seconds left in the half.
The Trojans then tried an on-side kick that was recovered by Moanalua at its 45-yard line with 23 seconds left in the half. On the next play, Keama-Jacobe launched a bomb to Michael Feliciano, who hauled the pass in near the 15-yard line, then sprinted through two defenders for a stunning 55-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left in the half. That brought Na Menehune within 21-14 despite three first-half turnovers.
Third quarter
Hyperspeed Mililani slows it down to some extent with a methodical 13-play, 78-yard drive to start the second half. Milton scores on a 5-yard read-option keeper, following Malepeai to the end zone. MIL 28, MOA 14, 7:51.
Moanalua’s offense went three-and-out on consecutive possessions, going back, back, backward with a series of holding penalties. Mililani’s pass rush dominated at this point, making Keama-Jacobe flush out of the pocket consistently.
Fourth quarter
The Trojans drove 50 yards in 12 plays, with Malepeai playing the role of workhorse. He scored his second TD of the game, a 3-yard dive up the middle for a 35-14 Trojans lead with 10:47 left in the game.
Cheyne Constantino gets the work with Malepeai done for the night. He scores on a 1-yard run. The PAT kick is wide left. MIL 41, MOA 14, 5:08.
Moanalua is stil fighting hard. Despite getting chased all night, Keama-Jacobe finds Sharsh for a 20-yard TD pass. MIL 41, MOA 20, 3:28.
Two passes to reserve receivers, the second to Chad Senas for a 36-yard TD pass. MIL 48, MOA 20.
Sharsh hauls in his third TD catch, a 15-yard strike from Keama-Jacobe. MIL 48, MOA 26, :53.
Pre-game
4:40 p.m.
It’s pouring non-stop here at John Kauinana Stadium, all gray clouds and an occasional, booming thunder clap. It’s sketchy enough that officials have halted the JV game for 20 minutes. Mililani leads Moanalua 14-0 with 1:58 left in the first quarter (JV).
They’re calling it a “rain delay,” which it really isn’t since folks on the Central Oahu plains have played through this kind of barely-can-see-anything-in-front-of-me weather for decades. I’m pretty certain it’s a safety issue due to the lightning we haven’t seen yet, but the thunder is a warning call.
How rainy is it? At the ticket booth, rainwater has been gushing downhill to the drain there and water is ankle high, furiously churning in a circle. Nobody here can get around without getting wet, even with a gigantic umbrella. I recommend the biggest Hefty trash bag you’ve got. Turn into your trenchcoat. Bring an extra one just in case. I also recommend a standard plastic grocery bag to cover your head and wear a cap/hat, too. Or you can go to the store and get a legitimate raincoat.
There are about 40 hardy Moanalua JV fans sitting on the visitors’ bleachers through this delay. Some folks are taking refuge at the restrooms. This is truly a saimin kind of night. I hope this clears somewhat. There’s a lot of good food at the concession stand and I don’t know if they can store all the food in some humongous freezer until the next home game.
As for the varsity game, yes, there’s an outside chance it might get postponed, though nobody has mentioned that here yet. Let’s go through the ripple effect.
• If the game is cancelled, this doesn’t affect Mililani (6-0 OIA Blue), which had already clinched first place. (They own tiebreaker wins over Farrington, 5-1, and Campbell, 5-1.) For Moanalua, it would be complex. Na Menehune are 3-3 and hold fourth place right now. Kapolei is 2-4 and plays at Aiea tonight. A Moanalua loss and Kapolei would put the teams in a tie, and Kapolei beat Moanalua 25-14 on Sept. 5 — on another dark and stormy night.
• If the game is postponed, I have no idea what would happen. The possibilities are endless. They could reschedule the game for Monday, I suppose, but I can’t remember a scenario like that before.
• The JV game could be cancelled — that’s what I hear the officials have considered — and still play the varsity game, which isn’t set to kick off until 7 p.m. anyway.
For whatever it’s worth, there hasn’t been any thunder for at least 15 minutes. But the rain persists. I remember the days when it would pour like this on the old grass field, and the patches of dirt between the hashes would give way to the water, and by halftime we could count at least 20 ponds on the field.
4:43 p.m.
It’s official. The JV game has been postponed to a later date due to severe weather.
The varsity game is still scheduled for 7 p.m.
5:23 p.m.
Moanalua AD Joel Kawachi confirmed that the JV game has been cancelled instead of postponed. This means the game will not be made up. Kawachi said the game had no bearing on the OIA JV standings.
The varsity game is still set for 7 p.m. Weather here has cleared up. Rain has stopped, though gray clouds are still hanging above.
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