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The Moanalua flag football team struggled to put drives together Saturday, until it mattered the most.
Breidi-Ann Higa threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jodie Keo with 38 seconds remaining as Moanalua beat Mililani 13-6 in the final of the Hawaii Dental Service/HHSAA Girls Flag Football Division I State Championships at Mililani.
Na Menehune were facing a fourth-and-5, and Higa avoided pressure and hit Keo, who ran a post pattern down the middle, leaped and made the grab despite contact from defenders. Higa passed to Shaydenurijah Key Byrd on the conversion.
“I was just like, ‘Please catch the ball, please catch the ball,’ ” Keo said. “I didn’t think the ball was going to come to me, but it did. I just tried my best to catch it. I just went up for the ball because those girls over there can ball. They can jump and I had to get there first.”
Higa said she had no interest in going for the first down.
“I wanted to take my chances and take the deep shot,” said Higa, who finished 16-for-30 for 148 yards.
Moanalua, the OIA runner-up, ran 37 plays for 156 yards, and Mililani ran 48 for 134. Na Menehunes’ Zaira Sugui was in on 12 tackles.
Both teams struggled with the passing game with the rain falling.
“The rain came. We’re a passing team, not a running team,” Moanalua coach Ladd Mokiao said. “The ball was slippery, we couldn’t get it to anybody. I came up with a running game, but that failed.”
Mililani, the OIA’s fifth-place team, took a 6-0 lead on Zennalenn Nelson’s 4-yard pass over the middle to Zayah Solmirin with 4:25 left in the first quarter.
The Trojans decided to run the clock and run the ball after it started raining at the start of the second quarter. Na Menehune ran four plays in the quarter.
In the first half, Mililani ran 27 plays for 96 yards and Moanalua ran 12 for 37. Na Menehune (16-1) had three sacks for 24 yards before halftime. The Trojans (10-7) held a 16:34 to 7:26 advantage in time of possession.
Na Menehune had a third-and-goal from the 1 on their second possession of the second half, but Alizae Royelle Maialoha sacked Moanalua’s Higa for a 6-yard loss. Higa threw an incomplete pass on fourth down.
“It’s a game of will. Who has the stronger will,” Mokiao said. “At the same time, they knew that even if we didn’t score at the 1- or the 5-yard line, when they get the ball back, we can still score points.”
Moanalua regrouped and scored on its next possession on Higa’s 3-yard pass to Qingstinn Rose Yoshihara, which made it 6-6 with 8:37 left in the game.
The scoring play was Higa’s 10th consecutive completion.
Midway through the fourth, Na Menehune’s Iorana Simanu intercepted Nelson, which gave Moanalua the ball at the Mililani 23.
Na Menehune drove to the 6, but turned the ball over on downs.
Mililani went three-and-out, and Moanalua took over at the Trojans’ 38 with 1:51 to go and eventually got the go-ahead score.
The Trojans’ Nelson completed 13 of 23 passes for 47 yards and Hayden-Elyzabeth Ka’ahanui-Cera went 6-for-6 for 35 yards.
Moanalua beat Mililani 31-13 on May 1.
Hawaii Prep World
For high school sports record books, visit .
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Breidi-Ann Higa threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jodie Keo with 38 seconds remaining as Moanalua beat Mililani 13-6 in the final of the Hawaii Dental Service/HHSAA Girls Flag Football Division I State Championships at Mililani.
Na Menehune were facing a fourth-and-5, and Higa avoided pressure and hit Keo, who ran a post pattern down the middle, leaped and made the grab despite contact from defenders. Higa passed to Shaydenurijah Key Byrd on the conversion.
“I was just like, ‘Please catch the ball, please catch the ball,’ ” Keo said. “I didn’t think the ball was going to come to me, but it did. I just tried my best to catch it. I just went up for the ball because those girls over there can ball. They can jump and I had to get there first.”
Higa said she had no interest in going for the first down.
“I wanted to take my chances and take the deep shot,” said Higa, who finished 16-for-30 for 148 yards.
Moanalua, the OIA runner-up, ran 37 plays for 156 yards, and Mililani ran 48 for 134. Na Menehunes’ Zaira Sugui was in on 12 tackles.
Both teams struggled with the passing game with the rain falling.
“The rain came. We’re a passing team, not a running team,” Moanalua coach Ladd Mokiao said. “The ball was slippery, we couldn’t get it to anybody. I came up with a running game, but that failed.”
Mililani, the OIA’s fifth-place team, took a 6-0 lead on Zennalenn Nelson’s 4-yard pass over the middle to Zayah Solmirin with 4:25 left in the first quarter.
The Trojans decided to run the clock and run the ball after it started raining at the start of the second quarter. Na Menehune ran four plays in the quarter.
In the first half, Mililani ran 27 plays for 96 yards and Moanalua ran 12 for 37. Na Menehune (16-1) had three sacks for 24 yards before halftime. The Trojans (10-7) held a 16:34 to 7:26 advantage in time of possession.
Na Menehune had a third-and-goal from the 1 on their second possession of the second half, but Alizae Royelle Maialoha sacked Moanalua’s Higa for a 6-yard loss. Higa threw an incomplete pass on fourth down.
“It’s a game of will. Who has the stronger will,” Mokiao said. “At the same time, they knew that even if we didn’t score at the 1- or the 5-yard line, when they get the ball back, we can still score points.”
Moanalua regrouped and scored on its next possession on Higa’s 3-yard pass to Qingstinn Rose Yoshihara, which made it 6-6 with 8:37 left in the game.
The scoring play was Higa’s 10th consecutive completion.
Midway through the fourth, Na Menehune’s Iorana Simanu intercepted Nelson, which gave Moanalua the ball at the Mililani 23.
Na Menehune drove to the 6, but turned the ball over on downs.
Mililani went three-and-out, and Moanalua took over at the Trojans’ 38 with 1:51 to go and eventually got the go-ahead score.
The Trojans’ Nelson completed 13 of 23 passes for 47 yards and Hayden-Elyzabeth Ka’ahanui-Cera went 6-for-6 for 35 yards.
Moanalua beat Mililani 31-13 on May 1.
Hawaii Prep World
For high school sports record books, visit .
Continue reading...
