Balance Guides HPA Past Waiakea

For a second consecutive week, Hawai`i Preparatory Academy head coach Jordan Hayslip called for better balance from his offense to be successful.

Quarterback Koa Ellis Jr. came through on his end, throwing for a pair of touchdowns while running back Bobby Lum added a pair of touchdown runs as Hawai`i Prep pushed by Waiakea 42-12 at Wong Stadium.

Ellis, a 5-foot-9 junior quarterback, completed his first five passes of the game. Three of them came on his team’s second drive, which was capped off by a 51-yard touchdown hookup with Kellen Gillins. The drive, which put HPA ahead 7-0 with 4:57 remaining in the opening quarter, started after Waiakea’s Tyler Kerr missed a 33-yard field goal on the Warriors’ opening drive.

The opening quarter for Waiakea was full of missed opportunities. On the Warriors’ next drive, quarterback Bryce Felipe threw an interception in Ka Makani territory. Luckily for the Warriors, they got the football right back when HPA fumbled the ball away on the return.

The Warriors remained in HPA territory after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty but coughed it up again to start the second quarter when Pono Auwae gave it away on a fumble. The two turnovers in that sequence was a small sample of the eight the Warriors gave away Friday night.

Hawai`i Prep (4-1 overall, 2-1 BIIF) added to its lead with a long run from Bobby Lum. His 28-yard touchdown rush put Ka Makani ahead 14-0 with 4:24 remaining in the first half.

Lum’s 189-yard rushing performance gives him 665 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on the season. He carried the football 27 times.

Caleb Kagawa recovered Bryce Felipe’s fumble on the next drive to give HPA prime field position at Waiakea’s 35 yard line. Ellis capitalized with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Justin Perry to give Ka Makani a three touchdown lead with two and a half minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Ellis was 10-for-16 for 184 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Gillins was his top target, hauling in four passes for 84 yards.

HPA went to a no-huddle offense throughout much of the second half. That allowed them to go on a 5 play, 63 yard drive that took only 1:03 off the third quarter clock. Lum closed the drive with a five-yard touchdown run to extend HPA’s lead to 28 points.

Waiakea (2-4, 1-2) got its best offensive consistency in the third quarter. Following the HPA score, Waiakea marched 69 yards down the field and hit the endzone with a Devin Preston 35 yard scoring run. Kerr missed the extra point, however, and Waiakea trailed Ka Makani 28-6 with 7:33 left in the quarter.

Following a Lum fumble, Waiakea took advantage of a short field and got back on the scoreboard with an Auwae two-yard touchdown to cut HPA’s lead to 28-12.

Waiakea’s offense would turn the ball over, however, on its next two series. HPA put the game away with a pair touchdown runs in the final period. Blake Hooser rushed into the endzone from five yards out in the opening minute of the quarter to extend the lead to 35-12. Two drives later, fullback Michael Nakahara scored a 13-yard touchdown run to add seven more points to the scoreboard.

Despite three fumbles lost, Preston racked up another 100-yard performance. He rushed for 103 yards on 19 carries. Auwae, a sophomore, gained 23 yards on 10 rushes.

Felipe, who made his second consecutive start at quarterback, went 8-for-19 through the air for 89 yards and an interception.

Hawai`i Prep 7 14 7 14 – 42

Waiakea 0 0 12 0 – 12

Scoring summary

1st (4:57) – HPA: Koa Ellis Jr. 51 yd TD pass to Kellen Gillins (Justin Perry XPT good)

2nd (4:24) – HPA: Bobby Lum 28 yd TD run (Perry XPT good)

2nd (2:30) – HPA: Ellis Jr. 30 yd TD pass to Perry (Perry XPT good)

3rd (10:03) – HPA: Lum 5 yd TD run (Perry XPT good)

3rd (7:33) – WAIAKEA: Devin Preston 35 yd TD run (Kerr XPT no good)

3rd (4:42) – WAIAKEA: Pono Auwae 2 yd TD run (Kerr XPT no good)

4th (11:10) – HPA: Blake Hooser 5 yd TD run (Alex Brost XPT good)

4th (4:41) – HPA: Michael Nakahara 13 yd TD run (Perry XPT good)